A Lack of Understanding
The numerous problems confronting humanity today are, I would argue, the direct result of our flawed understanding of the Living Earth and of our place in it. Such misunderstanding has been around for a very long time, certainly since the dawn of the Agricultural Revolution some 10 -12,000 years ago. For around 700,000 years prior to that humans lived as Hunter-Gatherers. However, with the dawn of agriculture humans began to see the world differently, if less realistically.
A Lack of Understanding (Article 1)
Approximate Read Time: 4 Mins
The numerous problems confronting humanity today are, I would argue, the direct result of our flawed understanding of the Living Earth and of our place in it. Such misunderstanding has been around for a very long time, certainly since the dawn of the Agricultural Revolution some 10 -12,000 years ago. For around 700,000 years prior to that humans lived as Hunter-Gatherers. However, with the dawn of agriculture humans began to see the world differently, if less realistically.
Since then we have woven an incredibly complex network of ‘imagined realities’ and as long as they persist they exert much influence, not necessarily positive, on the way we understand the Living Earth that sustains us. Such ‘imagined realities’ often prove to be very costly in terms of human suffering and ecological damage. By making a determined effort to see and understand natural world beyond the superficial, we gain the ability to free ourselves from imperfect ways of seeing and understanding the world, and begin to see it as it really is.
With the dawn of Agricultural Revolution previously non-existent human power structures began to exploit the natural world and to control human lives. For such power structures to survive worlds of illusion had be promoted and maintained in order for such structures to hold on to power.
We must somehow challenge this situation in order to once again see things as they really are. Throughout the history of the last 10-12 thousand years it seems that a small minority of people lacking both empathy and compassion are all too often found in positions of control and influence creating “false realities" in order to maintain such control over the rest of humanity and the natural world
The sad reality is that we have arrived at a point in history that unless we somehow redress these current delusions then the future survival of humanity is indeed very doubtful. Such survival depends largely on whether we continue to be followers of those blinded by their search for power, or are we prepared to trust in humanity’s innate empathy and compassion?
For too long we have been hurting the Living Earth, the very world that nourishes us. The result being that the natural world is not as healthy as it ought to be. For the sake of human survival we need more realistic ways of seeing and understanding the natural world itself of which we are all part of, and ultimately dependent on.
Meanwhile we cannot understand, nor challenge the major problems of our time in isolation. They are by nature interconnected and interdependent. Ultimately these problems must be seen as just different facets of one single crisis, which is largely a crisis of perception. It derives from the fact that most of us, and especially our large social institutions, subscribe to the concepts of a misleading world view, a perception inadequate for dealing with our troubled times.
As quantum physics in recent years has shown so dramatically — there are no parts in relation to the natural world to which we all belong. What we call a part is merely a pattern in an inseparable web of interconnections. An understanding of reality based on the essential interdependence and interconnectedness at the heart of things restores our human connection to the entire web of life on Earth. It provides the link between ecological communities and human communities.
Following the introduction of agriculture the emerging power structures divided people into groups arranged in numerous pecking orders. The upper levels enjoyed privileges and power while the new designated lower levels suffered from discrimination and oppression. In contrast to earlier Hunter-Gatherers the early farmers ‘owned’ and manipulated plants and animals, and thus a major social effect was to turn plants and animals from an inclusive spiritual world into property and in time applying the same with regard to humanity.
In order to fit the perceived needs of humans we are in the process of destroying much of the natural world around us. Our once green and blue planet is becoming a concrete and plastic globe. In short, humankind seems to have taken over the world with little regard to the rest of the life that sustains us. It is worth noting that evolution had moulded our minds and bodies to the life of our ancient ancestors. The transition first to agriculture and then to industry has forced us to living unnatural lives that cannot give full expression to what it is to be truly human.
It could be said that as a species in terms of technology we are more powerful than ever before, yet we are wreaking havoc on other life forms that share the planet with us while seeking little more than our own comfort and amusement, yet never finding genuine happiness. Looking, for the moment, through an indigenous way of seeing the world gives us some perspective on the misguided and destructive industrial and profit lead world view, and on the human trance that such a view has generated across so much of today’s social existence.
A Lack of Undertsanding (Article 2)
Approximate Read Time: 2 Mins
All of us are Hunter-Gatherer peoples at our deepest roots, and have lived as such for over 98% of human existence on Earth. Sadly all too many of us have little, or no, knowledge of our evolutionary inherence. This is a great pity in view of the present sorry state of much of both the human and natural world.
It could be said that as human beings we are one behind a delusional façade of separateness. Indeed, as individuals we are inherently limited by our own single perspective. We are but one person, or organisation, looking at the world from one place, one history and one pattern of knowing. Whereas a network of minds can see things through many eyes, many histories and many ways of knowing. The wisest know that each point of view can represent but a part of reality and that it is through the cooperation and the creative interplay of viewpoints that the most comprehensive and powerful understandings emerge.
For much too long now we have been living in a kind of trance that both mentally and spiritually separated from the rest of the natural world. We are often told, or indeed tell ourselves, that global warming, poverty, wars and human misery are beyond our control. However, when we react that way it stops us from taking the necessary action to improve things.
For tens of thousands of years, before the dawn of so-called civilization, the integral spirit story told by indigenous peoples across the world recognizes that life is a fundamentally cooperative enterprise, even when we tell ourselves otherwise. Indigenous wisdom keepers speak of Creation’s advice to humans to get along with one another and with nature.
It could be said that today humanity has arrived at a critical moment of decision in that we must choose between a path that takes us to a safer, environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, inclusive and more favourable place in which to live, or one that will take us towards further spirals of political, ideological and economic turbulence as well as conflicts and wars. It could also be said that in many ways it is in our collective power to choose either path.
Our Hunter-Gatherers ancestors would have seen today’s human world as crazy and indeed dangerous to the future survival of humanity by allowing those who considered themselves superior or natural leaders, to take over control and make decisions that all too often prove to be costly in terms of human and natural well-being.
In pre-agricultural societies no individual, or small group of individuals, would be allowed to take over what is referred to today as ‘the reigns’ of power. Just look at the tremendous destruction such centres of power have caused over recorded history. All the pomp and circumstance we witness today, and for much too long, is a myth-making exercise created by the few for the few, in order to control the lives of the rest of us. In relation to what it means to be human, how insane is that?
Sadly, much evidence points to the fact that the human race is speeding towards extinction and is very likely to continue to do so while the vast majority of humanity does nothing. This is not how it should be, certainly when we consider our lives, the lives of our children and our grand-children along with today’s and future generations.
In so many ways we humans are unique, however, we are not indispensable to life on Earth. Nevertheless, we are, if you like, one of the omega points of natural evolution, and for this reason alone we should do everything in our power to ensure that we continue to exist and grow in knowledge and understanding. It could be said that our purpose in life is to explore the beauty, complexity and vastness of the Universe, along with that of the sub-atomic world as well as the wonder of the natural world of which we are part.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of people today live in complete ignorance of what it is to be truly human along with our place in the natural world. The question is: how did this happen? Maybe the fault resides in allowing the few to somehow capture and transform humankind’s understanding of how the world works. This transformation took a number of generations for it to become the dominant, if mistaken, understanding of the real world, a misunderstanding that eventually resulted in a world of human misery becoming the norm for much of our history over the past 10,000 years. Can this destructive and insane process be stopped? The short answer is: Yes. Will it be stopped? Hopefully, it will, but only with much practical and constructive thought and effort on the part of the majority of humanity.
A Lack of Understanding (Article 3)
Approximate Read Time: 3 Mins
Evidence tells us that our pre-agricultural ancestors were vigilant to transgressions acting against the group’s egalitarian ethos. When someone in a group indicated that they were somehow better than others they were ridiculed and often treated with derision. And if this didn’t work they were simply expelled from the group, thus leaving the individual very vulnerable. After all, survival very much depended on the group helping one another in their everyday lives. Of course we cannot go back to living as Hunter-Gatherers, but we can, and in order to survive, we must recapture the inner wisdom and innate understanding and sense of the real connectedness they had, and still have, with the natural world.
One way or another either we learn to live in harmony with nature, or we risk oblivion. Nevertheless, this does not mean we would have to return to a pre-industrial, or pre-agricultural, life-style. However, it does mean that we would have to abandon much of the “consumer economy”, the ‘me only’ mind-set, that is if humankind is to continue to exist on Earth.
For an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on Earth to become a reality we must somehow rediscover what it is to be human living in a complex and unpredictable world. Such a task will be very difficult, but hopefully not impossible to achieve. However, time is not on our side.
In helping move from what could be described as a form of insanity to a more constructive understanding of the world we need to rediscover a realistic and authentic understanding of the world, and of our place in it. This will not be easy following centuries of what can only be described as a form of brainwashing, a brainwashing that has left much of humanity oblivious to the self-created global environmental destruction that humanity itself is in many respects responsible for.
We need to change the way we think about the human condition within the context of the natural world if there’s any chance of re-creating a sane and sustainable human presence on Earth. We can get lost in the complexity of sustainable development however the key to transformation is simplicity itself. All we really need to do to unlock the creativity and innovation that can turn us away from social and environmental disaster is to change the way we think about and understand the world in more realistic ways.
If we were to acknowledge that what we think we know is not all there is to know then surely the world would be a more interesting, saner and a much safer place in which to live. There are all too many ‘true-believers’’ found in areas of social, political and religious organisations who keep telling us that they alone have the only true answers to how life ought to be lived. No individual, no group can know everything there is to know, nor can they. Therefore, no one person, no one group, no one organisation has all the answers to the purpose and meaning of life. Our ancient ancestors would have regarded our predicament as a loss of our human spirit. They would somehow have innately known that the latest electronic gadgets will not bring true knowledge or joy. This can only be achieved when your opinion on various matters aligns with the realities of the real world around us.
Our delusions carry with them extreme consequences for this and possible future generations. Meanwhile, we live in a world in which astronomical amounts of money are spent for no other purpose than to harm people, and the natural environment that we all depend on. Just think of what could be accomplished if those who serve life had the same easy access to resources and power as those who serve destruction. Again, what kind of human culture is it that so many people are today dispirited and disillusioned with life itself?
So long as the present dominant mind-set holds sway there will always be a disproportionate number of people willing to destroy the precious life of the planet in order to gain or maintain power, or the promise of power. Why is it that we seem willing to live with the threat of apocalypse rather than trying to seriously alter a world where consuming everything is regarded as a social and economic necessity? It could be argued that the problem is not our humanity but the prevailing culture of dominance rather than that of partnership and understanding
A Lack of Understanding (Article 4)
Approximate Read Time:
2 Mins
No one can look at the environment that impacts of our day-to-day unsustainable lifestyle, and say there is not a problem. Taking constructive action is crucial in dealing with problems such as global man-made warming, environmental decline and unnecessary and unwarranted human and animal suffering.
Meanwhile, a lot of time is unnecessarily wasted by people holding on to out-dated and unrealistic world views that do not reflect reality and which cause further harm to life on Earth. Whereas, if we strive to honestly address the reality of our predicament, set meaningful goals and take constructive action, only then we can build lives worth living.
In many ways we must challenge the ignorance, even arrogance of much of present human thinking. It is worth noting that the life processes occurring in the top few centimetres of the Earth’s soil are the basis of human life itself. The question then is: What do you think would happen if somehow all the microscopic life forms in the narrow top layer of soil suddenly disappeared? Would humankind continue to exist? Of course it would not.
The driving force of wholesale destruction of the natural world is very clearly one of greed - and plain stupidity. Humanity’s adopted way of life is destroying much of nature’s biodiversity, polluting the planet, pulverising natural forests and helping to displace the last remnants of peoples who are not seen as part of the ‘modern world’. The destruction inflicted on the living world via human actions is relentless and self-destructive.
We must somehow challenge the stories underpinning our civilization regarding myths such as telling ourselves that we are separate from ‘nature’ or that some people are somehow ‘superior’ to others. These myths are more dangerous for the fact that we generally do not see them as myths.
Hope resides in the fact that people in increasing numbers are beginning to realize how deeply, profoundly problematic our domination and irrational based worldview really is. We simply cannot sustain the earth’s ecological health without the understanding of our connection to the natural world.
lowlyIn order to ensure an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just human presence on Earth we must re- build an awareness of the interconnectedness between human life and life itself as it exists on Earth. Such awareness is an essential first step in resolving many of the numerous difficulties and problems confronting humankind today. Our Hunter-Gatherer ancestors innately knew the importance of such interconnectedness in order to survive otherwise we simply would not be here today.
The positive thing is that today we are slowly rediscovering the importance of interconnectedness in relation to human survival on Earth. The question is: Will this slow rediscovery of the fundamental elements of humanity be enough to ensure the well-being of this and future generations? This really is the challenge and also the worry confronting us all. Nevertheless, there is also hope, and such hope resides in people generally (not so much in leaders, or in leading groups) having the answers. In other words the answers are to be found in togetherness rather than in individualism, in sharing rather than in hoarding, in understanding rather than ignorance.
The tendency to understand ourselves as somehow separated from the rest of nature is simply an optical delusion. This delusion is a kind of prison for humanity and our task must be to free ourselves from this restricting world view and doing so by extending our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and indeed all of nature in its complexity and beauty. For the eminate scientist Albert Einstein the world will not be destroyed so much by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.
The positive news is that today's sciences are making astonishing and exciting discoveries regarding interconnectedness between the quantum world, the world of our senses and the cosmological world. We are once again beginning to recognize that humans are part of the biosphere, simultaneously shaping it and fundamentally dependent on its normal functioning. We are learning that our ancient ancestors lived in sustainable and intelligent societies. Their knowledge and understanding should be part of our lives today, as well as in the future, that is, if we want to survive as a species. Indeed in many ways they ought to be seen as our teachers.
Is it not simply insane to ignore the fact that for 98% of human existence on Earth is more or less unknown including its undoubted wisdom, what we need right now is not more things but more knowledge and understanding. Traditionally both science and mainstream religion tend to view nature as being subservient to humanity, rather than all things natural being part of a complex web of life. What we need is to build an understanding of what it is to be human living in an interconnected world.
A Lack of Understanding (Article 5)
Approximate Read Time:
2 Mins
As far as we know humankind has what no other species has, that is a kaleidoscopic of facilities that over billions years of life and evolution has allowed us to be creative in the arts including music, painting, literature etc., again in the sciences, philosophy, architecture and so on. We can reflect on the nature of the Universe as well as on subatomic nature of matter itself. Indeed, inquisitiveness is part of the human condition. And although every animal leaves traces of what it was, and sometimes transforms its own environment, humankind alone, at least in relation to story-telling along with the arts and sciences, leaves traces of what it has created. However, unlike our ancient ancestors we think that everything is for us. It is such a selfish and false idea, for too long now human intelligence has more, or less, been taken prisoner by political, ideological and commercial structures. More seriously, we seem to have forgotten that the most important thing in life is life itself, including of course human life.
So here we are at an exceptional point in recorded history, with an emerging world-view of connectedness existing side by side with the all too familiar story of separation that we have grown up with. If we were to sever our connections, physically, mentally or spiritually of the rest of the natural world will we cease being human? Of course we would. Nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live. We are part of the natural world and thus in constant interaction with it.
The misleading story of separation and domination - has been at the heart of the environmental devastation and social injustice that today, and for too long now, have plagued the Living Earth. This story reflects our own and our society’s unexamined assumptions, and is difficult to dislodge because it benefits powerful and privileged sectors of society, who also in so many ways control how we see and understand the world.
The growing awareness of the profound connection and realization that we are all part of one interconnected totality is beginning to shape human thinking in more realistic ways. That is positive news, in that we are part of—not separate from the total web of life. Behaviours that previously would have been considered solely damaging to nature now can be seen as damaging to ourselves, and that emerging shared understanding creates a possibility for a positive future for both humanity and the natural world.
We are part of nature, and joy and sorrow are aspects of nature just as they are with us humans – the natural world of which we are a fundamental part is much richer than just simply something to be seen as a resource to be exploited. Finally it is only together that we can bring about an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on Earth.