Why do humans need to prove they’re right?
In some parts of the world the competition for “the right way to do things” is reflected in economic policies - other places, religious views - others, the political arena. And, of course, it’s usually varying combinations of all three. Nearly everywhere in the world, some group is trying to prove superiority in thought and action.
Lately, many of these groups have been lumped into nations. Before that, tribes, families, communities based on a shared bio-region...eventually many turned into kingdoms, dynasties and empires.
What is the driving force behind this intense desire to be right? Why does it matter so much to some of us? So much that we go to war and kill others like us?
I suppose it starts with the idea that the others aren’t like us. That’s why they’re called “other.” They’re not “us.”
Now we’ve reached a point where the whole world fits in front of a single digital mirror. We can see nearly everyone everywhere. Humanity in High Def. How different are we when the lowest common denominator is “they’re wrong?”
Stephen Stills had it right when he sang, “nobody’s right, if everybody’s wrong.” It feels like an echo of the 1960’s to me...and maybe the 1890’s...the 1750’s...and back further and further in time.
Like in all of nature, humans seem to be going through endless cycles of expanding and contracting...a struggle between scarcity and abundance...fear and love...domination and nurturance. Over the past 500 years this cycle has been tightening and intensifying.
Along this evolutionary road, fear of a new sort was injected into our system. Some say it happened about 15,000 years ago – with early agriculture. Soon every mystery became a problem to be solved. Every “discovery” poured gasoline on the fire...but none like gasoline itself.
Over the past 150 years, men and machines have ripped through whatever fabric of our ancestral consciousness we had left. And because the machines made so much work obsolete, men had literally nothing to do.
A false economy was created. An economy based on easy prey, fear and desire. War machines built for everyone, everywhere...and a consumer culture that continually gets brighter and shinier – worldwide.
Humans need a story – they matter to us. We are nothing if not meaning-making machines. The best stories are convincing stories. Where one can get so caught up in the narrative they “lose themselves.”
That is where we are today...lost in a story. But I think a story should make one feel found and safe...not fearful and alone.
In the past, men would have been too busy hunting and gathering or plowing and harvesting to write such a complex work of fiction. But now, with so much less to do, it’s been mostly men...often white...writing the script, directing the show and selling the merchandise. It’s been hard to see that most of the audience has left the building while a small percent – some would say one percent - still applaud.
The good news is, the story isn’t really that old. In the scheme of things, it’s just one more trip around an evolutionary cycle. I would imagine that we’re still getting used to the Gregorian Calendar and the electric light...the airplane as well as texting. It takes time for us to adapt to changes in the environment around us. I believe we are just now feeling the full effects of the last 500 to 15,000 years.
Nature provides the best explanation. The season’s peak solar events – the things that denote the seasons themselves – are the equinoxes and the solstices. But the weather feels most extreme a few months later here at home. It takes some time for the atmosphere to react to the energy and position of the sun. Climate is made up of many complex interactions.
So it is with the evolution of our consciousness.
Our DNA is imbued with the effects of the culture it’s been in over thousands of years...the effects of bliss and wonderment – war and trauma. Our DNA carries aspects of people we’d never recognize or acknowledge as ourselves. The “ancestral consciousness” in our DNA that has helped us navigate the world for so long has become nearly useless in the current story that we’re being told. And that is becoming too obvious to ignore.
We must come up with radically inclusive ideas as they pertain to the social systems we create. Too many structures – economic, political, religious – are killing too many souls. And we must remember that we are just a part of a much larger ecosystem. If humans don’t fit in, they’ll be kicked out.
Asleep in our ancestral consciousness is a deep understanding of balance and harmony within the natural world. If we begin to dream inside of the place that’s asleep, we will awaken to a new world – an old world really - a world of love, gratitude and compassion...abundance, cooperation and nurturance. It’s not only possible, it’s necessary for our survival as a species.
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Now we’ve reached a point where the whole world fits in front of a single digital mirror. We can see nearly everyone everywhere. Humanity in High Def. How different are we when the lowest common denominator is “they’re wrong?”
Stephen Stills had it right when he sang, “nobody’s right, if everybody’s wrong.” It feels like an echo of the 1960’s to me...and maybe the 1890’s...the 1750’s...and back further and further in time.
Like in all of nature, humans seem to be going through endless cycles of expanding and contracting...a struggle between scarcity and abundance...fear and love...domination and nurturance. Over the past 500 years this cycle has been tightening and intensifying.
Along this evolutionary road, fear of a new sort was injected into our system. Some say it happened about 15,000 years ago – with early agriculture. Soon every mystery became a problem to be solved. Every “discovery” poured gasoline on the fire...but none like gasoline itself.
Over the past 150 years, men and machines have ripped through whatever fabric of our ancestral consciousness we had left. And because the machines made so much work obsolete, men had literally nothing to do.
A false economy was created. An economy based on easy prey, fear and desire. War machines built for everyone, everywhere...and a consumer culture that continually gets brighter and shinier – worldwide.
Humans need a story – they matter to us. We are nothing if not meaning-making machines. The best stories are convincing stories. Where one can get so caught up in the narrative they “lose themselves.”
That is where we are today...lost in a story. But I think a story should make one feel found and safe...not fearful and alone.
In the past, men would have been too busy hunting and gathering or plowing and harvesting to write such a complex work of fiction. But now, with so much less to do, it’s been mostly men...often white...writing the script, directing the show and selling the merchandise. It’s been hard to see that most of the audience has left the building while a small percent – some would say one percent - still applaud.
The good news is, the story isn’t really that old. In the scheme of things, it’s just one more trip around an evolutionary cycle. I would imagine that we’re still getting used to the Gregorian Calendar and the electric light...the airplane as well as texting. It takes time for us to adapt to changes in the environment around us. I believe we are just now feeling the full effects of the last 500 to 15,000 years.
Nature provides the best explanation. The season’s peak solar events – the things that denote the seasons themselves – are the equinoxes and the solstices. But the weather feels most extreme a few months later here at home. It takes some time for the atmosphere to react to the energy and position of the sun. Climate is made up of many complex interactions.
So it is with the evolution of our consciousness.
Our DNA is imbued with the effects of the culture it’s been in over thousands of years...the effects of bliss and wonderment – war and trauma. Our DNA carries aspects of people we’d never recognize or acknowledge as ourselves. The “ancestral consciousness” in our DNA that has helped us navigate the world for so long has become nearly useless in the current story that we’re being told. And that is becoming too obvious to ignore.
We must come up with radically inclusive ideas as they pertain to the social systems we create. Too many structures – economic, political, religious – are killing too many souls. And we must remember that we are just a part of a much larger ecosystem. If humans don’t fit in, they’ll be kicked out.
Asleep in our ancestral consciousness is a deep understanding of balance and harmony within the natural world. If we begin to dream inside of the place that’s asleep, we will awaken to a new world – an old world really - a world of love, gratitude and compassion...abundance, cooperation and nurturance. It’s not only possible, it’s necessary for our survival as a species.
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In other words - this essay as you call it - requires a great deal more discussion than you have ever allowed me to have with you -
ReplyDeleteor to put it another way - there is in my thinking - with what I have to offer - and encouragement for everyone to think and to create even greater things than I could have ever imagined - the mankind as a whole does not have to stop growing nor stop making things nor stop improving on all of what exists today and this is the key - the mind - the thinking - the process or whatever it is that causes humans to improve life for others - (and there is great improvement for many people's lives through the efforts of corporations - small businesses and individuals striking out on their own) such that the overall sum total of what we experience is greatly improved as time goes on - we (in the US) are privileged to have access to so many wonderful and life changing things - tools - materials - products and services that benefit our lives that billionaires of years ago had no idea would ever exist - and because of these improved things life is made that much more pleasant than it was for people years ago -
ReplyDeletehave you Peter - ever worked in a factory setting all year round whether it was 104 degrees out or 20 degrees where you either were sweating all day doing your work or had to wear a coat and gloves not to shiver or were unable to work otherwise?
Imagining what life it like for someone else - even if they are standing right in front of you in the same environment can not be understood unless or until you are in a sense forced to be in that environment and situation and have no other choice but to work yourself out of that position -
the thoughts that will get you out of that situation and in the many countries that you visit - perhaps you have seen many different environments and conditions - are so much different than you can ever have coming from your normal home town life -
in addition - 13 years ago I was approached via e-mail by a Chinese photographer if I would allow him to place some of my images on his website in China - I agreed and my work had been up there on his site for a number of years but now it has disappeared and I have not been able to contact that photographer since -
I can only hope that my images on his site were of some value to the many people that hopefully were able to view his website while the images were up -
Hi Walter,
ReplyDeleteWe've missed you on Talk Back Tuesday lately!
Peter tries to get back to everyone in a timely fashion, but he's been very busy with his travel schedule recently, and unfortunately hasn't had a chance to get back to everyone.
Talk Back Tuesday is the best way to have a discussion with Peter, so hopefully you can join us next time on Tuesday October 7th at 9:00pm EDT.
of course I will try to be there (sometimes my scheduling did not allow that this summer) - and add to the discussion and questions there- but there are some things that are of a more intense nature which - when discussed on a one to one basis do accomplish more than attempting to getting the word in edgewise is a group discussion as talk back Tuesday is (as valuable and important as that is) -
ReplyDeletethank you for the message here- :-)
Aaa
ReplyDeleteI apologize for the above but I wrote a long reply which was lost because I was not signed in. The above was a test. I will try again but more succinctly.
ReplyDeleteWe must abandon utopian or mystical mind sets of our present world. That is fine for the faculty lounge, which we may be in, but impractical for the world as we know it today. We are not living through cycles but it is as if we keep seeing the same movie or play and expecting different outcomes. I can only quote Einstein who said something to the affect that madness was repeating the same thing and expecting different outcomes. Though not entirely true it is to a large extent.
How do we achieve change that is universally advantageous. Perhaps that is impossible, but providing opportunity for all to achieve their dream is a noble goal. We cannot achieve equal outcomes but can equal opportunity. Some are fortunate to be born with certain genetic or societal advantages but that does not assume achievement. It also does not allow me to relieve you of your advantages. We have strayed from a meritocracy. Just because you, Peter, have won the heritage lotto only means I can hope you will act responsibly. And since I have not spoken to you in over 30 years I can only assume you have.
Only by achieving a critical mass of those who have experienced opportunity can we avoid succumbing to those who would wish we move backward instead of forward. One must always remain optimistic. Consider the change that has occurred over the 1000, 500, 100 or 50 years. That is the timeframe with which we are dealing.