Monday, November 26, 2007

Evolutionary Baggage

We carry with us the baggage of countless millenia of evolution. And this heritage brings us to an odd place. For, on the one hand, we are animals driven by our instincts and emotions. And on the other hand we strive to be rational creatures, basing our judgements on our rationality.
We threw our own selves "out of the garden". For a long time since our branch of the evolutionary tree grew out from the rest of the animals we lived with them in harmony, surviving by our instincts and our emotions. But somewhere along the line we began to think rationally: basing our reactions on the questions we have about the world around us. By becoming rational creatures we separated ourselves from the animals and began to consider ourselves superior. And so we lost paradise.
Today, this evolutionary baggage creates many of the problems in our world. We still have greed, aggression, and fear. And these threaten to destroy everything we've created. Our greed drives us to accumulate ever more -- depriving others of their basic needs. Our aggression makes us hostile to one another at every turn. And fear drives the strongest wedge between us -- begetting anger and hatred among our societies.

We live at a time when we can use our rational nature to counter our dominating instincts. We can learn to think calmly when faced with fear. We can learn to live more simply -- making wise choices to reduce our consumerism. And we can channel our aggressive energies in more productive ways.
Chief among the changes we need is a new ideology. We need to understand ourselves, each other, and our world better. We need to understand that our sense of individuality leads to our isolationism, and we must seek out the ties which bind us all together. We must understand that we are all interconnected through the Web of Life.

Monday, November 19, 2007

We Are Animals

The most important fact to remember is that we are animals. Everything we do is governed by this. Everything we are. And as much as we try to believe otherwise, this fact will always haunt us.
Being animals, much of what we do is based on instincts and reactions. We live by emotions, and often we don't think about what it is we're doing. And so, to understand human behavior we need to understand animal behavior.
Perhaps the first thing we must consider is just what it is which distinguishes us from all other animals. We may believe it to be our ability to communicate. But all animals communicate in one form or another. We may consider it to be out ability to use tools. Yet, many animals, especially primates, use tools to obtain food or for protection. I would suggest that the deciding difference is our ability to ask questions: to behave based on reason rather than instinct -- we have "eaten of the tree of knowledge", so to speak.
And so our dilemma becomes more complicated. For we are torn between our thoughts and our emotions. We aspire to leave our animal heritage behind us, and to be rational creatures. Yet this evolutionary baggage is still within each of us.

Friday, November 16, 2007

People

In truth, we are no different than our animal cousins, yet we still try to view creation without ourselves. We talk about how nature works, labelling our own actions as "unnatural" -- and yet, we are a part of that natural order. We try to understand how animals interact amongst themselves if humans are not around, and we remove ourselves from the equation. We call ourselves human, as if this title somehow negates the "animal" nature we share; as though we are somehow alien to the natural world in which we find ourselves.
In fact, one of the most distinguishing factors about us is that we prefer to distinguish ourselves from our world. We speak of "natural" and "unnatural" actions, as though anything we do could be unnatural. And so we deny our connection to the world; our evolutionary heritage. Instead, we pretend that we are something much nobler.
For so long in our dominant culture we have denied our animal nature. Instead, we describe our animal behavior using words such as "sin". We fail to understand that being animal is an essential part of being human.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Welcome To The Human Condition

Welcome to humanity! Welcome to the race of thinkers and dreamers. Welcome to that group of living beings who pride themselves as being the highest species on the planet Earth.
Welcome also to millions of years of evolutionary baggage which threatens to destroy our race, and many of our animal and plant brothers. Welcome to the legacy of survival instincts which we've never learned to live with in our enlightened mindset. Welcome to fear, denial, and greed. Welcome to excessive pride and apathy. And welcome to the glass walls we build between ourselves in our increasingly smaller glass house we call home.
We carry within us the ability to be great thinkers and doers. And in our genes we still retain the programming to be feelers and reactors. We are the rational human and the irrational beast: the angel and the devil, constantly at war.
And in the midst of all this we live in a world of great riches, for the fortunate, and terrible atrocities for the not-so-fortunate. We have the resources to feed, house, and clothe everyone on the planet, if we would choose. Yet, we continue to squabble over the limited resources of our home world in so many wars.
We kill our brothers and don't even think of them as our brothers. We kill for land. We kill for oil. We kill for food. We kill for belief. We preach that killing is wrong, and we kill those who disagree with us. And we take such satisfaction in each candle of life that we snuff out.
We have been sent teachers to teach us how we should live: spiritual teachers who can help us understand ourselves better and perhaps make a better world for ourselves and our children. We have recorded their words for many, many generations. And we can still read their words today.
Yet their sayings have fallen on deaf ears. For our world is still divided by belief, by class, by color, by everything we can find to disagree about. Our spiritual teachers have taught unity. And all we have learned is division. Clearly, we have not listened.
Or perhaps we have simply not understood.

The modern world grows smaller every day. For the first time in human history we can reach out to people everywhere on the planet. We can visit them. We can send them telegraphs, or speak to them on the phone. And we can share ideas in a moment through the Internet. Communication has become an essential part of who we are.
Yet we are still troubled by what we learn through our exchange of ideas. Many of us are descended from those who lived in more isolated parts of the world at one time. We carry the beliefs they shaped of the world they saw. And today we believe that our beliefs are the only "true" ones. Yet, our neighbors have different views shaped by their ancestors' knowledge of the world as well, and they belief their beliefs are "true". And so we are left with a quandary. For many times our beliefs are at odds with those of our neighbors. We need some way to cut through all this mess and make some sense of our world.

I propose that we can learn from the beliefs of our ancestors: all our ancestors. I believe that their beliefs are short-sighted because they are formed from the limited view what our ancestors saw of the world. Yet, I believe there is valuable insight to be gained from each view of the world. I believe we can discover the world through the many eyes of the many faiths we come from.
And perhaps our future history will be a bit more complete, and a bit less bloody.

Monday, November 12, 2007

The Human Condition

The one unique thing we do as humans is to question. Every other thing we do is mimicked by at least some other animal. But it is the entire questing process which separates us from every other species on the planet. We seek, we find, we make informed decisions based on the answers. And so we are able to change our environment and ourselves.
Our questioning is based on six basic questions: Who are we? What is life / existence? Where are we? When are we? How do things work / are things put together? and Why: What is the meaning of it all?
To answer each of these "Great Questions" we have devised several disciplines, or studies. To answer the Who? question we have Biography -- we create fantastic family trees and histories of famous persons in an attempt to try and understand who creates and shapes our reality. To answer the What? question we have Philosophy -- we try to understand just what reality really is. To understand Where? we have Cartography -- we map everything to try and be rid of the unknowns in our space, and to find our physical place within it. For How? we have History -- we map out causes and motivations to help us understand the events which shape our world. How? is perhaps the question we spend the most time understanding: here are the Sciences -- Astronomy, Chemistry, Astronomy, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics -- we take things apart to understand how they are put together and how they work. Finally, we ask the Why? question to try and find meaning for our lives, and so we create Religion.
Religion is our feeble attempt to understand the universe around us and our place within it. It is the process of answering the Why? question of existence, and the attempt to create meaning for our lives.
Religion is the discipline which can lead to spirituality. It is, therefore, a "spiritual toolkit" which can enable us to find spiritual meaning for our lives.
Religions generally contain some sort of focusing mechanism to help their followers gauge their behavior. Such codes as the Ten Commandments and the Wiccan Rede help to define how one should behave if living a spiritual life. These are generally not so much rules to live by as guidelines as to how a spiritual person behaves.
Now, religion and spirituality differ a bit. Religion is the "toolkit" and spirituality is the experience. But persons who follow only the religious code, persons of "religious habit", differ greatly from spiritual persons. A religious person behaves the way they think they are supposed to. It is as though they are following a list of do's and don'ts whenever they do anything. But a spiritual person does things because they feel they should -- there is no cognitive process. A religious person may decide that they should help someone cross a street, whereas a spiritual person may help someone with their groceries "out of the goodness of their heart". Love is the motivating factor here, as we'll see later.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Our Dual Nature

Many people today miss the points of their own mythology. Interestingly enough, the Creation/Evolution debate becomes nonexistent if we examine the Biblical Creation stories in their mythological context.
Perhaps the most telling tale in the Bible is the "Garden of Eden" story. This story is unique to Judeo-Christiandom, as the "6 Days of Creation" story is a copy of the Babylonian Enuma Elish. The "Garden" myth focuses on the origin of suffering, for in this story all is in balance until mankind eats of the Tree of Knowledge and is then cast out of the garden.
Sadly, many believe this story is a literal tale, and so they miss the whole point of the myth. As myths use metaphors to tell their story, much of the "Garden" story becomes very clear when we but try to understand the symbols.
The Garden, it seems, is a peaceful and perfect place. This is where the animals and plants are. Here is where all is beautiful and in balance. Here is where the Tree of Life is. Here, also, is where God walks.
The Garden represents a time when we were in balance with the animals. It is a metaphor for a time when we were no different from animals. A time when we were emotionally-driven creatures -- not the somewhat rational creatures that we are today.
In the Garden we were cautioned not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. But the serpent, long a symbol of transformation and rebirth, encouraged us to do otherwise. And so, by eating of the Tree of Knowledge we were transformed from reactive creatures into active ones. That is to say that we went from lives of simply reacting to instincts and emotions to lives of active change. And so we began to shape the patterns of our own lives.
And so the "Garden" story represents the moment when we separated ourselves from the Animal Kingdom -- the time when we became human.

In truth, we are no different than our animal cousins, yet we still try to view creation without ourselves. We talk about how nature works, labelling our own actions as "unnatural" -- and yet, we are a part of that natural order. We try to understand how animals interact amongst themselves if humans are not around, and we remove ourselves from the equation. We call ourselves human, as if this title somehow negates the "animal" nature we share; as though we are somehow alien to the natural world in which we find ourselves.
In fact, one of the most distinguishing factors about us is that we prefer to distinguish ourselves from our world. We speak of "natural" and "unnatural" actions, as though anything we do could be unnatural. And so we deny our connection to the world; our evolutionary heritage. Instead, we pretend that we are something much nobler.
For so long in our dominant culture we have denied our animal nature. Instead, we describe our animal behavior using words such as "sin". We fail to understand that being animal is an essential part of being human.

The most important fact to remember is that we are animals. Everything we do is governed by this. Everything we are. And as much as we try to believe otherwise, this fact will always haunt us.
Being animals, much of what we do is based on instincts and reactions. We live by emotions, and often we don't think about what it is we're doing. And so, to understand human behavior we need to understand animal behavior.
Perhaps the first thing we must consider is just what it is which distinguishes us from all other animals. We may believe it to be our ability to communicate. But all animals communicate in one form or another. We may consider it to be out ability to use tools. Yet, many animals, especially primates, use tools to obtain food or for protection. I would suggest that the deciding difference is our ability to ask questions: to behave based on reason rather than instinct -- we have "eaten of the tree of knowledge", so to speak.
And so our dilemma becomes more complicated. For we are torn between our thoughts and our emotions. We aspire to leave our animal heritage behind us, and to be rational creatures. Yet this evolutionary baggage is still within each of us.

Much of our Western Heritage has viewed sex as horrific. I believe this is because sex is an act which reminds us that we're animals. When we have sex we bring a great deal of our primal instincts to the surface -- parts of ourselves we often try to hide.
Again, this is an item which brings back our evolutionary lineage. So often we try to think of ourselves as something much nobler than the other animals. Yet, our passions are a slap in the face for the deified vision we have of ourselves. They are a cold reminder that we still live and breathe.
We should learn to balance our passionate side and our noble side. For without the noble side, we are no more than the others animals. And without passion we lose our connection to the universe.

We carry with us the baggage of countless millenia of evolution. And this heritage brings us to an odd place. For, on the one hand, we are animals driven by our instincts and emotions. And on the other hand we strive to be rational creatures, basing our judgements on our rationality.
We threw our own selves "out of the garden". For a long time since our branch of the evolutionary tree grew out from the rest of the animals we lived with them in harmony, surviving by our instincts and our emotions. But somewhere along the line we began to think rationally: basing our reactions on the questions we have about the world around us. By becoming rational creatures we separated ourselves from the animals and began to consider ourselves superior. And so paradise was lost .
Today, this evolutionary baggage creates many of the problems in our world. We still have greed, aggression, and fear. And these threaten to destroy everything we've created. Our greed drives us to accumulate ever more -- depriving others of their basic needs. Our aggression makes us hostile to one another at every turn. And fear drives the strongest wedge between us -- begetting anger and hatred among our societies.

We live at a time when we can use our rational nature to counter our dominating instincts. We can learn to think calmly when faced with fear. We can learn to live more simply -- making wise choices to reduce our consumerism. And we can channel our aggressive energies in more productive ways.
Chief among the changes we need is a new ideology. We need to understand ourselves, each other, and our world better. We need to understand that our sense of individuality often leads to isolationism, and we must seek out the ties which bind us all together. We must understand that we are all interconnected through the Web of Life.
We must learn that there is Sacredness within all. We must find it in ourselves, in others, and in the world at large. Perhaps then we can truly learn respect for life.
Respect, compassion, and harmony: these things will be the keys to our survival.

The "Garden of Eden" is a mindset, not a physical place. The Garden represents a time when we made no distinction between ourselves and the other animals. It represents a time when we reacted based solely on our instincts.
The universe exists in a state of balance. For every action there is an opposing reaction. Life creates life and life destroys life.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Duality

Much of what we have come to believe in the world today comes from a belief that everything is one way or the other. That is to say, the belief that there are only two different ways things can be. This is most popularly espoused by our concepts of good and evil: eternally opposed, but the only possible choices.
This dualistic approach to the universe seems to come from the product of our evolution. So often we try to separate ourselves from the world in which we live. Many of our religions deny that we are products of our environment; that we are products of evolution, that we are animals.
Yet, even if we acknowledge that we are an animal species we must somehow understand that something separates us from the other animals on this planet.
Animals are governed by passions and instincts. They react to things as they happen to them: to hunger, to greed, to fear, to lust. These are all survival instincts deeply programmed into every animal. Animals simply react to things as they happen to them.
But humans make changes. We have the capacity to reason: to ask questions and act accordingly based on what answers we discover. The difference between us and the animals is knowledge: the ability to ask questions and seek answers.
In a moment of our prehistory, we began our quest for knowledge, and we began to think of ourselves as different from the animals of this world. This was the moment we stopped being simply another primate species and we became human.
Interestingly enough, the Judeo-Christian religions capture this moment very elegantly in their mythology. For in the second Creation Myth of the Tanakh and the Bible (Genesis 2) is the story of humankind, living in a garden paradise with the other animals. Only when he "eats of the Tree of Knowledge" does he manage to evict himself from the garden paradise. The Garden of Eden is a time, not a place. It is a time before we were truly human.
Being human, we have the ability to reason, but being animals we are governed by our passions. So here is our dilemma: we are trapped between two worlds -- thought and emotion. Just as the character Spock on Star Trek, so must we find our own path between these two. This helps explain why we humans like to think of ourselves as mightier than angels, while we treat each other worse than devils. Angels and devils are simply metaphors for the dual parts of our nature.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Selfishness

Selfishness is perhaps the greatest evolutionary holdover to be overcome. It permeates most of our society and threatens to destroy all the good things we create.
Selfishness is simply an instinct: the desire to have things in order to survive. Like squirrels we want to store away enough food to last the winter. We want a warm place to stay. And we are not content with our wanting. We continue to acquire food, clothing, transportation, entertainment, and money. We are never satisfied with having more. The instinct is there to ensure our survival in the harsh realities of the natural world.
Yet, our technology has progressed to the point where we don't need to store away food and clothing for hard times. Our grocery stores are stocked with food year-round. Our homes are heated and cooled. Our transportation is unbelievably reliable. We can buy new clothes at any time. We live in a world of riches, where our basic needs are met, and much of our desires are for entertainment.