Knjiga Urantije
DIO III. Povijest Urantije
POGLAVLJE 62 : RANE RASE PRAČOVJEKA
Paper 62
The Dawn Races of Early Man
The Dawn Races of Early Man
OTPRILIKE prije milijun godina neposredni preci čovječanstva pojavili su se kroz tri uzastopne i iznenadne mutacije koje su proizašle iz ranih loza placentalnih sisavaca lemurskog tipa. Dominantni čimbenici tih ranih lemura potjecali su iz zapadne, odnosno kasnije američke skupine evoluirajuće životne plazme. No prije uspostavljanja izravne linije ljudskih predaka, ta je loza bila dodatno ojačana doprinosima središnje implantacije života koja se razvila u Africi. Istočna životna skupina dala je malo ili nimalo doprinosa stvarnom nastanku ljudske vrste.
62:0.1 (703.1)
ABOUT one million years ago the immediate ancestors of mankind made their appearance by three successive and sudden mutations stemming from early stock of the lemur type of placental mammal. The dominant factors of these early lemurs were derived from the western or later American group of the evolving life plasm. But before establishing the direct line of human ancestry, this strain was reinforced by contributions from the central life implantation evolved in Africa. The eastern life group contributed little or nothing to the actual production of the human species.
Rani lemuri koji su sudjelovali u porijeklu ljudske vrste nisu bili izravno povezani s već postojećim plemenima gibona i majmuna koji su tada živjeli u Euroaziji i sjevernoj Africi, čiji su potomci opstali do današnjih dana. Nisu bili ni potomci suvremenog tipa lemura, premda potječu od zajedničkog pretka obiju skupina koji je odavno izumro.
62:1.1 (703.2)
The early lemurs concerned in the ancestry of the human species were not directly related to the pre-existent tribes of gibbons and apes then living in Eurasia and northern Africa, whose progeny have survived to the present time. Neither were they the offspring of the modern type of lemur, though springing from an ancestor common to both but long since extinct.
Dok su ovi rani lemuri evoluirali na Zapadnoj Hemisferi, uspostava izravne linije sisavačkog porijekla čovječanstva dogodila se u jugozapadnoj Aziji, na izvornom području središnje životne implantacije, uz granice istočne regije. Prije nekoliko milijuna godina lemuri sjevernoameričkog tipa migrirali su prema zapadu preko Beringovog kopnenog mosta i polako nastavili svoj put prema jugozapadu duž azijske obale. Ta su migrirajuća plemena naposljetku pristigla u blagotvorno područje smješteno između tada proširenog Sredozemnog mora i viših planinskih predjela indijskog poluotoka. U tim zemljama zapadno od Indije sjedinjeni su s drugim povoljnim lozama i na taj je način uspostavljeno porijeklo ljudske rase.
62:1.2 (703.3)
While these early lemurs evolved in the Western Hemisphere, the establishment of the direct mammalian ancestry of mankind took place in southwestern Asia, in the original area of the central life implantation but on the borders of the eastern regions. Several million years ago the North American type lemurs had migrated westward over the Bering land bridge and had slowly made their way southwestward along the Asiatic coast. These migrating tribes finally reached the salubrious region lying between the then expanded Mediterranean Sea and the elevating mountainous regions of the Indian peninsula. In these lands to the west of India they united with other and favorable strains, thus establishing the ancestry of the human race.
S vremenom je morska obala Indije jugozapadno od planinskih gorja postupno potonula, što je potpuno izoliralo život ove regije. Nije bilo načina da se priđe ovom mezopotamskom odnosno perzijskom poluotoku niti da se iz njega pobjegne osim prema sjeveru, a i taj je put u više navrata bio presječen južnim prodorima ledenjaka. I upravo su na tom tada gotovo rajskom području, iz superiornih potomaka ovog lemurskog tipa sisavaca, proizašle dvije velike skupine: majmunska plemena suvremenog doba i današnja ljudska vrsta.
62:1.3 (703.4)
With the passing of time the seacoast of India southwest of the mountains gradually submerged, completely isolating the life of this region. There was no avenue of approach to, or escape from, this Mesopotamian or Persian peninsula except to the north, and that was repeatedly cut off by the southern invasions of the glaciers. And it was in this then almost paradisiacal area, and from the superior descendants of this lemur type of mammal, that there sprang two great groups, the simian tribes of modern times and the present-day human species.
Prije nešto više od milijun godina iznenada su se pojavili najraniji mezopotamski sisavci, izravni potomci sjevernoameričkog lemurskog tipa placentalnih sisavaca. Bila su to aktivna mala stvorenja visoka gotovo jedan metar; i premda se nisu redovito kretala na stražnjim nogama, mogla su lako stajati uspravno. Bila su dlakava i okretna te su se glasala poput današnjih majmuna, no za razliku od majmunskih plemena bila su mesožderi. Imala su primitivan odvojeni ručni palac kao i vrlo koristan hvatajući nožni palac. Od tog trenutka nadalje predljudske vrste postupno su razvijale potpuno odvojeni ručni palac dok su istodobno postupno gubile hvatajuću moć nožnog palca. Kasnija majmunska plemena zadržala su hvatajući nožni palac, ali nikada nisu razvila ljudski tip ručnog palca.
62:2.1 (703.5)
A little more than one million years ago the Mesopotamian dawn mammals, the direct descendants of the North American lemur type of placental mammal, suddenly appeared. They were active little creatures, almost three feet tall; and while they did not habitually walk on their hind legs, they could easily stand erect. They were hairy and agile and chattered in monkeylike fashion, but unlike the simian tribes, they were flesh eaters. They had a primitive opposable thumb as well as a highly useful grasping big toe. From this point onward the prehuman species successively developed the opposable thumb while they progressively lost the grasping power of the great toe. The later ape tribes retained the grasping big toe but never developed the human type of thumb.
Pripadnici ove nove vrste imali su najveći mozak u odnosu na veličinu tijela od svih životinja koje su dotad postojale na zemlji. Iskusili su mnoge emocije i dijelili brojne instinkte koji su kasnije obilježili primitivnog čovjeka; bili su izrazito znatiželjni i pokazivali veliko ushićenje pri uspjehu u bilo kojem pothvatu. Glad za hranom i spolni nagon bili su snažno razvijeni, a u spolnom odabiru jasno se očitovao primitivan oblik udvaranja i izbora partnera. Žestoko su se borili u obrani svojih srodnika i bili vrlo nježni u obiteljskim odnosima, posjedujući osjećaj samoponiženja koji je graničio sa sramom i grižnjom savjesti. Bili su vrlo privrženi i dirljivo odani svojim partnerima, ali ako bi ih okolnosti razdvojile, odabrali bi nove partnere.
62:2.3 (704.2)
The members of this new species had the largest brains for their size of any animal that had theretofore existed on earth. They experienced many of the emotions and shared numerous instincts which later characterized primitive man, being highly curious and exhibiting considerable elation when successful at any undertaking. Food hunger and sex craving were well developed, and a definite sex selection was manifested in a crude form of courtship and choice of mates. They would fight fiercely in defense of their kindred and were quite tender in family associations, possessing a sense of self-abasement bordering on shame and remorse. They were very affectionate and touchingly loyal to their mates, but if circumstances separated them, they would choose new partners.
Kako su bili malog stasa i dovoljno oštroumni da shvate opasnosti svog šumskog staništa, razvili su izvanredan strah koji ih je naveo na poduzimanje mudrih mjera opreza koje su toliko pridonijele opstanku, poput izgradnje grubih skloništa u visokim krošnjama drveća, čime su uklonjene mnoge opasnosti života na tlu. Počeci bojažljivosti koja obilježava ljudski rod datiraju upravo iz tih dana.
62:2.4 (704.3)
Being small of stature and having keen minds to realize the dangers of their forest habitat, they developed an extraordinary fear which led to those wise precautionary measures that so enormously contributed to survival, such as their construction of crude shelters in the high treetops which eliminated many of the perils of ground life. The beginning of the fear tendencies of mankind more specifically dates from these days.
Ovi rani sisavci razvili su više plemenskog duha nego što se ikad prije moglo vidjeti na zemlji. Doista, bili su vrlo društveni, ali svejedno veoma ratoborni kada bi na bilo koji način bili ometeni u svom uobičajenom načinu života, a pokazivali su vatrenu ćud kada bi njihov gnjev izmakao kontroli. Njihova ratoborna priroda, međutim, poslužila je dobroj svrsi; vrhunske skupine nisu se ustezale krenuti u rat protiv svojih inferiornijih susjeda, što je prirodnom selekcijom vodilo progresivnom poboljšanju vrste. Vrlo su brzo postali dominantni među manjim stvorenjima ove regije, a vrlo je malo starijih biljojednih majmunolikih plemena uspjelo preživjeti.
62:2.5 (704.4)
These dawn mammals developed more of a tribal spirit than had ever been previously exhibited. They were, indeed, highly gregarious but nevertheless exceedingly pugnacious when in any way disturbed in the ordinary pursuit of their routine life, and they displayed fiery tempers when their anger was fully aroused. Their bellicose natures, however, served a good purpose; superior groups did not hesitate to make war on their inferior neighbors, and thus, by selective survival, the species was progressively improved. They very soon dominated the life of the smaller creatures of this region, and very few of the older noncarnivorous monkeylike tribes survived.
Ove agresivne male životinje množile su se i širile mezopotamskim poluotokom tijekom više od tisuću godina, uz stalna poboljšanja fizičkog tipa i opće inteligencije. I upravo sedamdeset generacija nakon što je ovo novo pleme nastalo iz najviše vrste lemurskog pretka dogodio se sljedeći epohalni razvoj — iznenadno diferenciranje predaka sljedećeg vitalnog koraka u evoluciji ljudskih bića na Urantiji.
62:2.6 (704.5)
These aggressive little animals multiplied and spread over the Mesopotamian peninsula for more than one thousand years, constantly improving in physical type and general intelligence. And it was just seventy generations after this new tribe had taken origin from the highest type of lemur ancestor that the next epoch-making development occurred—the sudden differentiation of the ancestors of the next vital step in the evolution of human beings on Urantia.
Rano u razvoju prvih čovjekolikih sisavaca, u krošnjama drveća koje su služile kao prebivalište vrhunskom paru tih okretnih stvorenja, rođeni su blizanci — dječak i djevojčica. U usporedbi sa svojim precima, bili su doista lijepa mala stvorenja. Imali su malo dlaka na tijelu, ali to nije predstavljalo nikakav nedostatak jer su živjeli u toploj i ujednačenoj klimi.
62:3.1 (704.6)
Early in the career of the dawn mammals, in the treetop abode of a superior pair of these agile creatures, twins were born, one male and one female. Compared with their ancestors, they were really handsome little creatures. They had little hair on their bodies, but this was no disability as they lived in a warm and equable climate.
Ta su djeca narasla do visine od nešto više od jednog i pol metra. U svakom su pogledu bila veća od svojih roditelja, s dužim nogama i kraćim rukama. Imala su gotovo savršeno odvojene i pokretne palčeve, gotovo jednako dobro prilagođene različitim djelatnostima kao i današnji ljudski palac. Hodala su uspravno, a njihova su stopala bila gotovo jednako dobro prilagođena hodanju kao i stopala kasnijih ljudskih rasa.
62:3.2 (705.1)
These children grew to be a little over four feet in height. They were in every way larger than their parents, having longer legs and shorter arms. They had almost perfectly opposable thumbs, just about as well adapted for diversified work as the present human thumb. They walked upright, having feet almost as well suited for walking as those of the later human races.
Njihovi mozgovi bili su inferiorniji i manji od mozgova ljudskih bića, ali daleko superiorniji i razmjerno mnogo veći od mozgova njihovih predaka. Blizanci su rano pokazali iznimnu inteligenciju i ubrzo su bili priznati kao vođe cijelog plemena ovih ranih sisavaca, čime su zapravo uspostavili primitivan oblik društvene organizacije i grubu ekonomsku podjelu rada. Ovaj brat i sestra parili su se i uskoro uživali u društvu dvadeset i jednog djeteta nalik sebi, od kojih je svako bilo više od jednog i pol metra visoko i u svakom pogledu superiornije od svojih predaka. Ova nova skupina činila je jezgru srednjih čovjekolikih sisavaca.
62:3.3 (705.2)
Their brains were inferior to, and smaller than, those of human beings but very superior to, and comparatively much larger than, those of their ancestors. The twins early displayed superior intelligence and were soon recognized as the heads of the whole tribe of dawn mammals, really instituting a primitive form of social organization and a crude economic division of labor. This brother and sister mated and soon enjoyed the society of twenty-one children much like themselves, all more than four feet tall and in every way superior to the ancestral species. This new group formed the nucleus of the mid-mammals.
Kada je ova nova i superiorna skupina brojčano ojačala, izbio je rat — nemilosrdan rat; i kada je ta strašna borba završila, nije ostao živ ni jedan jedini pripadnik prethodne i predačke rase ranih čovjekolikih sisavaca. Malobrojniji, ali snažniji i inteligentniji ogranak ove vrste opstao je na račun svojih predaka.
62:3.4 (705.3)
When the numbers of this new and superior group grew great, war, relentless war, broke out; and when the terrible struggle was over, not a single individual of the pre-existent and ancestral race of dawn mammals remained alive. The less numerous but more powerful and intelligent offshoot of the species had survived at the expense of their ancestors.
I gotovo petnaest tisuća godina — šest stotina generacija — ovo je stvorenje bilo strah i trepet ovog dijela svijeta. Sve velike i opake životinje prijašnjih vremena bile su izumrle. Velike zvijeri porijeklom iz tih regija nisu bile mesožderi, a veće vrste mačje obitelji, lavovi i tigrovi, još nisu bili prodrli u taj osobito zaštićeni kutak zemljine površine. Stoga su ti srednji čovjekoliki sisavci postali smioni i pokorili cijeli svoj kutak stvaranja.
62:3.5 (705.4)
And now, for almost fifteen thousand years (six hundred generations), this creature became the terror of this part of the world. All of the great and vicious animals of former times had perished. The large beasts native to these regions were not carnivorous, and the larger species of the cat family, lions and tigers, had not yet invaded this peculiarly sheltered nook of the earth’s surface. Therefore did these mid-mammals wax valiant and subdue the whole of their corner of creation.
U usporedbi s vrstama njihovih predaka, srednji čovjekoliki sisavci bili su napredniji u svakom pogledu. Čak je i njihov potencijalni životni vijek bio dulji i iznosio je oko dvadeset i pet godina. U ovoj novoj vrsti pojavile su se brojne rudimentarne ljudske osobine. Osim urođenih sklonosti koje su naslijedili od svojih predaka, ti srednji čovjekoliki sisavci bili su sposobni pokazivati zgražavanje u određenim odbojnim situacijama. Nadalje, posjedovali su dobro razvijen instinkt skupljanja zaliha; skrivali bi hranu za kasniju upotrebu i bili izrazito skloni skupljanju glatkih okruglih oblutaka i određenih vrsta zaobljenog kamenja pogodnog za obrambeno i napadačko gađanje.
62:3.6 (705.5)
Compared with the ancestral species, the mid-mammals were an improvement in every way. Even their potential life span was longer, being about twenty-five years. A number of rudimentary human traits appeared in this new species. In addition to the innate propensities exhibited by their ancestors, these mid-mammals were capable of showing disgust in certain repulsive situations. They further possessed a well-defined hoarding instinct; they would hide food for subsequent use and were greatly given to the collection of smooth round pebbles and certain types of round stones suitable for defensive and offensive ammunition.
Ovi srednji čovjekoliki sisavci prvi su pokazali izraženu sklonost gradnji, što se moglo vidjeti u njihovom natjecanju u izgradnji nastambi u krošnjama drveća i njihovih podzemnih skloništa s brojnim tunelima; bili su prva vrsta sisavaca koja je ikada tražila sigurnost i u drvenim i u podzemnim skloništima. Uvelike su napustili drveće kao mjesto svakodnevnog boravka, tako da su dane provodili na tlu, a jedino su noću odlazili spavati u krošnje.
62:3.7 (705.6)
These mid-mammals were the first to exhibit a definite construction propensity, as shown in their rivalry in the building of both treetop homes and their many-tunneled subterranean retreats; they were the first species of mammals ever to provide for safety in both arboreal and underground shelters. They largely forsook the trees as places of abode, living on the ground during the day and sleeping in the treetops at night.
Kako je vrijeme prolazilo, prirodni porast broja jedinki naposljetku je doveo do ozbiljnog natjecanja za hranu i spolnog suparništva, što je kulminiralo nizom smrtonosnih sukoba koji su gotovo uništili cijelu vrstu. Te su se borbe nastavile sve dok nije ostala živa samo jedna skupina s manje od stotinu jedinki. No mir je ponovno prevladao i to preživjelo pleme iznova je počelo graditi svoje nastambe za spavanje u krošnjama te ponovno nastavilo normalno i polumirno postojanje.
62:3.8 (705.7)
As time passed, the natural increase in numbers eventually resulted in serious food competition and sex rivalry, all of which culminated in a series of internecine battles that nearly destroyed the entire species. These struggles continued until only one group of less than one hundred individuals was left alive. But peace once more prevailed, and this lone surviving tribe built anew its treetop bedrooms and once again resumed a normal and semipeaceful existence.
Teško da možete shvatiti koliko su se vaši predljudski preci s vremena na vrijeme približili izumiranju. Da je određena žaba, predak cijelog čovječanstva, jednom prilikom skočila samo pet centimetara manje, cijeli bi tijek evolucije bio znatno izmijenjen. Neposredna lemurska majka ranih vrsta sisavaca za dlaku je izbjegla smrt ni manje ni više nego pet puta prije nego što je rodila oca novog i višeg reda sisavaca. No najkritičniji trenutak nastupio je kada je munja pogodila stablo u kojem je spavala buduća majka primatskih blizanaca. Oboje ovih roditelja srednjih čovjekolikih sisavaca bilo je teško potreseno i ozbiljno opečeno; troje od njihove sedmero djece stradalo je od tog udara groma. Ove evoluirajuće životinje bile su gotovo praznovjerne. Ovaj par, čiju je nastambu u krošnji pogodio grom, doista je predstavljao vođe naprednije skupine srednjih čovjekolikih sisavaca; i slijedeći njihov primjer, više od polovice plemena, uključujući inteligentnije obitelji, preselilo se više od tri kilometra dalje od tog područja i započelo gradnju novih nastambi u krošnjama i novih zemaljskih skloništa — njihovih privremenih utočišta u vrijeme iznenadne opasnosti.
62:3.9 (705.8)
You can hardly realize by what narrow margins your prehuman ancestors missed extinction from time to time. Had the ancestral frog of all humanity jumped two inches less on a certain occasion, the whole course of evolution would have been markedly changed. The immediate lemurlike mother of the dawn-mammal species escaped death no less than five times by mere hairbreadth margins before she gave birth to the father of the new and higher mammalian order. But the closest call of all was when lightning struck the tree in which the prospective mother of the Primates twins was sleeping. Both of these mid-mammal parents were severely shocked and badly burned; three of their seven children were killed by this bolt from the skies. These evolving animals were almost superstitious. This couple whose treetop home had been struck were really the leaders of the more progressive group of the mid-mammal species; and following their example, more than half the tribe, embracing the more intelligent families, moved about two miles away from this locality and began the construction of new treetop abodes and new ground shelters—their transient retreats in time of sudden danger.
Nedugo nakon dovršetka njihova doma, ovaj par, veteran tolikih borbi, postao je ponosnim roditeljima blizanaca, najzanimljivijih i najvažnijih životinja koje su do tada ikada bile rođene na svijetu, jer su oni bili prvi pripadnici nove vrste primata koja je predstavljala sljedeći vitalni korak u evoluciji predljudi.
62:3.10 (706.1)
Soon after the completion of their home, this couple, veterans of so many struggles, found themselves the proud parents of twins, the most interesting and important animals ever to have been born into the world up to that time, for they were the first of the new species of Primates constituting the next vital step in prehuman evolution.
Istodobno s rođenjem ovih blizanaca iz reda primata, još jedan par — izrazito zaostali mužjak i ženka iz plemena srednjih čovjekolikih sisavaca, par koji je bio i mentalno i fizički inferioran — također je dobio blizance. Ovi blizanci, mužjak i ženka, bili su ravnodušni prema osvajanju; zanimala ih je jedino potraga za hranom i, budući da nisu htjeli jesti meso, ubrzo su izgubili svaki interes za lov. Ovi zaostali blizanci postali su osnivači suvremenih majmunskih plemena. Njihovi potomci povukli su se u toplije južne krajeve s blagom klimom i obiljem tropskog voća, gdje su nastavili živjeti gotovo jednako kao i od tog vremena, izuzev onih grana koje su se parile s ranijim tipovima gibona i majmuna te zbog toga znatno degenerirale.
62:3.11 (706.2)
Contemporaneously with the birth of these Primates twins, another couple—a peculiarly retarded male and female of the mid-mammal tribe, a couple that were both mentally and physically inferior—also gave birth to twins. These twins, one male and one female, were indifferent to conquest; they were concerned only with obtaining food and, since they would not eat flesh, soon lost all interest in seeking prey. These retarded twins became the founders of the modern simian tribes. Their descendants sought the warmer southern regions with their mild climates and an abundance of tropical fruits, where they have continued much as of that day except for those branches which mated with the earlier types of gibbons and apes and have greatly deteriorated in consequence.
I tako se lako može vidjeti da su čovjek i majmun povezani jedino time što potječu od srednjih čovjekolikih sisavaca, plemena u kojem su se istodobno rodila i kasnije razdvojila dva para blizanaca: inferiorniji par proizveo je suvremene tipove majmuna, pavijana, čimpanzi i gorila, dok je superiorniji par nastavio uzlaznu liniju iz koje se razvio sam čovjek.
62:3.12 (706.3)
And so it may be readily seen that man and the ape are related only in that they sprang from the mid-mammals, a tribe in which there occurred the contemporaneous birth and subsequent segregation of two pairs of twins: the inferior pair destined to produce the modern types of monkey, baboon, chimpanzee, and gorilla; the superior pair destined to continue the line of ascent which evolved into man himself.
Suvremeni čovjek i majmunolika bića doista potječu iz istog plemena i vrste, ali ne od istih roditelja. Čovjekovi preci potječu iz superiorne loze odabranog ostatka ovog plemena srednjih čovjekolikih sisavaca, dok su suvremena majmunolika bića (izuzev određenih prethodno postojećih tipova lemura, gibona, majmuna i drugih majmunolikih stvorenja) potomci najinferiornijeg para ove skupine srednjih čovjekolikih sisavaca, para koji je preživio jedino skrivajući se više od dva tjedna u podzemnom skloništu za zalihe hrane tijekom posljednjih žestokih bitaka svog plemena, izlazeći tek nakon što su sukobi bili završeni.
62:3.13 (706.4)
Modern man and the simians did spring from the same tribe and species but not from the same parents. Man’s ancestors are descended from the superior strains of the selected remnant of this mid-mammal tribe, whereas the modern simians (excepting certain pre-existent types of lemurs, gibbons, apes, and other monkeylike creatures) are the descendants of the most inferior couple of this mid-mammal group, a couple who only survived by hiding themselves in a subterranean food-storage retreat for more than two weeks during the last fierce battle of their tribe, emerging only after the hostilities were well over.
Da se vratimo rođenju superiornih blizanaca, dječaka i djevojčice, djece vodećih pripadnika plemena srednjih čovjekolikih sisavaca: ove životinjske bebe bile su neobične vrste; imale su još manje dlaka na tijelu od svojih roditelja i, dok su još bile vrlo mlade, inzistirale su na uspravnom hodu. Njihovi preci oduvijek su učili hodati na stražnjim nogama, ali ovi blizanci primata od samog su početka stajali uspravno. Narasli su do visine od gotovo jednog i pol metra, a njihove su glave bile veće u usporedbi s ostalima u plemenu. Premda su rano počeli učiti međusobnu komunikaciju pomoću znakova i glasova, nikada nisu uspjeli navesti svoje pleme da razumije te nove simbole.
62:4.1 (706.5)
Going back to the birth of the superior twins, one male and one female, to the two leading members of the mid-mammal tribe: These animal babies were of an unusual order; they had still less hair on their bodies than their parents and, when very young, insisted on walking upright. Their ancestors had always learned to walk on their hind legs, but these Primates twins stood erect from the beginning. They attained a height of over five feet, and their heads grew larger in comparison with others among the tribe. While early learning to communicate with each other by means of signs and sounds, they were never able to make their people understand these new symbols.
Primati su bili više ljudski, a manje životinjski od svojih prethodnika, srednjih čovjekolikih sisavaca. Skeletni razmjeri ove nove vrste bili su vrlo slični onima primitivnih ljudskih rasa. Ljudski tip šake i stopala bio je u potpunosti razvijen, a ta su stvorenja mogla hodati pa čak i trčati jednako dobro kao i bilo koji njihovi kasniji ljudski potomci. U velikoj su mjeri napustili život na drveću, premda su se i dalje noću sklanjali u krošnje radi sigurnosti jer su, poput svojih ranijih predaka, bili snažno podložni strahu. Sve veća uporaba njihovih ruku uvelike je pridonijela razvoju njihove urođene moždane moći, ali još uvijek nisu posjedovali umove koji bi se doista mogli nazvati ljudskima.
62:4.4 (707.3)
The Primates were more human and less animal than their mid-mammal predecessors. The skeletal proportions of this new species were very similar to those of the primitive human races. The human type of hand and foot had fully developed, and these creatures could walk and even run as well as any of their later-day human descendants. They largely abandoned tree life, though continuing to resort to the treetops as a safety measure at night, for like their earlier ancestors, they were greatly subject to fear. The increased use of their hands did much to develop inherent brain power, but they did not yet possess minds that could really be called human.
Premda su se primati po svojoj emocionalnoj prirodi malo razlikovali od svojih predaka, pokazivali su izraženije ljudske tendencije u svim svojim sklonostima. Doista, bili su sjajne i superiorne životinje koje su dostizale zrelost oko desete godine života i imale prirodni životni vijek od oko četrdeset godina. To jest, mogli su živjeti toliko dugo da su umirali prirodnom smrću, ali u tim ranim vremenima vrlo je malo životinja ikada umiralo prirodnom smrću; borba za opstanak bila je previše intenzivna da bi to dopustila.
62:4.5 (707.4)
Although in emotional nature the Primates differed little from their forebears, they exhibited more of a human trend in all of their propensities. They were, indeed, splendid and superior animals, reaching maturity at about ten years of age and having a natural life span of about forty years. That is, they might have lived that long had they died natural deaths, but in those early days very few animals ever died a natural death; the struggle for existence was altogether too intense.
Tako su najraniji čovjekoliki sisavci, koji su proizašli iz sjevernoameričkog lemurskog tipa, dali porijeklo srednjim čovjekolikim sisavcima, a ovi srednji čovjekoliki sisavci zauzvrat su proizveli superiorne primate, koji su postali neposredni preci primitivne ljudske rase. Plemena primata predstavljala su posljednju vitalnu kariku u evoluciji čovjeka, ali za manje od pet tisuća godina nije opstao ni jedan jedini pripadnik tih izvanrednih plemena.
62:4.7 (707.6)
Thus it was that the dawn mammals, springing from the North American lemur type, gave origin to the mid-mammals, and these mid-mammals in turn produced the superior Primates, who became the immediate ancestors of the primitive human race. The Primates tribes were the last vital link in the evolution of man, but in less than five thousand years not a single individual of these extraordinary tribes was left.
Ova dva izvanredna stvorenja bila su istinska ljudska bića. Posjedovala su savršene ljudske palčeve, kao što su ih imali mnogi njihovi preci, kao i jednako savršena stopala današnjih ljudskih rasa. Bila su hodači i trkači, a ne penjači; hvatajuća funkcija nožnog palca bila je potpuno izgubljena. Kada bi ih opasnost natjerala u krošnje drveća, penjali su se baš kao i ljudi današnjice. Penjali su se uz deblo stabla poput medvjeda, a ne poput čimpanze ili gorile koje se njišu od grane do grane.
62:5.2 (707.8)
These two remarkable creatures were true human beings. They possessed perfect human thumbs, as had many of their ancestors, while they had just as perfect feet as the present-day human races. They were walkers and runners, not climbers; the grasping function of the big toe was absent, completely absent. When danger drove them to the treetops, they climbed just like the humans of today would. They would climb up the trunk of a tree like a bear and not as would a chimpanzee or a gorilla, swinging up by the branches.
Mnogo novih emocija rano se pojavilo kod ovih ljudskih blizanaca. Osjećali su divljenje prema predmetima i drugim bićima te pokazivali znatnu taštinu. No najznačajniji napredak u emocionalnom razvoju nastupio je iznenadnom pojavom nove skupine istinski ljudskih osjećaja, skupine štovanja, koja je obuhvaćala strahopoštovanje, štovanje, poniznost pa čak i primitivan oblik zahvalnosti. Strah, udružen s nepoznavanjem prirodnih pojava, bio je na pragu rađanja primitivne religije.
62:5.4 (708.2)
Many new emotions early appeared in these human twins. They experienced admiration for both objects and other beings and exhibited considerable vanity. But the most remarkable advance in emotional development was the sudden appearance of a new group of really human feelings, the worshipful group, embracing awe, reverence, humility, and even a primitive form of gratitude. Fear, joined with ignorance of natural phenomena, is about to give birth to primitive religion.
Ne samo da su se takvi ljudski osjećaji očitovali kod tih primitivnih ljudi, već su u rudimentarnom obliku bili prisutni i mnogi razvijeniji osjećaji. Bili su donekle svjesni sažaljenja, srama i prijekora te izrazito svjesni ljubavi, mržnje i osvete, a bili su i podložni snažnim osjećajima ljubomore.
62:5.5 (708.3)
Not only were such human feelings manifested in these primitive humans, but many more highly evolved sentiments were also present in rudimentary form. They were mildly cognizant of pity, shame, and reproach and were acutely conscious of love, hate, and revenge, being also susceptible to marked feelings of jealousy.
Vrlo rano naučili su služiti se verbalnom komunikacijom; do desete godine razvili su poboljšani znakovni i govorni jezik od gotovo pedeset pojmova te znatno unaprijedili i proširili grubu komunikacijsku tehniku svojih predaka. Ali koliko god se trudili, uspjeli su svoje roditelje naučiti tek nekolicini novih znakova i simbola.
62:5.7 (708.5)
Very early they learned to engage in verbal communication; by the age of ten they had worked out an improved sign and word language of almost half a hundred ideas and had greatly improved and expanded the crude communicative technique of their ancestors. But try as hard as they might, they were able to teach only a few of their new signs and symbols to their parents.
Kada su imali oko devet godina, jednoga vedrog dana krenuli su niz rijeku i poveli sudbonosan razgovor. Sve nebeske inteligencije stacionirane na Urantiji, uključujući i mene samoga, promatrale su ovaj podnevni susret. Toga značajnog dana blizanci su donijeli razboritu odluku da će živjeti jedno s drugim i jedno za drugo, a to je bio prvi u nizu takvih sporazuma koji će naposljetku kulminirati odlukom da pobjegnu od svojih inferiornih životinjskih družbenika i krenu prema sjeveru, ne sluteći da će time utemeljiti ljudsku rasu.
62:5.8 (708.6)
When about nine years of age, they journeyed off down the river one bright day and held a momentous conference. Every celestial intelligence stationed on Urantia, including myself, was present as an observer of the transactions of this noontide tryst. On this eventful day they arrived at an understanding to live with and for each other, and this was the first of a series of such agreements which finally culminated in the decision to flee from their inferior animal associates and to journey northward, little knowing that they were thus to found the human race.
Dok smo svi bili jako zaokupljeni planovima ova dva mala divljaka, bili smo nemoćni kontrolirati djelovanje njihovih umova; nismo mogli — niti nam je bilo dopušteno — proizvoljno utjecati na njihove odluke. No unutar dopuštenih granica planetarnog djelovanja, mi Nositelji Života zajedno sa svojim suradnicima urotili smo se kako bismo ove ljudske blizance naveli da krenu prema sjeveru i udalje se od svog dlakavog naroda koji je još djelomično živio u krošnjama drveća. I tako su blizanci, zahvaljujući vlastitom inteligentnom izboru, migrirali, a zahvaljujući našem nadzoru migrirali su prema sjeveru do skrovitog područja gdje su izbjegli mogućnost biološke degradacije miješanjem sa svojim inferiornim srodnicima iz primatskih plemena.
62:5.9 (708.7)
While we were all greatly concerned with what these two little savages were planning, we were powerless to control the working of their minds; we did not—could not—arbitrarily influence their decisions. But within the permissible limits of planetary function, we, the Life Carriers, together with our associates, all conspired to lead the human twins northward and far from their hairy and partially tree-dwelling people. And so, by reason of their own intelligent choice, the twins did migrate, and because of our supervision they migrated northward to a secluded region where they escaped the possibility of biologic degradation through admixture with their inferior relatives of the Primates tribes.
Neposredno prije nego što su napustili svoje šumske nastambe izgubili su majku tijekom napada gibona. Premda nije posjedovala njihovu inteligenciju, imala je dirljivu i duboku sisavačku privrženost prema svojim potomcima i neustrašivo je dala život pokušavajući spasiti ovaj izvanredni par. Njezina žrtva nije bila uzaludna, jer je zadržavala neprijatelja sve dok nije stigao otac s pojačanjem i rastjerao napadače.
62:5.10 (708.8)
Shortly before their departure from the home forests they lost their mother in a gibbon raid. While she did not possess their intelligence, she did have a worthy mammalian affection of a high order for her offspring, and she fearlessly gave her life in the attempt to save the wonderful pair. Nor was her sacrifice in vain, for she held off the enemy until the father arrived with reinforcements and put the invaders to rout.
Ubrzo nakon što je ovaj mladi par napustio svoje pleme kako bi utemeljio ljudski rod, njihov primatski otac postao je neutješan — bio je slomljenog srca. Odbijao je jesti čak i kada bi mu druga djeca donosila hranu. Nakon što je izgubio svoje briljantne potomke, život među njegovim manje naprednim rodom više mu se nije činio vrijednim življenja; stoga je odlutao u šumu gdje su ga napali neprijateljski giboni i nasmrt pretukli.
62:5.11 (709.1)
Soon after this young couple forsook their associates to found the human race, their Primates father became disconsolate—he was heartbroken. He refused to eat, even when food was brought to him by his other children. His brilliant offspring having been lost, life did not seem worth living among his ordinary fellows; so he wandered off into the forest, was set upon by hostile gibbons and beaten to death.
62:6.1 (709.2)
We, the Life Carriers on Urantia, had passed through the long vigil of watchful waiting since the day we first planted the life plasm in the planetary waters, and naturally the appearance of the first really intelligent and volitional beings brought to us great joy and supreme satisfaction.
Mi smo pratili mentalni razvoj blizanaca promatrajući djelovanje sedam ađutantnih duhova uma dodijeljenih Urantiji u vrijeme našeg dolaska na planet. Tijekom dugog evolucijskog razvoja planetarnog života, ovi neumorni služiteljski duhovi neprestano su bilježili svoju sve veću sposobnost uspostavljanja kontakta sa sve razvijenijim moždanim kapacitetima progresivno superiornih životinjskih stvorenja.
62:6.2 (709.3)
We had been watching the twins develop mentally through our observation of the functioning of the seven adjutant mind-spirits assigned to Urantia at the time of our arrival on the planet. Throughout the long evolutionary development of planetary life, these tireless mind ministers had ever registered their increasing ability to contact with the successively expanding brain capacities of the progressively superior animal creatures.
Isprva je jedino duh intuicije mogao djelovati u instinktivnom i refleksnom ponašanju praiskonskog životinjskog života. Diferencijacijom viših vrsta duh razumijevanja postao je sposoban obdariti takva stvorenja darom spontanog povezivanja ideja. Kasnije smo bili svjedoci djelovanja duha hrabrosti; evoluirajuće životinje doista su razvile grub oblik zaštitne samosvijesti. Nakon pojave sisavaca promatrali smo kako se duh znanja očituje u sve većoj mjeri. A evolucija viših sisavaca donijela je djelovanje duha razbora, zajedno s rastom nagona stada i počecima primitivnog društvenog razvoja.
62:6.3 (709.4)
At first only the spirit of intuition could function in the instinctive and reflex behavior of the primordial animal life. With the differentiation of higher types, the spirit of understanding was able to endow such creatures with the gift of spontaneous association of ideas. Later on we observed the spirit of courage in operation; evolving animals really developed a crude form of protective self-consciousness. Subsequent to the appearance of the mammalian groups, we beheld the spirit of knowledge manifesting itself in increased measure. And the evolution of the higher mammals brought the function of the spirit of counsel, with the resulting growth of the herd instinct and the beginnings of primitive social development.
Zamislite našu radost jednoga dana — blizanci su imali nekih deset godina — kada je duh štovanja ostvario svoj prvi kontakt s umom blizanaca, prvo s djevojčicom, a ubrzo nakon toga i s dječakom. Znali smo da se nešto vrlo nalik ljudskom umu približava svom vrhuncu; i kada su, otprilike godinu dana kasnije, naposljetku odlučili, kao rezultat meditativnog razmišljanja i svrhovite odluke, pobjeći od doma i krenuti prema sjeveru, tada je duh mudrosti počeo djelovati na Urantiji u ta dva sada priznata ljudska uma.
62:6.5 (709.6)
Imagine our joy one day—the twins were about ten years old—when the spirit of worship made its first contact with the mind of the female twin and shortly thereafter with the male. We knew that something closely akin to human mind was approaching culmination; and when, about a year later, they finally resolved, as a result of meditative thought and purposeful decision, to flee from home and journey north, then did the spirit of wisdom begin to function on Urantia and in these two now recognized human minds.
62:6.6 (709.7)
There was an immediate and new order of mobilization of the seven adjutant mind-spirits. We were alive with expectation; we realized that the long-waited-for hour was approaching; we knew we were upon the threshold of the realization of our protracted effort to evolve will creatures on Urantia.
Nismo morali dugo čekati. U podne, dan nakon bijega blizanaca, dogodio se početni probni bljesak signalâ svemirskih krugova na planetarnom prijemnom središtu Urantije. Naravno, svi smo bili uzbuđeni spoznajom da se približava veliki događaj; ali budući da je ovaj svijet bio postaja životnog eksperimenta, nismo imali ni najmanju predodžbu o tome kako ćemo biti obaviješteni o priznanju inteligentnog života na planetu. No nismo dugo ostali u neizvjesnosti. Trećeg dana nakon bijega blizanaca, i prije nego što je korpus Nositelja Života napustio planet, stigao je nebadonski arhanđel zadužen za uspostavu početnih planetarnih krugova.
62:7.1 (709.8)
We did not have to wait long. At noon, the day after the runaway of the twins, there occurred the initial test flash of the universe circuit signals at the planetary reception-focus of Urantia. We were, of course, all astir with the realization that a great event was impending; but since this world was a life-experiment station, we had not the slightest idea of just how we would be apprised of the recognition of intelligent life on the planet. But we were not long in suspense. On the third day after the elopement of the twins, and before the Life Carrier corps departed, there arrived the Nebadon archangel of initial planetary circuit establishment.
62:7.2 (710.1)
It was an eventful day on Urantia when our small group gathered about the planetary pole of space communication and received the first message from Salvington over the newly established mind circuit of the planet. And this first message, dictated by the chief of the archangel corps, said:
„Pozdrav Nositeljima Života na Urantiji! Prenosimo izraze velikog zadovoljstva sa Salvingtona, Edentije i Jeruzema u čast registracije na sjedištu Nebadona signala koji svjedoči da na Urantiji sada djeluje um s dostojanstvom volje. Zabilježili smo svrhovitu odluku blizanaca da pobjegnu prema sjeveru i odvoje svoje potomstvo od svojih slabije razvijenih predaka. Ovo je prva odluka uma — uma ljudskog tipa — na Urantiji i ona automatski uspostavlja komunikacijski krug preko kojeg se odašilje ova početna poruka priznanja.”
62:7.3 (710.2)
“To the Life Carriers on Urantia—Greetings! We transmit assurance of great pleasure on Salvington, Edentia, and Jerusem in honor of the registration on the headquarters of Nebadon of the signal of the existence on Urantia of mind of will dignity. The purposeful decision of the twins to flee northward and segregate their offspring from their inferior ancestors has been noted. This is the first decision of mind—the human type of mind—on Urantia and automatically establishes the circuit of communication over which this initial message of acknowledgment is transmitting.”
Sljedeća poruka koja je stigla preko ovog novog kruga bili su pozdravi Svevišnjih s Edentije, zajedno s uputom rezidentnim Nositeljima Života da se više ne uplićemo u razvoj životnog uzorka koji smo nekoć ovdje uspostavili. Bilo nam je naloženo da ne interveniramo u pitanja ljudskog napretka. Ne treba zaključiti da se Nositelji Života ikada proizvoljno i mehanički upliću u prirodni tijek planetarnih evolucijskih planova. No do tog vremena bilo nam je dopušteno manipulirati okolišem i štititi životnu plazmu na poseban način, a ovom prilikom primili smo uputu da prekinemo s tim izvanrednim, ali posve prirodnim nadzorom.
62:7.4 (710.3)
Next over this new circuit came the greetings of the Most Highs of Edentia, containing instructions for the resident Life Carriers forbidding us to interfere with the pattern of life we had established. We were directed not to intervene in the affairs of human progress. It should not be inferred that Life Carriers ever arbitrarily and mechanically interfere with the natural outworking of the planetary evolutionary plans, for we do not. But up to this time we had been permitted to manipulate the environment and shield the life plasm in a special manner, and it was this extraordinary, but wholly natural, supervision that was to be discontinued.
I čim su Svevišnji završili svoju prekrasnu poruku, uslijedilo je planetarni prijenos Luciferove poruke, tadašnjeg vladara sustava Satanije. Nositelji Života tada su čuli riječi dobrodošlice svoga poglavara i primili dopuštenje za povratak na Jeruzem. Ova Luciferova poruka sadržavala je službeno priznanje rada Nositelja Života na Urantiji i oslobađala nas svake buduće kritike u vezi s našim nastojanjima da unaprijedimo životne uzorke nebadonskog dizajna života uspostavljene u sustavu Satanije.
62:7.5 (710.4)
And no sooner had the Most Highs left off speaking than the beautiful message of Lucifer, then sovereign of the Satania system, began to planetize. Now the Life Carriers heard the welcome words of their own chief and received his permission to return to Jerusem. This message from Lucifer contained the official acceptance of the Life Carriers’ work on Urantia and absolved us from all future criticism of any of our efforts to improve the life patterns of Nebadon as established in the Satania system.
Ove poruke sa Salvingtona, Edentije i Jeruzema formalno su označile završetak višedobnog nadzora Nositelja Života nad planetom. Kroz duga razdoblja bili smo na dužnosti uz pomoć samo sedam ađutantnih duhova uma i Glavnih Fizičkih Kontrolora. A sada, nakon što se u evolucijskim stvorenjima planeta pojavila volja, moć izbora štovanja i uzašašća, shvatili smo da je naš rad dovršen i naša se skupina pripremala za odlazak. Budući da je Urantija bila svijet modifikacije života, dobili smo dopuštenje da iza sebe ostavimo dva viša Nositelja Života s dvanaest pomoćnika, a ja sam bio izabran kao jedan od članova te skupine i od tada sam na Urantiji.
62:7.6 (710.5)
These messages from Salvington, Edentia, and Jerusem formally marked the termination of the Life Carriers’ agelong supervision of the planet. For ages we had been on duty, assisted only by the seven adjutant mind-spirits and the Master Physical Controllers. And now, will, the power of choosing to worship and to ascend, having appeared in the evolutionary creatures of the planet, we realized that our work was finished, and our group prepared to depart. Urantia being a life-modification world, permission was granted to leave behind two senior Life Carriers with twelve assistants, and I was chosen as one of this group and have ever since been on Urantia.