We live in a time of great chaos and confusion where fear and violence seem to tear our country separately. The injured and angry men are at the center of the storm. The anger turned can lead to murder, turning inward can lead to suicide. In my latest article, “From Artificial Intelligence (AI) to true intimacy: to get the love you always wanted”, I shared ways that influenced my own family and mentioned the work of other experts, such as Richard V. Reeves, founder of the American Institute.
These are provocative issues and it is easy to get trapped in media solutions that do not provide a thorough understanding that can lead to practical solutions. In a previous article, “Warriors for the Human Spirit: Finding your course of contribution to a world out of balance”, I offered some of my findings from my book, The journey of warrior: healing men, healing the planet. I mentioned the Buddhist scholar Chögyam Trungpa who said,
“The warrior here does not refer to war on others, aggression is the source of our problems, not the solution, here the word ‘warrior’ is taken by the Tibetan Pawo which literally means ‘someone who is brave’. The war position in this context is the tradition of human bravery.
The History of Humanity and our place in the community of life on planet Earth
Who are we and what does it mean to be human these days? In her extensively researched and valid new book, The arrogant monkey: the myth of human exception and why it matters, Primatologist and Professor of Harvard Dr. Christine Webb, says that the classification of people as Homo Sapiens Sapiens – the wisest of the wise men – may be more arrogance and pious thought that the evolutionary event.
People are a very new group of animals that have recently been added to the community of life.
“If we concentrate on the story of Earth’s 4.6 billion in a 46 -year -old schedule, people existed for four hours only and the industrial revolution started just a minute before.”
To begin to understand what it means to be human beings and the challenges we face today we must greatly expand our perspective. In their book, The History of the Universe, Cosmologist Dr. Brian Swimme and Cultural Historian Dr. Thomas Berry Details: History:
- Our domestic planet was formed 4.6 billion years ago.
- Lifefirst appeared in the oceans 4.0 billion years ago.
- Plants and animals began to evolve 550 million years ago.
- People appeared 2.6 million years ago.
For most of human history, people saw themselves as equal partners in the community of life. When did things start to go? In their book, Cultivation of our humanity: How sovereignty and partnership shape our minds, lives and future, Dr. Riane Eisler, President of the Council of Corporate Relationship Studies and anthropologist Dr. Douglas P. Fry Say,
“Nomadic farmers-also called nomadic hunters-collectors-are the older form of the human social organization, which precedes the agricultural revolution about 10,000 years ago.”
Eisler and Fry describe our first people for people as “the original corporate relationship companies” and say that the following characteristics have shared:
- Overall equal
- Equality, respect and cooperation between women and men.
- Failure to accept violence, war, abuse, cruelty and exploitation.
- Ethics that supports human care, philosophical cooperation and flourishing.
They face partnership systems with those based on sovereignty characteristics:
- The rigid scores from the top down, hierarchies of domination are preserved through physical, psychological and economic control in family, religious, political, economic and other social institutions.
- Classification of a form of humanity over the other. Theoretically, this could be the female half above half of the male, but historically it was the classification of males over females and with it, the idealization of characteristics found in dominance systems that are assimilated to masculinity, such as “male” conquest.
- The cultural acceptance of abuse and violence, by the child and the spouse who is beating to slavery and war.
- The beliefs that the classification of sovereignty is inevitable, even moral.
The myth of human excellent is the deepening of our disconnection with the community of life on planet Earth
In The arrogant monkey, Christine Webb offers a lot of evidence to prove that most of our current problems are caused by the false belief that people are above and besides the rest of the community of life on planet Earth:
“Human excellent-known and human-centeredness or human superiority is found at the root of the ecological crisis. This widespread mentality gives people a sense of dominance on nature, to stand out and be entitled to commercialize the land and other species for our own.
Thomas Berry believes that the survival of mankind is at risk.
“As long as we are under the illusion that we know better what is good for the earth and for ourselves, then we will continue our present course, with its devastating consequences throughout the Earth’s community, I never knew enough, nor were we familiar with all our cousins. Time has come now, however, when we hear or die. ”
Returning to our roots and reconnect with the natural world
In my years when I work with people addicted to drugs, I have learned that addictive mentality comes to believe that the solution to their pain and pain is alcohol, cocaine or some other drug or activity that promises relief, but offers more pain and pain. Addressed become like tangled pigeons flying faster and faster in the wrong direction. Recovery begins when we abandon our wrong belief that we can correct our problem on our own and humbly admit that we must rely on a higher power.
Our old story tells us that in order to survive and thrive we have to dominate nature. The new story, or more accurately, a return to a previous story that we lived for more than 99% of human history was a history of indigenous cultures around the world continue to apply and if we can leave our arrogance, we can once again find peace and prosperity.
Christine Webb says,
“This basic ecological moment can be seen optimistic or pessimistic, but I do not even favors, Instead, I tend to hope, optimism and pessimism are probabilities, they proclaim that they are aware of the chances and await a better or worse future.
Completes, by saying,
“Hope arises when we realize that the human excellent is not an inherent characteristic, not a bias born.
Everyone can do our role to introduce a new story, but first we have to leave the old one. The good news is that we are not alone and together we can change our lives and the world forever. I appreciate your comments and ideas. I invite you to visit me at Menalive.com or leave me an email Jed@menalive.com.
