What the tragic conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and Israel expose, is how easily manipulated, misinformed, and seemingly powerless we have become as a species. Unfortunately, our limited thinking patterns, borne of deeply conditioned cultural norms and values, predispose us to fear-based, survival responses. Our dependency and pathology have reached pandemic proportions as we are directed and manipulated, through the media, by a divisive establishment, be it East or West, whose primary objective appears to be open warfare amongst the general populace. It is strange how this is happening at a time when consciousness of climate change, gender equality, AI, and green energy, is growing exponentially, encouraging a collaborative response. But alas, it appears to be a case of the guard dogs at the gate turning on each other whilst the intruder helps him or herself.
My sense is that we have become a top-heavy species. By this I mean we are so wrapped up in what is going on around us, being forced to choose a side, without any time or attention given to what is going on inside of us. This speaks to the nature versus nurture debate. How much of who we are is driven by nature and genes, and how much by nurture and the environment? We can view nature and nurture as a fraction, with nurture being the numerator on top, and nature the denominator underneath, because in my understanding, nature comes first. Now if we were to consider nurture or culture as the product of human history, we could date it to a lifetime – 70 years, an epoch – 700 years, or an era – 7000 years. I think you would agree that most of human history as we know it can be encapsulated in the last 7000 years. Now, when it comes to the history of nature, ours and all of life, carbon dating would suggest that 700 000 000 years is a reasonable figure for the existence of life on planet earth. So, we are talking 7 000/700 000 000. And therein lies both the problem and solution.
We are currently very top heavy, because everything we do and currently are, is dictated by the numerator of nurture, rather than the denominator of nature. No wonder we are so ‘fucked up’, individually and collectively. To ignore and disregard our inherent and ancient natures, this profound denominator that we all have in common as Homo Sapiens, is at the root of our species manifest disease and suffering. By refocusing our attention on the denominator of nature, reeducating individuals to the importance of nurturing your own nature, fear will transform to faith, faith in self, and ultimately, faith in one another, as we start to reawaken to our common humanity. It is a fact that the level of intimacy you experience with yourself determines the level of intimacy you experience with the world around you. Here is a useful equation from couple counselling: I = (D + F) C. In other words, Intimacy equals Depth and Frequency of Communication. We all need to start having greater depth and frequency of communication with ourselves, to have greater levels of intimacy with others.
Nurturing your nature involves spending time with yourself, practicing conscious breathing, emotional regulation, mental flexibility, and meditation. You may also benefit from a three-minute cold shower every day and writing morning pages, thanks to Julia Cameron in the Artist’s Way, where you fill an A4 page with whatever thoughts or feelings you have before getting out of bed. For more information on some these practices, please see the following blogs I wrote:
https://www.brianblem.co.za/harnessing-the-wind/
https://www.brianblem.co.za/fuck-fuck-fuck-i-feel-so-fucked-up/
https://www.brianblem.co.za/developing-mental-flexibility/
https://www.brianblem.co.za/meditation-the-fine-art-and-science-of-detachment/