Post by Admin on Apr 30, 2021 1:20:28 GMT
Radical Compassion: Our Evolutionary Imperative
Apr 26, 2021 | Personal
cncl.info/personal/radical-compassion-our-evolutionary-imperative/
Written by Paris Williams
If you haven’t had the opportunity yet to take in the broad view and deeply contemplate the current status of human society, and our world more generally, please take a moment and consider that we are now entering a mass extinction event (likely only the 6th since complex life began on this planet, with this one caused by us!), while the climate and the living systems of the Earth are rapidly breaking down. The global food web, that which sustains us and all life, is heading for near-term collapse. As we face the rapid depletion of food, fresh water, habitable land, and other resources, tensions within human society are bound to dramatically escalate; and indeed, they already are–we find wealth inequality spiralling out of control while many of the world’s democratic institutions unravel. International conflicts and tensions are rapidly building, with the major superpowers teetering on war with 14,000 nuclear warheads (and counting) locked and loaded. To make the situation even worse, these and other related calamities are deeply entangled with each other, reinforcing the intensity of each as we witness the building of a perfect storm of epic proportions.
In other words, no matter which way you look at it, our current trajectory is taking us directly off a cliff, and our speed towards that cliff is rapidly accelerating. Even COVID’s impact in reducing industrial activity and greenhouse gas emissions resulted in little more than an almost imperceptible speed bump on our way to devastating biosphere breakdown. Without a radical and immediate change of our course, the best outcome we can hope for as we hurtle over that imminent precipice is a rapid and very painful reduction of human population and a forced de-complexification of our social systems (i.e., a return to simpler social systems such as tribes, chieftains, and/or possibly even a return to primal hunter/gatherer systems). And at worst, that precipice may drop us out of existence altogether, into the rapidly growing basket of extinct species.
For most of us, neither of these prospects is particularly appealing. So can there be another way? To answer this question, it’ll help if I back up a few decades in my long journey to, well, attempt to answer this question.
Although I’ve sensed the existence of this rapidly approaching precipice since as early as I can remember, in retrospect I’d say that the first time the reality of it really hit home was while reading the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn about 30 years ago. The question, “Is there another way?” has since consumed me and sent me on a lifelong journey that continues through the present day. I have lived in a state of nearly constant awe in the face of the tremendous beauty, complexity and harmony of this living world. And as my eyes have increasingly opened to the enormous and unbelievably rapid destruction that humankind has unleashed upon it, I have found myself grappling with many dark emotions—including grief, guilt, shame, anger, fear, and despair, each to different degrees at different times—and a few overwhelming trips into “dark night of the soul” territory.
This long journey has taken me through many years of poring over the literature on climate science, systems science, ecology and evolution, and of striving to understand human nature inside and out: objectively—by studying various fields of psychology, philosophy and spirituality, and by supporting many others through their own trials and tribulations in my work as a psychotherapist and psychologist; and subjectively—by inquiring deeply into the nature of my own mind with the assistance of altering my state of consciousness in myriad ways, participating in my own psychotherapy, and devoting a great deal of time to the practice of intensive mindfulness meditation.
So what exactly can I say I have learned so far from this very meandering, rocky journey in search of answers to the question, “Is there another way?”
Initially, I just kept stumbling upon more questions, with my train of thought going something like this: “There is clearly something a bit different about the human species—just look around at the enormous impact we’ve had on this place, both creative and destructive. Furthermore, we tend to have developed a hell of a superiority complex; yet this stands in stark contrast to the fact that we’re taking serious aim at being one of the shortest-lived species in the history of this planet. So what’s that about? In reference to the myth of Icarus, are we simply a species that just can’t resist the impulse to fly too close to the sun, even while having the capacity to know full well that our wings are bound to melt and we will likely perish?
Another line of questioning that emerged for me during this journey has gone something like this: “Holy shit, we are such a violent and selfish bunch! Just look at how much harm we inflict upon each other, our fellow Earthlings and the Earth. We even have the intelligence and the self-awareness to know exactly how much harm and suffering we’re inflicting, and yet we continue to do it anyway. Are we just intrinsically evil? Could it be that the demise of our species is not such a bad thing after all?”
And when I looked inside for answers to these and similar questions, I found my own humanity staring right back at me: the instant-gratification-focused impulsivity; the egocentricity; the temptation to exploit or deceive others to gratify my own needs; the tendency to fear and even hate others at times, especially those whom I perceive to be a threat to me in some way. All of those qualities that I had judged in others as being bad, evil or broken in some way–it was only too apparent that they exist within me too. This has been one of the most difficult epiphanies I’ve encountered along the way, and it initially sent me into a serious tailspin, what I would describe as my most intense “dark night of the soul” (so far). I’ve found it to be very difficult to hold out hope for the emergence of an enlightened society when such ignoble qualities appear to be so intrinsic within us.
But fortunately, just as I found myself pushed to the very edge of sanity while grappling with this dilemma, I discovered something that many other seekers have also discovered throughout our collective history. Yes, it is no doubt true that we all struggle to various degrees with the propensity to be overwhelmed by feelings of fear, greed, confusion and disconnection, which in turn often compels us to act in ways that can be very harmful to ourselves and others. But there’s a catch. It’s also true that we all have the intrinsic capacity to experience unconditional love, compassion, empathy, and deep peace, and that these qualities are even more essential to the core of who we are.
So why is it then that the former qualities appear to be so much more prominent within contemporary human society, as is evidenced by the tremendous conflict, violence, disconnection and greed that are rushing us off the feared precipice? Many spiritual traditions and schools of psychology and philosophy have grappled with this and related questions. But rather than try to summarize these here, I’d like to instead suggest that there is a relatively simple answer to this question that lines up fairly well with many (most?) of these traditions without getting bogged down in the controversial details that are so often a source of conflict among them.
As we have become increasingly disconnected from the source of our most essential aliveness—the living ecosystems, the biosphere and the very cosmos from which we have sprung—we have experienced a corresponding disconnection from our own essential self, our fellow humans, our fellow Earthlings and the Earth. This in turn deepens the delusion of our isolation, which in turn strengthens feelings of scarcity, greed and fear, and associated harmful behaviours. These harmful behaviours further increase (a) our disconnection from our essential self and from others, (b) an insatiable sense of scarcity and an unquenchable thirst for “more,” and (c) the projected fear that others will treat me in a similarly violent manner. In this way, we have become caught within a compelling and ultimately highly-destructive reinforcing feedback loop.
I imagine that many of you can at least intuitively resonate with this idea – that disconnection from self and others leads to a mindset of scarcity and fear, which in turn leads to behaviours that result in further disconnection, and round and round we go in a vicious circle of increasing violence and disconnection, a cycle that ultimately must self-terminate. At a personal level, this results in the breakdown of our individual wellbeing in different ways; and on a broader scale, the result is collapse of the broader living systems of which we are a part, collapse of human society, and ultimately the extinction of our species altogether.
So this once again brings us back to the question, “Is there another way?” I think that Albert Einstein’s well known quote can be very helpful here: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
So if the attitude that caused the problem is profound disconnection from self and others, then it follows that the attitude most likely to steer us towards a remedy to this problem is one that involves profound re-connection to our essential self and the other Earthlings with whom we share our home. But how do we achieve this? I suggest that, again, the answer is relatively simple (though not necessarily easy!), and it can be summed up in just two words: radical compassion.
So let’s flush this idea out a bit. What I’d like to suggest is that by cultivating a particular state of mind and associated behaviours (what I’m calling radical compassion), there may still be some possibility that we can break a link in the self-reinforcing chain of violence and self-terminating behaviour and have some chance of moving towards a truly sustainable way of living with each other and on this Earth. And to understand the concept of radical compassion more fully, there are two other concepts that we’ll need to explore – sovereignty and symbiosis – as well as the relationship between all three of these concepts.
Sovereignty
There are a number of definitions and contexts for the term sovereignty, but I’m using it here to essentially mean “having the freedom to follow one’s intrinsic drives to survive and thrive.” To expand upon this, I’ll say a little about a concept I call the organismic process, a process that guides the experiences and behaviours of all living beings and living systems, and one that has been recognised and named in various ways in different fields of human inquiry for thousands of years.
No matter how relatively simple or complex the particular form of living organism or living system, we find at the very core of this life form a process that consists essentially of a perpetual loop involving 3 steps:
Needs assessment – Information is gathered through some sensory gateway or another (perception), which is then interpreted and evaluated: “What’s happening?” and “How does this situation affect my needs?” (with needs referring to the particular “nutrients” this organism requires to survive and thrive).
Desire – The organism then experiences a response to this assessment. If the assessment is made that one or more needs are being unmet or undermined in some way, an energetic charge builds into a desire/impulse to change the situation to one that’s more favourable. If the assessment is made that one or more needs are being met or supported, then an energetic charge builds into a desire/impulse to prolong or make best use of the situation.
Response/Action – Finally, the organism takes some action based directly upon the particular desire/impulse, attempting to avoid the perceived harm to one’s needs and/or approach/maximise the perceived benefit to one’s needs. The organism then learns from the outcome of the response to try to maximise the benefits of future responses.
Rest in Link
Apr 26, 2021 | Personal
cncl.info/personal/radical-compassion-our-evolutionary-imperative/
Written by Paris Williams
If you haven’t had the opportunity yet to take in the broad view and deeply contemplate the current status of human society, and our world more generally, please take a moment and consider that we are now entering a mass extinction event (likely only the 6th since complex life began on this planet, with this one caused by us!), while the climate and the living systems of the Earth are rapidly breaking down. The global food web, that which sustains us and all life, is heading for near-term collapse. As we face the rapid depletion of food, fresh water, habitable land, and other resources, tensions within human society are bound to dramatically escalate; and indeed, they already are–we find wealth inequality spiralling out of control while many of the world’s democratic institutions unravel. International conflicts and tensions are rapidly building, with the major superpowers teetering on war with 14,000 nuclear warheads (and counting) locked and loaded. To make the situation even worse, these and other related calamities are deeply entangled with each other, reinforcing the intensity of each as we witness the building of a perfect storm of epic proportions.
In other words, no matter which way you look at it, our current trajectory is taking us directly off a cliff, and our speed towards that cliff is rapidly accelerating. Even COVID’s impact in reducing industrial activity and greenhouse gas emissions resulted in little more than an almost imperceptible speed bump on our way to devastating biosphere breakdown. Without a radical and immediate change of our course, the best outcome we can hope for as we hurtle over that imminent precipice is a rapid and very painful reduction of human population and a forced de-complexification of our social systems (i.e., a return to simpler social systems such as tribes, chieftains, and/or possibly even a return to primal hunter/gatherer systems). And at worst, that precipice may drop us out of existence altogether, into the rapidly growing basket of extinct species.
For most of us, neither of these prospects is particularly appealing. So can there be another way? To answer this question, it’ll help if I back up a few decades in my long journey to, well, attempt to answer this question.
Although I’ve sensed the existence of this rapidly approaching precipice since as early as I can remember, in retrospect I’d say that the first time the reality of it really hit home was while reading the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn about 30 years ago. The question, “Is there another way?” has since consumed me and sent me on a lifelong journey that continues through the present day. I have lived in a state of nearly constant awe in the face of the tremendous beauty, complexity and harmony of this living world. And as my eyes have increasingly opened to the enormous and unbelievably rapid destruction that humankind has unleashed upon it, I have found myself grappling with many dark emotions—including grief, guilt, shame, anger, fear, and despair, each to different degrees at different times—and a few overwhelming trips into “dark night of the soul” territory.
This long journey has taken me through many years of poring over the literature on climate science, systems science, ecology and evolution, and of striving to understand human nature inside and out: objectively—by studying various fields of psychology, philosophy and spirituality, and by supporting many others through their own trials and tribulations in my work as a psychotherapist and psychologist; and subjectively—by inquiring deeply into the nature of my own mind with the assistance of altering my state of consciousness in myriad ways, participating in my own psychotherapy, and devoting a great deal of time to the practice of intensive mindfulness meditation.
So what exactly can I say I have learned so far from this very meandering, rocky journey in search of answers to the question, “Is there another way?”
Initially, I just kept stumbling upon more questions, with my train of thought going something like this: “There is clearly something a bit different about the human species—just look around at the enormous impact we’ve had on this place, both creative and destructive. Furthermore, we tend to have developed a hell of a superiority complex; yet this stands in stark contrast to the fact that we’re taking serious aim at being one of the shortest-lived species in the history of this planet. So what’s that about? In reference to the myth of Icarus, are we simply a species that just can’t resist the impulse to fly too close to the sun, even while having the capacity to know full well that our wings are bound to melt and we will likely perish?
Another line of questioning that emerged for me during this journey has gone something like this: “Holy shit, we are such a violent and selfish bunch! Just look at how much harm we inflict upon each other, our fellow Earthlings and the Earth. We even have the intelligence and the self-awareness to know exactly how much harm and suffering we’re inflicting, and yet we continue to do it anyway. Are we just intrinsically evil? Could it be that the demise of our species is not such a bad thing after all?”
And when I looked inside for answers to these and similar questions, I found my own humanity staring right back at me: the instant-gratification-focused impulsivity; the egocentricity; the temptation to exploit or deceive others to gratify my own needs; the tendency to fear and even hate others at times, especially those whom I perceive to be a threat to me in some way. All of those qualities that I had judged in others as being bad, evil or broken in some way–it was only too apparent that they exist within me too. This has been one of the most difficult epiphanies I’ve encountered along the way, and it initially sent me into a serious tailspin, what I would describe as my most intense “dark night of the soul” (so far). I’ve found it to be very difficult to hold out hope for the emergence of an enlightened society when such ignoble qualities appear to be so intrinsic within us.
But fortunately, just as I found myself pushed to the very edge of sanity while grappling with this dilemma, I discovered something that many other seekers have also discovered throughout our collective history. Yes, it is no doubt true that we all struggle to various degrees with the propensity to be overwhelmed by feelings of fear, greed, confusion and disconnection, which in turn often compels us to act in ways that can be very harmful to ourselves and others. But there’s a catch. It’s also true that we all have the intrinsic capacity to experience unconditional love, compassion, empathy, and deep peace, and that these qualities are even more essential to the core of who we are.
So why is it then that the former qualities appear to be so much more prominent within contemporary human society, as is evidenced by the tremendous conflict, violence, disconnection and greed that are rushing us off the feared precipice? Many spiritual traditions and schools of psychology and philosophy have grappled with this and related questions. But rather than try to summarize these here, I’d like to instead suggest that there is a relatively simple answer to this question that lines up fairly well with many (most?) of these traditions without getting bogged down in the controversial details that are so often a source of conflict among them.
As we have become increasingly disconnected from the source of our most essential aliveness—the living ecosystems, the biosphere and the very cosmos from which we have sprung—we have experienced a corresponding disconnection from our own essential self, our fellow humans, our fellow Earthlings and the Earth. This in turn deepens the delusion of our isolation, which in turn strengthens feelings of scarcity, greed and fear, and associated harmful behaviours. These harmful behaviours further increase (a) our disconnection from our essential self and from others, (b) an insatiable sense of scarcity and an unquenchable thirst for “more,” and (c) the projected fear that others will treat me in a similarly violent manner. In this way, we have become caught within a compelling and ultimately highly-destructive reinforcing feedback loop.
I imagine that many of you can at least intuitively resonate with this idea – that disconnection from self and others leads to a mindset of scarcity and fear, which in turn leads to behaviours that result in further disconnection, and round and round we go in a vicious circle of increasing violence and disconnection, a cycle that ultimately must self-terminate. At a personal level, this results in the breakdown of our individual wellbeing in different ways; and on a broader scale, the result is collapse of the broader living systems of which we are a part, collapse of human society, and ultimately the extinction of our species altogether.
So this once again brings us back to the question, “Is there another way?” I think that Albert Einstein’s well known quote can be very helpful here: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
So if the attitude that caused the problem is profound disconnection from self and others, then it follows that the attitude most likely to steer us towards a remedy to this problem is one that involves profound re-connection to our essential self and the other Earthlings with whom we share our home. But how do we achieve this? I suggest that, again, the answer is relatively simple (though not necessarily easy!), and it can be summed up in just two words: radical compassion.
So let’s flush this idea out a bit. What I’d like to suggest is that by cultivating a particular state of mind and associated behaviours (what I’m calling radical compassion), there may still be some possibility that we can break a link in the self-reinforcing chain of violence and self-terminating behaviour and have some chance of moving towards a truly sustainable way of living with each other and on this Earth. And to understand the concept of radical compassion more fully, there are two other concepts that we’ll need to explore – sovereignty and symbiosis – as well as the relationship between all three of these concepts.
Sovereignty
There are a number of definitions and contexts for the term sovereignty, but I’m using it here to essentially mean “having the freedom to follow one’s intrinsic drives to survive and thrive.” To expand upon this, I’ll say a little about a concept I call the organismic process, a process that guides the experiences and behaviours of all living beings and living systems, and one that has been recognised and named in various ways in different fields of human inquiry for thousands of years.
No matter how relatively simple or complex the particular form of living organism or living system, we find at the very core of this life form a process that consists essentially of a perpetual loop involving 3 steps:
Needs assessment – Information is gathered through some sensory gateway or another (perception), which is then interpreted and evaluated: “What’s happening?” and “How does this situation affect my needs?” (with needs referring to the particular “nutrients” this organism requires to survive and thrive).
Desire – The organism then experiences a response to this assessment. If the assessment is made that one or more needs are being unmet or undermined in some way, an energetic charge builds into a desire/impulse to change the situation to one that’s more favourable. If the assessment is made that one or more needs are being met or supported, then an energetic charge builds into a desire/impulse to prolong or make best use of the situation.
Response/Action – Finally, the organism takes some action based directly upon the particular desire/impulse, attempting to avoid the perceived harm to one’s needs and/or approach/maximise the perceived benefit to one’s needs. The organism then learns from the outcome of the response to try to maximise the benefits of future responses.
Rest in Link