Better ways to be human
George Clark, 10 December 2008
By comparison all things shine[1]. I had little to complain about from a childhood in small, coastal towns in the NE of Scotland in the 1950-60s. From upper working class roots I made it to University where I studied Biology. By the late 1960s I had committed to zero population growth and to finding better ways to be human. I then gravitated towards 'education' and lived and worked for many years in various parts of the tropics. Forty years later I am back in the NE of Scotland as a freelance consultant/ landlord/ recluse and I am still trying to figure better ways to be human.
I gave up the idea of an absolutely 'correct' way to be human. In any given socio-cultural situation there is the potential for ways of being human that are more or less positive. Judgment hangs on how you view the purpose in life for yourself in particular and for humanity in general. And, although we won't go there, this begs the question of how you view the purpose of the planet, solar system, and universe.
The theme can be dealt with in three parts "better" "ways" "to be human". We will look at the options for each of these in turn and then try for some kind of conclusion.
"to be human"
As humans we have animal roots. We are part of a lengthy evolutionary process that has cultural, biological and cosmic phases. Our bodies and brains have been designed to ensure the survival of ancestors living in ancient conditions. Recent findings from neuroscience and evolutionary psychology have highlighted the importance of these roots -- especially in terms of brain structures and functions. Our brains are hard wired in many subtle ways but usually in terms of generalities that are populated by immediate environmental specifics (eg we are hard wired for language in general (nature) but the particular language we end up using depends on our culture (nurture)).
As humans we are social animals. This idea can be plotted on an expanding horizon. Quantum entities give rise to atoms and molecules that form cells that form tissues and organs that form you -- the self. But a self does not stand alone. For better or for worse a self is a member of a family, community and tribe that between them provide all manner of social capital to ensure mutual survival. And tribes combine to form nations and welfare states that may be more or less functional. And, although we won't go there, nations combine to make up the global, human species that is a partner in the ecosystems that make up the planet that is part of the solar system and so on in the cosmic zoom[2].
"ways to be human"
STEEPLeS · Social · Technological · Environmental · Economic · Political · Legal · Spiritual |
There are as many ways to be human as there are people willing to make an inventory. I have found a shortlist of seven to be useful. It is captured in the acronym STEEPLeS (see box).
Because of their mental causes and conditions different people will be more interested in some of the ways than others. This is not a problem but hopefully awareness of the options will help to keep more people open minded more frequently and for longer.
"better ways to be human"
Better and worse involves value judgements. And they can be applied to each of the STEEPLeS topics -- and many of these interact. There are no easy and undisputable answers; particularly in this post-modern age of cultural relativism.
The number of letters in the STEEPLeS acronym has been growing over the years[3]. The S for Spiritual is the newest. I added it because it holds the promise of a foundation for judging the efficiency and effectiveness of the others[4]. The essence is highlighted in the following table:
| "worst ways to be human" | "best ways to be human" |
| · war · discontent · poverty · social injustice · environmental degradation | · peace · happiness · prosperity · social justice · environmental stewardship |
The spiritual dimension is the root of the others. There needs to be a massive change of hearts and minds and of motivations and intentions. This is possible but the ultimate arenas are (a) the individual consciousness and the causes and conditions that have shaped it in its present form and (b) the causes and conditions that might reshape it.
The spin doctors of the advertising and public relations industries (and their attendant academics[5]) have developed many techniques for changing minds. Their tools can be used to promote high or low ends.
The essential higher end is 'mindfulness' as that is now understood in the West in such practices as mindfulness based stress reduction[6] and mindfulness based cognitive therapy[7]. These lean heavily on a psychology of perception that has developed in eastern cultures over the last 2500 years[8]. The basic goal is to remove the clouds of illusion (particularly the illusion of an abiding ego) such that our birthright in the sunshine of universal compassion becomes an apparent and active motivating force. The basic technique for 'liberation' is to be aware of, and bear witness to, what your mind is doing from moment to moment.
This line of thought did not cross my mind in the NE of Scotland in the 1950-60s. It flashed in and out of focus in the years since but I did not begin to pay constant and systematic heed till about fifteen years ago when I was encouraged to write a series of 'words of faith' for a newspaper in Lesotho[9]. Since then I have been fairly regular in building time for stillness into my daily routine. So has the illusory ego disappeared and am I now more compassionate than of yore? I now live alone, work from home and lead a simple and frugal life: but what of my existential core? It remains turbulent but arguably less than it used to be.
So have I found a better way to be human?
How is such a thing to be judged?
See above!
[3] it began after the Rio Summit ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Summit ) as ESE (Economic, Social and Environmental)
[4] You might find it constructive to consider the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights ) and the Millennium Development Goals (http://www.srds.co.uk/mdg/ ) in relation to the STEEPLeS categories.
[5] See Howard Gardner (2006) Changing Minds; ISBN 1422103293
[8] Essentially Vipassana meditation -- see http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php
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