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betaman
No Man Is An Island
Humans have evolved and adapted for survival in a tribe like culture.
While some animals, like lions, can be independent and live on their
own, many other animals depend on a hive, pack, or tribe: i.e. ant
hill, wasp nest, beehive, flock of seagulls, and a pack of wolves. The
different social customs of each species have gelled into rigid
hierarchies: the pecking order of chickens, the alpha male dog, and
the worker bee.
The trend has been snowballing since the earliest unions have forged
higher and higher levels of organization and cooperation. The
evolution of ameba from prokaryotes involved the symbiotic union of
several previously independent ancestors, including a host cell, an
ancestor of mitochondria, an ancestor of chloroplasts, and other
organelles. At one time, they were each a complete life form, but
their cooperation enabled them to flourish and replace their
predecessors. The single celled life forms again banded together to
become more successful. In time, certain cells became specialized, and
then there was no turning back. The loose association had become a
permanent commitment. The single cells of animals can no longer ever
live on their own; they need to belong to the body. I like to think of
myself analogously to gut flora, like Escherichia coli in the
intestines, because they are the free spirits in the body: the
independent contract workers.
Humans were never independent. We were descended from apes, which were
part of a group. The physical evolution paralleled the cultural
adaptations. However, humans have become more specialized such that
the divisions of duty and station have become more and more
delineated. The Hindus expect their untouchable class to be content,
for their whole lives, to live according to the harshest rules. Tribes
have banded together to form states and countries, continuing the
strategy that cooperation among numbers is the key to success. When
the thirteen states formed the United States of America, it was not
their intention, ever, to commit to the federal government. It was a
mutually beneficial alliance that permitted sovereignty among its
members. The civil war changed that when they forced the southern
states to submit to the majority. Lincoln did not free the slaves, it
was a world conscious movement that was happening everywhere; it was
inevitable. The net effect of the civil war was not to grant the black
man freedom, it was to enslave the states. The American 'illegal
immigrant' now takes over the responsibility that was previously
demanded of slaves. They are not controlled with whips, but with money
and police.
No man is an island. There are stories of people who were able to live
on their own, like "The Grandfather", by Tom Brown. I wish I could
walk from Canada to Panama, knowing how to find fresh water, and
stopping for wild food. But I doubt even the grandfather could do that
now, with all the trees cut down, the animals banished, the dwindling
soil poisoned, and electronic security. In "Clan of the Cave Bear" by
Jean Auel, banishment from the tribe was tantamount to a death
sentence.
We have evolved genetically, to experience needs that are beneficial
for the tribe. We have many different types of needs: the physical
necessities like food, water, air, sun, and activity; and the tribal
needs like sexual reproduction. But it is the needs of the ego, and
other emotional needs that predispose us to adapt to our changing
cultures. Sometimes, it seems that what we want to do is not really
best for us, it is best for the tribe. The suicide bomber is certainly
not acting in his own best interests. And I can't even begin to tell
you the stupid things I have done because I wanted to impress a girl.
I write this because I am trying to get in touch with my urges to
socialize with people. I want people to like me, respect me, help me;
hell, I want to be worshiped. I want young nubiles to swoon over me
like they did for Paul McCartney. I want to be on stage and hear an
applauding audience stand up and never stop cheering. Yes, my ego
cries out for what it has none of. Dream self-analysis has helped me
to get in touch with who I am, and why. I used to be ashamed of my
dreams, until, instead, I began to love myself; in much the same way
and as much as I loved my cat. My poor ego wants to be massaged, but
now I am ashamed that I haven't worked harder for needs that are as
real as food. Being honest means accepting the truth, as being humble
means admitting who you are.
I usually don't write such long introductions. This essay is supposed
is about the friends group: what it is for, why it is here, what I
want, what you want, and what we want. This is about: what is the need
or worth of Rawtimes Friends. Hopefully, we can jockey for purpose. I
hope to create something from nothing, where our union enriches us
all, like love. At one end, a total imaginary fantasy without
substance, and on the other end, the only thing that really matters in
our lives.
Love
jrellis