This group is for people interested in exploring the primate nature of human beings. There is increasing attention by researchers to demonstrating the cultural and individual similarities between humans and chimpanzees, as well as other primates. Does this begin to explain how important our unconscious minds are to the individual and collective decisions we all make?
Will a better understanding of our real human nature (apart from the myths of divinity and intellectual mastery) help us to create greater cultural values to offset our tendency to ignore matters like war and global warming until it is too late to prevent them?
Friends, I was very impressed with the following essay in Ode - and wanted to be sure that you didn't miss it. Servan-Schreiber writes at the level of human life - beneath the abstractions and rationalizations that serve to impose other peoples' realities upon us via cultural absurdities like consumerism. When we understand human nature, and we still love the human race, can we find ways to be more fully human?
www.odemagazine.com/doc/print/50/the-meanings-of-life
David Servan-Schreiber | January/February 2008 issue
The meanings of life
When I was 15, a church sermon left its mark on me. The priest began with the question,
posted by Earon on 2/ 1/2008 11:51 am
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Check out the following items on Ode:
www.odemagazine.com/doc/43/native_intelligence,
where Kim Ridley writes about the presence of intelligence throughout our natural world, and how the insight of the Shaman can be shared with the insights of science.
And my introduction to "Divine Primates" in "The Exchange" section of the Ode website: www.odemagazine.com/exchange/306/integrating_a_new_awareness_of_human_nature
Marco Visscher also wrote about aboriginal knowledge at: www.odemagazine.com/doc/31/the_romance_of_aboriginal_knowledge
Is there a pattern here? Is there growing interest in how our ancient roots can help us understand what it means to be human - in a way that modern religions and science can't?
Peace,
Earon
posted by Earon on 1/26/2008 10:30 pm
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Thanks, Katie. I deal with the same issues, of course. When I was growing up in the 1950-60's, I had a terrible time with having to write everything by hand, especially since I am left-handed (with poor penmanship) and some of the desks were not designed to be lefty-friendly. I did learn to type, but the typewriters available at that time weren't anything like word processors.
Today, most schools don't stress cursive writing as much as in the "old days." With the word processing, I can write all day - and too often spend most of my day in front of a computer. I still think that we should be careful to take frequent breaks for stretching, switch hands for using the mouse and spend plenty of time like our primate cousins just lounging around, relaxing - eating grapes perhaps.
I am grateful for Ode and for the wonderful people who are part of this community.
Peace,
Earon
posted by Earon on 1/21/2008 10:27 pm
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Earon - I love the photo you posted where we end up hunched over a computer. I definitely feel like this is happening to me....scary.
posted by katiek on 1/10/2008 4:44 pm
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