To be true, this is a question that has burdened my mind - as it has many great philosophers - for more than a few years of my humble life.

Around 2001 or 2002 (I can't remember exactly), I began toying with the idea that the true function of the human species was as the reproductive organ for planet Earth. Put that way, of course, it sounds like a rather crackpot idea. But, when you start thinking of the Earth life system as a kind of complete organism (ala the Gaia Hypothesis of James Lovelock, and similar thinking by other great minds throughout history), then you start asking yourself how this lifeform replicates itself. The ability to reproduce is, after all, held by many to be a key quality required in order to satisfy the definition of life.

There has been plenty of exploration, in science fiction stories, of the idea of mankind colonizing other planets. When this idea is approached, the motivation is usually one of necessity. Way in the distant future the sun is dying, or we have destroyed our planet in some dystopic extrapolation of man's self-destructive nature, or the effort is driven purely by the insatiable greed of enterprising corporations wishing to harvest more materials for more financial growth. And, when focus turns to the idea of taking other species of life along for the ride, the theme is once again one of utility: we need other living things as food for the fledgling colonies.

But, what if this act were not one of mere necessity? Indeed, I don't believe that spreading our life to other planets is merely a matter of utility or necessity for our own long term survival. I, personally, believe it is a purpose for our very existence on this planet - in fact a calling for our species. I believe there is a purpose behind the emergence of intelligent life on earth, and the emergence of a species capable of developing technologies that could someday spread life beyond the planet. The life system of our planet has payed a heavy price to permit our existence, but the investment may someday pay off. We are at the moment the greatest threat to life on earth, but we may someday become the very salvation for life on earth.

What this all leads me to is the notion that - rather than being merely a curious notion worthy of a few occassional moments of contemplation or dinner table debate - we are instead to awaken as a species to an urgent call to action. Hormones are the messengers of an organism that - among other things - signal the time for the onset of sexual maturity in the organism. It may just be then that the great thinkers of our species - scientists, artists, mathematicians, philosophers, and the like - will act as the equivalent of hormones that will trigger the onset of Earth's reproductive maturity, by inspiring mankind to pursue travel throughout the cosmos.

Now, being that I am a musician and songwriter, I was inspired to set this "epiphany" to music. Thus was born the song "Purpose" (DOWNLOAD IT).