CHAPT6

~Chapter Six~

EVOLUTION, SCHMEVOLUTION ---

"I can learn to resist anything but temptation. I can learn to co-exist with anything but pain. I can learn to resist anything but frustration, learn to persist with anything but aiming low."

--Peart (with a hint of Oscar Wilde)

One of the things we need to get under the bridge is that in the end, we're still only the animal that would be human. People are often offended (or they pretend to be), if it's even slightly suggested that they're in some ways, no better than the animals who share this planet with us.

People love pretending to be something they're not. They often base their entire lives, along with their sense of self, on the ideals handed to them by someone else. If that's not pretending, I don't know what is. Why we do this is understandable. Nobody wants to be considered ordinary after all, unless it suits them by falling in line.

One of the things organizations do, is to make its members feel privileged in some way. A religion for example says to the group, "You're the chosen ones. You're getting to be a part of something special. You're better than all those other losers out there." Despite the special treatment true believers are given if they stick to the script, it all pales when compared to the club to which every person on Earth belongs--- the human race.

Granted, it doesn't have quite the dramatic flair of getting to be on the Oprah show for instance, but the rewards great nonetheless. That's because Earth's members aren't treated with any special care at all, especially within the doctrine of natural law. The natural course doesn't pull favorites, nor does it pull any punches. It's little wonder that people prefer to be viewed through the more flattering squint of religion.

There's nothing wrong with feeling special. When I look at all the things that had to happen which led to us for example, I think we should feel special indeed. Why this denial of who we really are? For one thing, it would mean that we'd have to start changing some things in our lives. If people started to examine more seriously, the roles they're asked to play in life, chances are the portrait painted would be less than rosy.

We'd have to accept the fact that we need to actually
work for a better future, and nobody wants that. To most of us, it would be an inconvenience, and an offense to our god-given rights as a human. It's easy for us to just take it on faith that god will clean up any of our messes. To think otherwise would put a wrinkle in the lifestyles that we've known and accepted for so long now.

This resistence to change is understandable, as we'll keep saying. That's because the thought of any kind of change is unsettling, even frightening. But whenever change is implemented to bring about long term benefits, of course, it's for the better. Trouble is, we've yet to live in a society that has ever tried anything long term, at least conjointly and globally.

There aren't many examples set forth in history so far that we can use as inspiration. There hasn't been anybody who's tried to demonstrate how such goals can be achieved successfully either. Not really. That's because only a few have ever tried it. And when they did, there was this nasty side-effect of getting dead. People who try to initiate change for the common good, are usually targeted by those in power as a threat to the sanctity of god and country.

In time, you will come to believe that the goal of wide sweeping change is not only possible, but also highly probable. It comes eventually, despite any efforts to resist it. Any such resistance is contrary to the formula stumbled upon by nature while this planet was in its infancy. Now that the course is set, humanity isn't unlike an ant forever wandering in a circle along the edge of a glass, trapped there by its own scent trail.

A kind of revolution took place while our ancient ancestors were just coming out of their shells in the primordial muck, even though shells were actually still about a billion years off. Through natural selection, a way was found that encouraged experimentation of design. If a given trait was particularly successful, then those genetic predispostions bred true. Less successful lines tended not to get passed along into the future. What looks to many like an intelligence of design, was actually the result of an arduous series of false starts, and eventual success.

Like it or not, nature's formula is geared for change. Things continue to evolve. It's been occurring for a long while now, and will continue to do so--- whether or not we find it suitable to our needs.

Why is any idea of changing so difficult to accept?

Why do we continue to resist the notion that it's going to come, even as our world gets ever more complex and tradition starts to fail us? If history's any indication, it takes copious measures of bravery to implement any sort of change. Look at where we are here in this text. We're still trying to find a way to help people accept that change even exists. The very word, "evolution," is enough to trigger episodes of outright rage, even though it really just another word for change. Before I declare my courage as an instigator for bringing this up in the first place, I should point out that even just the thought of changing my socks is sometimes terrifying.

It's easy to deny in its initial stages, this idea of change. For most of our history as civilized beings we looked to the heavens, believing that we lived in an ordered and predictable universe (before we even knew we were living in one). The Earth itself was believed to be even more placid. There was always the trees, the weather, the mountains, and the waters. Seasons would come and go with unerring predictability. In the average human lifetime, there was little in the way of terrestrial change. It was through this limited way of seeing, that we allowed ourselves to believe that we were placed at the center of it all. The planet stood firm, while the sun rose and fell in our honor.

Inevitably, this tranquil world-view (in a larger world of thousands of separate tribes) was disturbed. Strange objects traversed the sky (the occasional comet), or fires would be belched up from the pits of hell (volcanic eruption). Sometimes the world would heave, and whole cities would tumble down. That was pretty unsettling, especially for those who had this silly idea that the world was predictable. If someone cuffs you in the ears without provocation, the reaction is usually something like "What'd I DO???" We tend to feel like we're being punished for something.

To the people existing in pre-history, this earthquake business deserved closer attention. According to everything they thought they knew, this wasn't supposed to happen. It's like when you're walking down the street, and you trip over your own feet. Rather than admit to yourself or anyone who might have seen your little lapse of attention, you look down at the pavement with steadfast determination. You desperately search for some sort of explanation. Clearly, it was the sidewalk's fault.

Well, once it was clear that unexpected changes DO occur, some people began taking and keeping records. They began to draw conclusions based on the data that was building. Even though scientific research was officially born, natural disasters were still seen by a fearful public, as omens or harbingers of coming doom. Sacrifices were made to appease the apparently voracious appetites of the gods responsible for these ominous events. Individuals who had the most free access to the old records, became the self-appointed prophets who could foretell of looming calamities. For a price, such disasters could be prevented by the casting of a spell, a chant, or by expelling the evil humors responsible for such misfortunes.

It was a win, win situation. If no such misfortune took place, then the prophets were praised for their unearthly ability to stave off doom. If a predicted event did occur, the frightened masses would declare that the gods weren't satisfied, and that further payment was needed. Either way, the prophet was usually in the clear. As is so often the case, and for further trust to be won, preying on fear was usually key. In this world of instantaneous communication, there's still a lot of leverage to be gained by waging fear.

As populations grew, so too did the fear tactics used to disengage them from the truth. This has been the aim of most governments ever since. We've crossed the thresh-hold taking us into the next 1000 years, but to this day, people have a morbid insistence that the end is near. Maybe they're right. Or could it be that the end will come for the traditional ways only? If only the prophets of today could give us a sneak peek into our future.

It's hard to believe in the claims made so far on behalf of the prophets. Not that seeing into the future isn't possible. If time is like a river, then it too must have a source. Somewhere, the future already exists. If it didn't, then from where did it come? Leaving that bit of business aside for now, it seems to me that most of the predictions made by would-be sages have only foretold of coming doom. How come none of the beneficial things we've gained, especially in the last hundred years, were ever mentioned?

Why have there not been predictions telling of how people would be landing on other worlds (which they have)? What about the first successful organ transplant, or cures for diseases like polio? And what of the future miracles that are soon to arrive? It's pretty obvious to me that the gift of prophecy is generally used for personal gain, or to stimulate an atmosphere of fear and paranoia. People are kept in the dark, so that they'll be driven like flocks of frightened sheep into seeking whatever means are made available for them to feel safe again. In a world full of junkies, the dealers are in place to give the cure to what ails us, even if our ills are sometimes illusions. We're scared to death of death, but insist on finding better ways of guaranteeing it.

One of the more unique traits of humanity is the ability to recognize its own mortality. It's one of the ways people are led to believe that they stand separate from the rest of the animals. This always unsettles me, because it looks to me like all animals fear death. In fact, they'll go to great lengths in order to avoid it. It's how a given species survives. Why then do we insist that we differ from all other things?

Are humans the only creatures on this planet to be self-aware? We think ourselves very special, and in many ways, we are. But not to the extent that we should feel so comfortable in putting ourselves into a special and separate category from everything else. Most of us think that somehow, we've been exonerated from the fates that have befallen so many species before us, or so we believe. 99% of all life that has ever existed, has since slipped quietly away. No stars will wink out in our honor, should we choose to join them. How'd we get ourselves into this mess? We're tripping all over ourselves here, but have yet to find an explanation for our clumsiness.

About four million years ago in the sands of East Africa, a new experiment was begun. Our arboreal ancestors grew weary of living a life of fear, and came down from the treetops. They chose to descend, unlike Lucifer, who's choice was determined for him. Our motive was guided not only by the fear of being eaten by the predators which crept up on us as we slept, but also by a burning and driving curiosity about the surrounding environment, and the secrets it held. An overwhelming, immutable sense of inquisitiveness had been awakened in our growing consciousness.

Driven on by a sense of urgency that dawned in the minds of our early ancestors, they began to explore and expand their horizons. As questions loomed, there was this gigantic void growing, just waiting to be filled up. It had always been there in sheer potential, waiting patiently for those who became brave enough to seek it out. To this day, change is referred to as the "undiscovered country." Sometimes, the word "change" is indistinguishable from the word "future." As for our ancestors who sought out their own, uncertain future, we owe them a great debt. It was they who embarked on a journey that would lead directly to us.

Evolution. Why is this such a foul word to so many? Some keep trying to deny that such a force even exists. But, if you're brave enough to look, its engine can readily be observed. The machine of evolution surrounds us. Evolution isn't a scary monster, looking to take us out (although it does favor those who are best suited to survive).

If you believe in a static and unchanging world, then it makes complete sense to feel less obliged to change. In such a place of solidity, change would be entirely unnecessary. But that's not the way things are set up. It's that annoying insistence that god made us separately from everything else that's getting us into trouble. It's made us slothen.

Again, if only for the sake of being fair, I say that anyone has the right to believe in anything they want.

But when narrow-minded views start to effect an entire globe, then a line has to be drawn. That's what's going on here. Present day beliefs would have you accept that we are better than anyone else ("we" being, whoever's buying into our chosen methodology). While trapped in such a limited view, it makes perfect sense that we have only to answer to ourselves and to the god who created us. Everything else is regarded as inconsequential. Rabid fundamentalists don't even fear nuclear war, simply because it's not mentioned in the bible. Then there are those who go to the opposite extreme, saying that this or that vague passage is referring to exactly that. But leaving semantics aside for now, let's just focus on how badly religion has screwed up our chances for a peaceful future.

Most religion is based on the need to overthrow the forces of evil. It feeds on our natural sense of xenophobia--- the fear of outsiders. If something doesn't fit into your narrow little view of how things ought to be, then it's evil, pure and simple. In short order, it's you against the world. Unless your god really IS the one and true god, you're in serious trouble if you think you can take on the world. This attitude's got to cease because of the division it's created. Here are some examples of this division:

It's humanity vs. nature, man vs. man, man vs. woman, white vs. everyone else, Christian against Jew, Christian against Christian, truth and lie, fact and fiction, human law and natural law, and so on. Everything else is pitted against the rest. But what it really comes down to is this:

If in the end, it comes down to man or nature---who's going to win that fight? We've really got to learn how to start playing nice.

Everything is geared to work in harmony, and nothing is greater than the sum of its parts. Anything failing to adhere to this simple truth, won't fare well for long. Look at the human body. It's perfectly able to work efficiently for hundreds of years. The problem is, if a single organ should become defective, it takes the rest of them down with it. Here's an example of where nature could be circumvented, or even improved upon, which rest assured, will be an item of further discussion later.

But, one thing at a time. Even nature's not perfect, but in principal, the body is a system that has learned how to work in harmony with its constituent parts. Each system has formed a perfect union with the others, which makes for the impression that it's a single thing--- a human body. Well it is, when viewed as a whole. But in actuality, it's a series of individual parts, each performing a specific task, each working in perfect sync with the others. The body knows that in unity there is strength. It took quite a long time before nature helped create bodies that were by design, good at figuring out the power of unity.

So it is with the natural order. The entire universe (and the cosmos of which this one is but a part) is set up this same way. It contains wheels within wheels, and is vibrating this truth of unity throughout the whole. For every star that shudders and dies, another is soon born, and balance is restored. Just by being able to discern such a grand and beautiful pattern of event, we've become a great and promising species. In potential alone, there's no limit to what we could achieve, should we decide it's what we want to do.

We've come so far, but have so much further yet to go. There will be no turning back, if all goes well in the near future. If we look into our own bag of troubles as a species, we'll easily locate those traits that have held us back so far. They are savagery, territoriality, pettiness, shortsightedness, and cruelty, amongst some other shortcomings. But all of these would be crushed if not for the one quality that binds them together in unity--- indifference. We've become so adept at having learned to accept our own burdens, that no one has yet noticed that the burden's the same for all of us.

In the tightly knit web of today's global climate, each person carries on their shoulders the problems of everyone else. This book accepts it on faith (of a different kind) that there are other civilizations beyond this one. Other worlds have stood the test of time, and more importantly, the test of themselves. They too were once faced with the same technological pubescence facing our own world today.

We like them, are being tested. Not by anything like a god necessarily. Only those who learn to live with themselves are in line to discover a time when it will be hard to imagine it any other way. Such beings will develop an intolerance for anything other than a healthy love of truth. One road to that truth will be in adopting a respect for all life that could hardly be dreamt of on this planet. Such beings will, and have flourished.

I for one would like to think of humanity (in its future form) as a worthy contender for a greater cosmic unity. But first thing's first. We must learn the art of a singular devotion. One that teaches us that any system or world at war with its self, is destined for nothing but absolute failure. If we should refuse to heed this most basic of lessons, then whatever fate finds us is well deserved.

This is the one test that we've been asked by nature to take. There's no grade curve that'll permit us to slide by, just under the pass/fail point. We might think we can cheat, but our teacher's eye is keen and harsh. We aren't being judged though, by nature or anyone else. We ARE being tested however. What we fail so far to take into account, is that we've already been provided with the answer key to the exam. All we need to do now is to look for it.

Ultimately, I believe the universe to be unknowable.

It could be cast off to the purveyance of a god or gods I suppose, but only metaphorically here. The important thing is that we pursue its mysteries in a more unified and passionate way. It doesn't matter in the least how elusive these mysteries will undoubtedly remain, despite our most rigorous avenues of learning. This is the true gift that's been given to all of us, the ability not only to ask the questions, but to also chase after the answers. The questions asked might be so big (or small), that we might fail to see the answer, even if it's lying at our feet. We could stare that which we call truth right in the eyes, and still fail to see it. At least we'd be looking.

The answers we're all expecting to come, might not necessarily be the ones that we could get. We might think we know where all of this universe began, but even as we glimpse into the iridescent fires of genesis, the battle is still far from won. We can't help but wonder what started it all. The only way to solve any sufficiently challenging puzzle, is to pick up the first piece. With humanity, we seem to prefer everything splintered into pieces. If we do occasionally decide to put something together, rather than to take it apart, we often pound the pieces into whatever pattern we desire. That makes for a rather skewed view of the world. But no matter what our world view, if we even have one, it does't mean very much without trying to figure out its origins. Being rather grandiose, I often wonder about the bigger piece of this puzzle.

For instance, is the big bang responsible for the outward rush of the universe? Or is this place we inhabit now, only the result of two other,as yet unseen universes having collided (what I call the encroaching universe theory)? Of course, there's still the nagging matter of just "who" or "what" was the progenitor of such a sudden and violent release of energy some 12 to 15 billion years ago, linearly speaking of course.

What force holds claim to the subsequent expansion of all known matter, and the coalescence of the consciousness to which it would give rise? A watch irrefutably does imply a watch-maker. One of the most redeeming side effects of questions like these, is the promise of riddles.

Think of how mind-numbingly tedious life would be if we already knew (or thought we knew) all there is to know. If there were no more questions that we felt needed to be asked, then we'd be reduced to the status of the man-made gods ourselves. Getting back to most of the planet's concept of what god is, if there IS such a being, then it makes sense that he'd have nothing better to do with his time than to plague the inferior, weak-minded fools who insist that he, in his all knowing state of consciousness, must surely be worthy of worship.

Such is how you've come to see an entity like the god that's described in most world faiths. If there was this deity, surely it would have died of boredom by now. The god that we hope to discover in these writings would be an altogether different one than has been proposed (and accepted) so far in history. The god for our purposes here, moves on behalf of future alterations, knowing that all is in constant motion.

If you insist on it enough, this is how any god should come to be perceived. Surely this will aid in freeing us from the limitations that we've set for ourselves, and thereby our gods too.

I have this painful realization...

One of our deepest regrets is that people will judge us, you and I, to be an agnostic, or worse still, an atheist.

It should be evident by now, that we're not. There's definitely a creative force or spirit that resides in all things. There is a creator. Whether or not this presence concerns itself directly with human affairs is another string of protons altogether. Any such creative being (which by definition, would have to include the creator of the entire universe), would be precisely that. Creative. Picture this presence, this raw potential, as an artist whose sole purpose of existence is based on a determination to constantly reinvent itself.

As long as we generally keep insisting that there is a god that concerns himself with our fate, we might do well to picture "him" as some kind of artist. Like any such artist, the creator would never be satisfied with the work being done. God is a living thing, and like all things alive, is forever on the move. In short, this being is engaged in the deepest sense with the process of change. But that's a far cry from the god that most of us envision, because we see him as being nothing short of undiluted perfection. How can something so perfect, ever feel it necessary to change?

The concept of an evolving god is sure to baffle most of us. While an Earth-bound god (one that concerns himself with Earth alone) may be envisioned by his supporters as perfect, his actions would suggest imperfection at its holy best. He's bored, and maybe even angry. His rigid stance on how we should live out our lives is an open invitation for predictability. He stifles us with laws that stand in stark contradiction to creativity and freedom. And when we inevitably fail him, he cruelly and childishly impugns us for doing those things that we can't help but do. This particular creative force isn't very creative, is he?

For my money (can I borrow 50 cents?), science is the best tool created so far --- in our efforts to understand the workings of creation. Unfortunately, like with any other system designed by humans, it's far from perfect. Arguing in favor of the case for science, it's never pretended to be. It's a way to try and figure out great and puzzling mysteries, and is in its intentions at least, designed to be self-correcting. Which is to say, ever evolving. It stands in complete accord with the evolutionary propensity for change that's instilled in every fiber of natural law. Of most all the ideologies yet thought up, science alone puts the natural world front and center, rather than stuck someplace in the shadows of obscurity. To ignore natural law is something like pretending that we don't see the 800 pound gorilla who's been staring at us for the last 10 minutes, as we make our way through the produce isle. We can buy all the bananas we want, but the gorilla will always have last say over who gets to start peeling them.

While it's true that change is built into the natural order on a molecular level, there's nothing more difficult to change--- than a person's belief.

Science recognizes and praises the engine that embraces the need for change, and teaches the elemental ingredient necessary for that change. It tells us in dramatic terms, and in severe opposition to theology, that if something is to survive at all, then it must first evolve. If a climate alters (which it's sure to do over time), so too must the organisms deposited in it. How many other traditions can make such a claim? Barring the somewhat vague reveries embraced by philosophy, there aren't many others that recognize and welcome the benefits offered by change.

Indeed, most everything else we've ever known is contingent upon the absolute and complete stasis of thought. Things like politics, organized religion, socioeconomic factions, educational systems,

all of it --- is left in the dust kicked up by the winds of change. These systems are contrary to the laws of survival. That's why our planet is starting to protest. That's why nothing makes sense anymore.

Tradition is glorious in its arrogance by proclaiming that there can be no other way. This ideology stands in defiance of nature, by pretending that it's not a part of it. The traditionalists are in a position, they think, that's positioned somewhere high above natural law. So far, no one seems to mind this kind of delusion. Don't look now, but I think that gorilla's getting ready to make its move.

Our society can't be bothered by something so inconsequential as nature. We feel that we've conquered it, and will not be held accountable for our ignorance.

Our causes it seems, are more important than the effects of our actions. Such arrogance is even more magnified, especially if you're taught to regard this world and this life as disposable. Why should we care about this place, when something better awaits those of us who will be rewarded with immortality as the chosen ones? I don't know what we've just stepped in, but the stench of it is making my eyes water.

It doesn't take a genius to know that we can't get away with such folly forever. Eventually, mother Earth will scrape us off her shoe. Now, feeling hopelessly inadequate to put forth the argument any more plainly than that, I hope to shed some light on the possibility that perhaps--- just perhaps, it's not too late for us.

Some have spoken of anarchy as our savior. But this has already been proven to be an ineffective tool through which to create any lasting difference in the way a society ought to behave. Violence is no answer to the cause for change. People are quite adept at killing and hurting, and forcing oppressors to give us what we think we want. But this is the primal in us. It's spurred on by a much older, inner voice.

Our embarrassing tendency to remain grunting beasts can't be helped. Not entirely. It's rooted in the mid-brain, or the basement of the mind. It whispers from a region that councils fear and aggression, rabid territoriality, fanatical provincialism, and as Carl Sagan was so delighted to highlight for us, "the willingness to follow leaders blindly." In this same tone, a little background about our brains is in order. Put down your sleeping aids now. You might not need them if this starts going south.

The brain we now possess is a testament to the tide of evolution. Hidden within its convolutions, a new consciousness beacons us. The neo-cortex, literally, the new brain, is a relatively recent installation. I don't wish to turn this into an anatomy lesson, but only want to illustrate for you how such a wondrous thing as a brain came to be.

An offshoot of the more primitive (but no less sophisticated) cerebellum, the neo-cortex lays the foundation for all that's the most noble in us. Unfortunately, we're not very good at figuring how it's done this just yet. If we did, we would no longer allow ourselves to be bullied around by our older parts, like the previously mentioned mid-brain. Our old parts are still alive and well, and to a large extent, they still have a hold on how we react to the world.

Take the amygdala. It's a part of the "R," or reptile complex portion of the brain. It's the gooey center of the lollipop. Here is the carry over from our reptilian past, when fear and hostility, fight and flight was the biggest part of our programming. At the center of every rape, murder, or talk show, is the "lizard brain." You see, one of the inescapable realities of the evolutionary process, is that you can't just pull the plug on the already established mechanisms. You can't just rip out the reptile brain and replace it with the new and improved model.

One of the most common ways to explain this principal, is to look at the history of some of our older cities. In such a city, you'd be quick to realize how old the town was, if somewhere in its design, was the inclusion of the old fashioned radiator. Even if you stayed in the most plush of a penthouse suite, there it would be, that horrid looking heater. There are these radiators everywhere you go. They are but one of the many reminders of how ancient the city is, not the least of which is how the city keeps warm. This was a steam driven place. Gas lines were laid in later, but it was hardly reasonable to "re-boot" the entire city with the more modern systems.

Later still, came the newer additions to the teeming metropolis, replete with its commercial hubs, micro relays, and fiber optic arrays. All of this established with the older antecedents remaining fully or partially functional. You can't help make the comparison here between the organic and the synthetic, the brain and the city respectively. Cities, like brains, have been built over a succession of time, layer upon layer. Thanks again to Mr. Sagan. There's a soul I hope very much makes it back this way again very soon.

Another aspect of our evolutionary path merits attention. An interesting time line would certainly have unfurled had it not been for the asteroid impact off the coast of Mexico, near the Yucatan peninsula. The mass (an estimated 6 to 8 miles across) impacted the Earth of 65 million years ago.

Almost 80% of all life were the immediate casualties of this cosmic zap, including most of the dinosaurs. These amazing animals had held possession of this planet for close to 200 million years. If you include birds, their modern day descendants, a small remnant of their kind is still with us. While the birds might still rule the skies, the dominion of their dinosaur ancestors had been put to an end.

We mammals were a natural candidate to fill the void left in the wake of the great saurian extinction. When we started to proliferate, our natural curiosity was finally allowed to be exploited to the fullest. We had just inherited the Earth, meek though we'd been. Over the eras to come, we gradually began to walk erect, or at least semi-erect at first. This freed up our prodigious hands to the extent that we could begin to use them more effectively. We'd use them to transform the world into one more suited to the ever increased business of learning.

Tools appeared in the fossil record that date back to some 2 million years. The old parts of our brains (like the steam tunnels of our cities) were still dominant, and we had yet to become the more cerebral beasts of today. But the wheels were in motion, and the wheel itself would soon enter our repertoire in about another 1 and ¾ million years.

We were definitely getting smarter, but we had yet to be privy to the more subtle benefits of the wisdom which would hopefully, come to guide that craftiness. While the verdict isn't yet in on our wisdom, other changes in our kind were hard to deny. Exponentially, we began to cross into the realm that would usher us in as a new species. We were ready to cross a line that would extricate us from our more simian counterparts. Human kind had arrived. Little did the world know what we had in store for it. Little did we know how far this grand experiment would take us. How little we still know, three or four million years hence.

The point is, we aren't out of the African sun just yet. We just can't seem to get rid of those hideous radiators that are always steaming and hissing at us from our past. In case you haven't already suspected, we're illustrating here how far we've come. In so doing, we should make ourselves aware of the fact that we've yet to fully forsake the animals we still remain. We hinted at this when our attention went to the core of our brain, the lizard part. If you were to look at our mid-brain, and then compare it with the brain of say, an alligator, then you're in for a humbling surprise.

It would be difficult to refute that at our mental core, we're still reptiles. For there it is, ounce for ounce, and cell for cell. Resting in the middle of our enlightened heads, resides the brain of a prehistoric beast. Its urgings can still be felt today. That primeval part of us still forges a large part of who we are,both as individuals, and as a species. Procreation, hostility to outsiders (xenophobia), mating rituals (displaying our sexual worthiness to females), and other such states of mind, make us all guilty of being the animals that we are.

But we don't have to feel ashamed of this fact.

It's said that Adam and Eve were made to feel shame in their nakedness, and quickly set about the task of covering themselves up. Eve's breasts were really sagging by that time anyway, I'm sure. But seriously, aside from making it easier to keep from getting poison ivy, all they were really trying to do was to separate themselves from the other animals. The so called beasts of the field didn't seem to mind letting it all hang out. To this day, even Porky Pig is comfortable not wearing any pants.

Ever since we began buying into those kinds of creation myths, we've been trying to hide our true selves by wrapping ourselves in clothing. Not a bad habit if you're living in cold climates, but just plain silly if your goal is to deceive or forsake the potential beauty of the human form. Don't get me wrong, most of us are best left hidden, since we're still so judgmental where ideals of beauty are concerned. To put it less delicately, most of us are too damn ugly to be running around naked. All hail Levi-Strauss.

Aside from the utilitarian and aesthetic motivation for our having donned clothes, it's really only another way to deny that we're really still animals. We mask our natural odors with deodorants and perfumes. The cosmetic industry has burgeoned, thanks to a brutal standard of vanity. We clamor for our eye shadow, shaving kits, tweezers, foundation, and even surgical augmentation.

All the while, our efforts are betrayed by the number of follicles we share with our still hairy cousins. We have just as much hair for instance, as the gorilla or the chimp. Ours has just gotten less course since we began donning clothes. There are other parallels that run even deeper.

And now is the time of we moderately hairless apes. As anyone even remotely acquainted with anthropology has heard, chimpanzees (particularly the bonobos) echo at least 99.6% of our genetic code. And on this same, molecular level, all life on Earth is more like us than most are willing to admit. Bad news for sure, for those among us who hold steadfast in their belief that man was created in god's own image.

But rest assured, when it's your turn to face one health crisis or another, and to your horror you find no M.D. anywhere in sight, an animal doctor would fill the bill nicely. The internal organs of our pets, and how they're arranged, as well as their functions, are very nearly identical to our own design. Our friends the Bonobos even have the same blood coursing in their veins.

This suggests that all life shares a common heritage. Even more remarkable than that, a tree would recognize your genetic code. The DNA knows the whole story of life on this planet. Like it or not, when single-celled organisms first learned how to make crude copies of themselves, the double helical structure of DNA was the template for which all future life would be based. It was an awesome leap ahead to the evolutionary process that would fuel all life on this planet, and maybe for others as well. DNA works. "If it ain't broke," the progenitor must surely have said, "then don't fix it."

As informative as some of that was, I can't help but think that some people may have just been offended again. The pragmatism of a scientist isn't going to reach those who are still yearning for something with meaning. We need to start working on some of the more spiritual stuff, otherwise we'll be writing littlemore than a 6th grade science book. We're supposed to be finding ways to create continuity among us, not drive people off with all this scientific banter.

We already know about some of the ways we've separated ourselves from each other. It's about time we get back to concepts that are more spiritual in nature. And I do mean nature, for it too must have a spirit.

There is a great energy, a resonance that permeates through all of time. It's muted right now by the clouding effects of individual static, but you can feel it if you take the time. For the kids out there, this is akin to what the Jedi knights spoke of as "the force." While the pop culture reference to this energy force was actually borrowed from the Janist faith, it refers to the energy that binds everything together. With this naturally occurring phenomenon at work, crying for unity, it's then less difficult to understand the discord we all feel. But so far, we remain insensitive to this deep interconnectedness.

Our species is no different than a huddled group of rats in a maze. It's not the kind of labyrinth designed by cruel and cold scientists to test our rote intelligence, but rather, it was placed around us by us. It's the maze of confusion that has taken its shape from millennia of self-inflicted doubt and ignorance. So here we now huddled in the dark, a species denied of the spirit of promise and self-empowerment.

We starve and quiver in self-denial instead, and all the while we need only venture around the corner and into the room next door. All we have to do is summon up at least enough courage to step out of the shadows of fear, and there it will be--- our future. It's full of promise, and brimming over with enough sustenance to keep us forever in light and nourishment. Kind of like going to a Wal-Mart super center. I remember the good old days, when you could go into a store that wasn't so big, that you could see the curvature of the Earth.

Modern people express a wish to return to the good old days. To them, there's a certain charm connected with simpler times. Here, a person could rely (at least ostensibly) on an old-fashioned work ethic, or a good moral certitude. In such innocent times, these credentials for living were widely regarded as good enough. Then, like now, one's aspirations were limited only by what you imagined that your future would hold for you. But unlike today, back then you were favorably deemed by your peers as a complete success if you could work a farm, raise a good,god fearing family. You gave thanks to the creator, and sealed the deal by making your appearance in church on Sundays.

But was life ever really that simple, even in the so-called good old days? Time comes with a complimentary pair of rose colored glasses. Apart from selective memory, maybe this fondness for the old days was really only a case of a simple suppression (and repression) of information. Maybe people didn't feel as comfortable back then, when dealing with heated issues like sexuality. I suspect that even the acts considered perverse today, were going on in the rosy past as well. Of course, when compared to the volume of choices available to us today, the life of yesteryear was indeed, much less complicated.

As the universe learned to expand (taking us along for the ride), chaos was the result. The cosmos became vastly more complex as a chain of random events led to this moment in the cosmological cycle. A perfect singularity had mushroomed into a universe that was brimming with both wondrous and cataclysmic events. It became wrought with change upon change.

The universe continues to unfold, becoming ever more intricate in texture. All the beings sprinkled throughout are obligated to do likewise. It's very much a case of sink or swim in the cosmic sea. Still caught somewhere in its backwaters, we're beginning to feel at long last, like taking a swim. Our destiny as true adventurers is assured. But as we look around, we see many of our fellow humans just sticking in a big toe, and deciding that the water's still too cold.

I for one, am ready to take the plunge. My nipples may well explode from the sudden shock, but it's a small price to pay for the exhilaration that will come with such a thrill ride of discovery. If others are still too timid to follow right now, they would do well to remember that the horrors they imagine are usually much worse than the realities on which such silly fears are based. It might not be as bad as they think. Although the jumping into the pool metaphor is pretty cliche', it still serves to make the point. Taking the plunge might be made a little easier if people could see a few bold adventurers splashing around in the inviting waters of change saying, "come on in, the water's fine."

It's like the first time I dove off the high board at the local swimming pool. Naturally, I was prompted by peer pressure. So up I climbed, that 8 or 10 feet. It didn't look that high while I waited in line. Suddenly, there I stood, teetering at the board's edge. It looked much higher from up there, than it did on the ground. The sun glittered off the water that taunted me, making it hard to judge the distance between me, and possible decimation.

Was that a penny I saw at the bottom? I wasn't sure, but some poor kid's retainer was much easier to make out. After such a terrific impact, it was no doubt, all that was left of the last person who was sacrificed to the great chlorinated pool gods. I swear, I felt like one of those Acapulco cliff divers, facing my first 100 footer. I must have chickened out two or three times before what little pride I still had, shamed me into total commitment.

In I dove, or at least flailed. It was a full on belly flop, and I came sputtering back up stinging and gasping for breath. The pain quickly subsided, as my pride began to swell.

I'd done it. It was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. Once the paramedics worked on me for a while, I was none the worse for wear. Ok, I'm only joking about the medics. It's alright though, if we all chicken out a little while longer. At some point though, sooner rather than later, we'll all be forced to jump right into that plasma pool. This time, there's more than simple pride at stake.

What's to gain? I suppose it comes down to plain old survival once again.

If only all of us could make that our common goal. Just survive. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Even the humble bacteria has learned how to negotiate in this arena. How hard could it be then, for the much more evolved collections of the multi-celled we?

Oh, we've all become efficient at covering our own assets. As we've already said, selfishness is good, even noble, up to a point. When we view the world through a single pair of eyes, our own, myopia is understandable. It's inherent in all individuals to think of ourselves first, and everyone else second. It's also simple to understand why we feel so out of touch with everything that doesn't have direct bearing on ourselves. We all feel really sorry for that poor starving child sitting in the sand in Kenya, but once we stick our frozen dinner in the microwave, we usually continue our day with a clean conscience.

To the well read, the following is a repeat of a repeat. But for those of you who aren't familiar with this tale...

I'm sure something similar took place in the mind of a certain German priest during Nazi Germany, who gave his account of what was happening in the streets around him. He said that when they came first for the communists, he didn't speak up because he wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and he didn't speak up, because he wasn't a Jew. Next, they came for the trade unionists, and, he didn't speak up for them either. Then they came for the Catholics, but he was a Protestant. By the time the Nazis came for him, there was no one left to speak up. We can sympathize, and shake our heads at the tragedy befalling strangers, but we deal with it by saying something like, "that could never happen to me."

To completely castrate the lovely little story in the last paragraph, I've tried to imagine myself as a prisoner of war, or as a holocaust victim. I pride myself in being wise enough to have avoided these bizarre circumstances altogether. But yes, I said it too --- such things could have never happened to me. As a war prisoner, I would have immediately denounced my patriotism. As a Jew, or a Pole, I would have used my cleverness, or my sense of humor to make my captors laugh. Nobody can hate someone who makes them laugh.

Then I really try to imagine being witness to the terrible circumstances of such a scene. Maybe I would've choked, or maybe my German would've been bad. More ominously, maybe I would've had to consider not only my own life, but the lives of family and friends. It's even possible that I'd have protected myself from the horrors I'd seen day after day, and would have slipped quickly into the refuge of complete denial. In point of fact, I don't actually know what I'd have done. I wasn't actually there.

In reality, who knows how we'd act in such extreme situations? Recall the broken and blistered faces of those who survived the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, and how their complacency belied their burned and openly festering bodies. It was a surreal image caught on film, only minutes after the bombs had mushroomed out over these cities.

Those that hadn't been killed outright were just shuffling about vacantly through the radioactive ruins. They had that thousand-yard stare which showed that their bodies were present, but that their minds had gone somewhere else. I'd like to think that I'm prepared for anything, but could be direly mistaken. I just don't know for sure.

Such is the state of the world today. We're all in complete denial, because it's safer just not to know. Not truly safer of course, but at least we can think we are. We hide behind our faith, or we tell ourselves things like, "well, I'd like to help, but there's nothing I can do about it," or, " I'm only one person, what difference could I make?" This serves as yet another example of how alone we feel, and how we remain fixed in believing that we're apart from all other things, even from our fellow human beings. Remember this: A chain of steely strength is only as strong as the individual links that created it.

Given the current state of our world, and our major contribution to its sorry condition, there appear to be a lot of weak links in our particular chain. So then, this is what was meant about the importance of the self-reliance mentioned early on. It's fine to be selfish, and it's in fact, unavoidable as beings of flesh and blood. Protect your own values first, yes. But in no way should you dare to think that your own values are any better, or any worse than anyone else's. Then you'll find of course, that our similarities outnumber by far, any trivial differences we might discern. There's still a long way to go before we actually start to believe this however.

As I look back on my life so far, I can't help but wonder if I shouldn't have spoke up by now. I suppose that's what's behind these writings, with the hope being that maybe someday, I can share my thoughts. But if instead, I should have to live out my life in obscurity, I wonder still. I wonder at what time in my life should I have taken some kind of action. When did a sense of outrage first begin to stir in me? Oh yes, now I remember. I was in church.