written 10 Oct 2021
published 17 Oct 2021
Biologist E. O. Wilson said: "the real problem of humanity is that we have paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology".
The paleolithic emotions are the flight/fight response rooted in the limbic system at the base of the brain. When activated, by either real or imagined events, the body shuts down higher thinking processes and suppresses immune and digestive functions. When this becomes chronic, we are more stupid, sicker, and weaker.
The medieval institutions are tribal structures that fear the "other", working to dominate them and the world through dogmatic rules and punitive social/religious forms.
The technology created by the scientific revolution amplified this medieval human perspective. But the rise of quantum mechanics a century ago created a paradigm shift, recognizing that the world is fundamentally whole, in constant resonant relationship. In the last few decades, technology arising from this physics has given us the godlike powers of total annihilation with nuclear weapons, and instantaneous global connection with the Internet of computers.
We are biologically and socially inclined to be fearful and insular, within a society shaped by technology reflecting our fundamental connection. This tension creates the multiple crises of our day, demanding a complete transformation of human civilization, including our personal evolution.
Philosopher David Spangler writes: "the distinction and boundary between our inner and outer worlds simply is not there. We cannot foster a whole world if we are divided in ourselves. We cannot walk our spiritual journey divorced from the physical well-being and wholeness of each other and of our world. It is a shared path, a mutually dependent path."
“From this perspective, the climate crisis can be seen as involving both the outer climate of the planet and the inner climate of our minds and hearts. As wildfires are raging in the world, so also anger and hatred are raging in our inner lives. As floods are swamping the land, so also fear swamps our inner stability. It’s not a matter of dealing with one or the other but rising to deal with both. The wholeness of the world is not divided between human and non-human, organic and inorganic, the spiritual and the material; it is one world sharing one future."
"What we are facing is as much a crisis of consciousness as of climate. It is a crisis of who we believe we are, a crisis of changing to be the kind of humanity the planet needs us to become. In this area where we face the inner manifestations of the climate crisis, none of us is powerless. Here we can do something to learn, to grow, to change. In the process, we also discover how to act in ways that will build a new world with a new way of being human within it.”
The current drama around Facebook is an example of the conflict between divisive form operating in a connected reality. It began 17 years ago as a program to rate which college coed was prettier, prioritizing superficial form over true worth. Today almost 3 billion active customers use the connectivity of the program to share information and pictures. Valued at one trillion dollars, Facebook makes money by capturing customers attention and selling that to advertisers. The longer it holds your attention, the more it profits. However, internal company research, which has recently been leaked by company whistle blowers, documents the adverse impact this business model has on mental health of individuals and society.
While Facebook rightly states that it is not responsible for the content of the posts on its platform, the damage comes from the way Facebook holds your attention by manipulating what you see next. Their deep analysis showed that sites with higher degree of conflict in the comments are more engaging to the paleolithic flight/fight response, mindlessly holding attention longer. A powerful computer algorithm selects similar sites as suggestions of what to see next, without regard for the accuracy of the information. By intentionally amplifying discord, Facebook rapidly spreads inflammatory disinformation, which threatens the fabric of society by increasing political polarization, all in the name of short-term profit. Godlike power, serving medieval institutions, without regard for consequences.
While Congress is considering how to respond, we can take individual action by refusing to participate and delete our Facebook account, exercising choice about where we put our attention. It is a start.
