The title is a phrase that popped up in my sleep about 7 years ago. It seemed profound in the context of my sleep. I always wondered what that context was.
I was reminded of that saying as I read a book online today. A theory of Power is anthropological and scholarly. It has lots of footnotes and references. It starts out explaining that nothing exists except power relationships. It goes through a little about physics, genes, memes, and culture. It ends up, in chapter 9, talking about how to structure a society that suits our genes much better by avoiding hierarchy. It looks just like the social structure that I have always dreamed of creating.
HUG is actively trying to create the foundations of this living style. The main motivations have been healthy living, economic well being, better ecology, less time stress, more resilient to social and economic storms. I never realized my reasons went this deep. This structure largely frees us from controls within our culture that don't fit our genes.
The book explained how memes now drive evolution far more than genes. Humans evolved to be vectors and hosts for memes. All the social structures around us serve the memes first, us if it’s convenient.
It helps complete a coherent picture of the universe. This truth gets at a reason for ego. It helps me see how ego traps us and why spiritual gurus seek to minimize it.
This truth can upset some people.
It is dangerous,
but it can help set you free.
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3 comments:
Paul, thanks for this post and the link to "A Theory of Power".
For the past few weeks I have wanted to write an extended post on evolution as a framework, model, paradigm or conduit to explain my world view. My experience as a software developer has taught me not to begin writing until the problem and the solution seem trivial and obvious. What I want to write is still not trivial and obvious to me but Vail’s book helped clarify my thinking. He says some of the things I’m want to say in my own words and from my perspective.
Paul L.
I wonder,
I love that concept; Don't begin writing until the problem and the solution seem trivial and obvious.
That puts into words a technique that I have inherently used in designing, but I never had a handle on it.
Now it makes more sense why I have occasionally had difficulty communicating my ideas. They had already become so trivial and obvious that it seemed everyone else should already understand it.
Lord have mercy, that makes great sense!
What seems trivial and obvious to me is not so to others and vice versa. We certainly do need each other exploring different realms and reporting back the trivial and obvious.
Paul & Paul, thank you!
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