How strange it is that we, as human beings, have the capacity to think at all. To reflect and hold memories, to strategize, and manipulate; to regurgitate a stream of spell-binding words so another can absorb them, and in turn, do the same to us or others. Stringing along thoughts to form coherent, or not so coherent, interpretations of our surroundings. Even in our dreams the stream of consciousness rages, subjugating us to ethereal visions, reflections on our thoughts. How is this all coming together? What were the pieces that came together thousands of years ago that gave a relatively simple ape the capacity to grasp the concept of his mortality? To harness the power of an amazing mind, and one day build crafts that would take them to outer space. If only our ancient ancestors could see what we’ve done, all because we are aware of ourselves.

Here we are, ages into the future, driving electric cars, ordering mocha-lattes on our phones, watching humans do space-walks from the comfort of our homes, and sharing videos of a dog chasing his own tail, all in a whirl of quantum magic. We've developed the capacity to communicate our feeling with others instantaneously, even when they are thousands of miles away. What an amazing animal we are, 'Homo sapiens', the "Wise Man". Much research has gone into coming up with a concrete answer on the origins of our consciousness. The process behind our thoughts and being is an everyday fact that we take for granted. It all comes so naturally, the ability to contemplate our evolution through time and space. Many scientists argue that our stream of consciousness is merely electric circuits firing away, powering our neurons in order to deliver messages throughout our nervous system, therefore enabling us to function day-to-day. Simple and to the point, yet, many questions still arise. Why us in particular?

Here goes a short story:

100,000 years ago.

A tribe of bipedal apes makes their way down the lower slopes of the Ural Mountains. The valley ahead looks much more fertile than the upper regions, with rich moss and grass covering the ground, groupings of pine trees scattered around, and herds of reindeer, peacefully enjoying the sun-soaked valley.

A bit further, past a cluster of towering oaks, a column of smoke is seen rising above the horizon. It is next to a medium-sized body of water, which was being fed by a river that flowed from high above in the mountains. The tribe hurries along, famished and tired, they longed for shelter and fresh meat; and up ahead was a site unlike anything they’ve ever experienced. The long journey had been arduous, many of their own perished along the way, either to other apex predators, or fallen to their death along the icy cliffs atop. Hunger and sickness had taken their toll.

As the group descends further, they make out several small dwellings along the lake, unnatural looking, seemingly out of place among the majestic, rocky mountains that surround them. Grunts and expressions can be heard from the small tribe, clearly confused and astounded by what they see.

Their approach caught the attention of others; from out of the dwellings emerged another animal, very similar to this lost tribe. They stood straighter, with leaner bodies and less hair covering their forms. Their clothing was ornamental and useful for the surroundings. They had open fires in several areas, all raging powerfully while the intense smell of burnt meat perfumed the air. Their gait was different, smoother, and with purpose; this tribe definitely had some differences from the group that came down from the mountains. It's as if both groups recognized each other, picking out features that are familiar, long-lost cousins, lost in an obscure past.

Both groups passed insurmountable odds to survive, braving through a vicious environment that seemed to constantly threaten life. Surprisingly, perhaps caused by the fear governing both herds of human-like creatures, and constant battles to survive, the two different tribes assimilated rather peacefully, a rare occurrence in an otherwise brutal environment. The Valley tribe had plenty of food offerings for this strange group that descended from the mountains. They had a rather strange technique of cracking open the bones of animals in order to consume the essence within.

They also participated in many strange rituals involving their dead ones, they communicated efficiently with each other, and could somehow easily convey their own feelings or thoughts to the mountain group.They made special use of many herbs and were particularly fond of consuming a type of fungi, which shortly after would have them engulfed in a strange trance, dances would ensue, while chanting and hollering up at the sky.

As time passed, days became weeks, months, and later on, entire generations. The two tribes conjoined, adopting techniques from each other, learning, advancing through time. Eventually mating and multiplying and evolving into something else, or, someone else.

Back to our reality…

Many ages ago, there were other 'humans', other animals that belonged to the same group of bipedal apes that we are in. They shared many of our physical characteristics, and some of our social dynamics. Take for example, 'Homo Neanderthals', one of our closest relatives. Evidence exists of these early humans' manipulation of fire, and semi-complex social structures. They were skilled hunters, wore clothing, and evidence even suggests they buried their dead and had offerings for them. The data goes as far as to suggest that they were able to use their environment to fabricate living quarters, dwellings, not always relying on finding shelter in caves or other natural formations. Some Neanderthals even had the insight to fabricate jewelry and ornate objects. This level of sophisticated use of tools was a first amongst our ancestors, the stepping stones to eventually reach what we are now, and surely this won't be the end of our evolution.

Homo Neanderthals are not the only human species that existed. Throughout our tumultuous evolution many have roamed the Earth. We have Homo Floresiensis, our human ancestor from the island of Flores in Indonesia, a diminutive figure, standing at just over 3 feet tall. These dwarf-like humans (Let's get real, they were hobbits), were known to also make use of tools, hunting, and foraging, their small size due in part to their isolation on an island with scarce resources and food. There are the Denisovans, a recent discovery, that were believed to have commingled with Neanderthals, Sapiens, and Homo Erectus, yet another species of human to add to an expanding list. I guess, at least on this particular planet, we are not so unique after all.

So what is this awareness? This consciousness that afflicts us daily. Is it an illusion? A carefully crafted projection, implanted from the moment of inception. Could we have been giving a gentle push in brain evolution by a certain plant or substance? Terrence McKenna, a famed ethnobotanist and modern-age philosopher, was a deep proponent of his much discussed idea, The Stoned Ape Theory. In this concept, McKenna claimed that our early ancestors had help in the evolution of our awareness by psilocybin mushrooms. He strongly believed these mushrooms were a strong force in stimulating our developing brains, therefore giving way to an expanded consciousness, which gave rise to philosophy, religion, science, arts and much of human culture. Sounds crazy? Is it really so insane? It doesn’t sound any crazier than our evolutionary process starting from single cell-organisms to what we are today. And after all this whole evolutionary process, we still ponder the riddle of that majestic spark.

To break it down to the very beginning of it all, and to how it all seems borderline magical, Carl Sagan once famously stated, “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.” And that my friends sums it all up, we are made of star-stuff, star-dust, a sum of it all, broken down to the simple fact that we are made of the very essence that started our universe. Cosmic particles flow in us and through us; and in the majestic order in which the universe flows, we ended up here. Breathing, eating, laughing and loving, most of us deeply aware of it, our brains firing away, chemicals flowing throughout. The most basic of rules set us up to be where we are, as humanity, with an eternal mystery hanging over our heads; we are aware. Do not let it go to waste.

- A. Garcia