It’s important to recognize the value in both our culture and our nature, and how the balance between our civilized and wild selves needs constant attention if we are to live effectively, securely and responsibly. My view is that we have lost our balance in the last 300 to 3000 years as culture has taken a negative turn towards patriarchy and materialism, and away from matriarchy and spiritualism. As a result, we are unhealthy, dysfunctional, and easy prey to parasitic viruses like Covid-19. It’s a timely warning that humans, the most complex and differentiated of creatures can be destroyed by viruses, the simplest and least differentiated of cellular structures. As Martha Beck says in her book The Way of Integrity, “nature does not give up without a fight”. If we do not rediscover and reconnect with the inner part of ourselves, which is our nature, it’s just a matter of time before we either wipe ourselves out or are taken out by a more virulent disease.
I like the concept of both/and, as opposed to either/or. We don’t have to choose one and not the other. They aren’t mutually exclusive as many would have us believe. Our culture is highly dependent on our nature, and vice versa. Unfortunately, with the arrival of the industrial revolution in the 18th century and the massive movement of people from the land to urban environments, we started to lose our connection and reverence for nature. The three pillars of post-industrial society have somehow colluded to disempower and disenfranchise our human autonomy and ability to balance culture and nature. These pillars have been the nuclear family, as opposed to the extended family of village and tribe, organized religion, as opposed to personal religion and finding our own sacredness in life, and formal education, as opposed to informal education that was learnt in interaction with the forces of nature, including people who loved us and cared for the wellbeing of everything that sustains life.
We have effectively been uprooted from our own natures, colonized and captured by a human system devoid of being. It’s all head and no heart. It is a culture of doing in order to have, with little consideration for the importance of being. I see it as unchecked masculine energy, which is action based and goal driven, whilst complementary feminine energy, which is introspective and nurturing, is squeezed out of our lives by the pressure and demands of daily living. But it’s not too late to change course and self-correct by appreciating the importance of both culture and nature, our masculine and feminine energy. We all need to take time to rest and digest after all our running around. Through daily practices like morning pages (Julia Cameron), conscious breathing, meditation, cold showers or swims, dancing, processing emotions fully, and doing ‘The Work’ (Byron Katie) on our thinking patterns, we nurture our natures and start to realign ourselves at a body, heart, mind and spirit level. In honoring many of these ancient practices, we aren’t just humans doing stuff, but we become human beings. If you want a better balance between your civilized and wild self, please contact me, psychologist in Fourways.