tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4136626590097801169.post689974768253218965..comments2024-01-10T11:19:56.456-08:00Comments on What Is Sustainable: What Is A Human Being?What Is Sustainablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10227382786082159733noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4136626590097801169.post-39205401319319426532014-01-14T18:02:21.915-08:002014-01-14T18:02:21.915-08:00Hi Ned!
<< I'm wondering what you think...Hi Ned!<br /><br /><< I'm wondering what you think of the fact that chimps and other primates have patriarchal and often violent hierarchies, maintained by a power structure based on physical male dominance? >><br /><br />I don’t know enough about primate behavior to have a knowledge-based opinion. Many, many species have social hierarchies and conflicts. I don’t think that wild nature resembles a Disney utopia. Humans have definitely pushed hierarchy and conflict to new proportions.<br /><br /><< I certainly wish that wasn't the case, and find it very upsetting that an animal capable of recognizing a better alternative refuses to use it. >><br /><br />Humans are NOT rational and ethical. I don’t think we ever will be. <br /><br /><< Of course, if we had stayed in the forest, at least we wouldn't be destroying the earth >><br /><br />Right! That’s an extremely important consideration. No, living in the forest would not be easy. But if we could learn to live in balance once again, we might have a future. That would be nice! I don’t think that a dead end way of life is worth it, no matter how many gizmos it gives us.<br /><br />RickWhat Is Sustainablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10227382786082159733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4136626590097801169.post-64579260080506470882014-01-14T10:39:37.761-08:002014-01-14T10:39:37.761-08:00Hi Richard,
I'm with you on the modern mind ...Hi Richard, <br /><br />I'm with you on the modern mind being not so great as we like to think it is. However, I'm wondering what you think of the fact that chimps and other primates (aside from bonobos, if I understand correctly)have patriarchal and often violent hierarchies, maintained by a power structure based on physical male dominance? <br /><br />I agree that Humanity has created cultures that remove the impetus for power structures based on physical violence, or at least made that strategy fairly unsuccessful, but they developed fairly rarely (to the best of my knowledge) and at this point aren't around much. <br /><br />I certainly wish that wasn't the case, and find it very upsetting that an animal capable of recognizing a better alternative refuses to use it. <br /><br />But to say it would be better that we stayed in the forest? I think that paints an overly rose colored picture of what it is to be a primate. Of course, if we had stayed in the forest, at least we wouldn't be destroying the earth. So I suppose it would be better, but I don't think it would be easy or necessarily pleasant just because it's what we originally physically adapted to. <br /><br />I understand the argument that if we just hadn't left we wouldn't realize how 'comfortable' life could be with all our luxuries, but that cat is well out of the bag. <br /><br />Anyway, thank you for your writing. I continue to enjoy it. <br /><br />I bought Brian Fagan's books regarding the social impacts of climate change and have been enjoying them, thank you for the recommendation. <br /><br />Ned.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4136626590097801169.post-66624141585159285882014-01-12T11:45:36.353-08:002014-01-12T11:45:36.353-08:00Renate, thanks for the link. I'll take a look...Renate, thanks for the link. I'll take a look at it this afternoon. I like the image of "your comfort zone" and "iceality."What Is Sustainablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10227382786082159733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4136626590097801169.post-5317183539325874992014-01-12T03:57:17.211-08:002014-01-12T03:57:17.211-08:00Thanks for sharing such this remarkable user frien...Thanks for sharing such this remarkable user friendly approach to growth<br /><br />Here is something that might interested you:<br />The "Theory of Iceality on Environmental Arts" is a practical study on the aesthetics of the relationship between Humans and their Environment through Arts and Culture, ultimately promoting an effective sustainable global Culture of Peace between all Living Things ~ Human, Plant and Animal Kingdoms!<br />http://theicea.com/page22Ambassador Renatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17455376481651823350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4136626590097801169.post-55616759517782851332014-01-11T11:01:25.703-08:002014-01-11T11:01:25.703-08:00Riversong, I've never spent any time with Freu...Riversong, I've never spent any time with Freud. Yeah, I'm also very impressed with Jung. Maybe Freud was right. Maybe the wildlife biologists are right. I'm not going to jump into that fight.What Is Sustainablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10227382786082159733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4136626590097801169.post-87627628246676550312014-01-11T10:57:32.494-08:002014-01-11T10:57:32.494-08:00Anonymous, thanks for the heads up. I met Jan in ...Anonymous, thanks for the heads up. I met Jan in Arcata in maybe 2006. Way back in 1997, I got a major piece on Peak Oil published in his Auto-Free Times. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.eco-action.org/dt/oilfut.html" rel="nofollow">Oil and the Future</a>What Is Sustainablehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10227382786082159733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4136626590097801169.post-42521354532250741272014-01-10T06:40:07.305-08:002014-01-10T06:40:07.305-08:00I prefer Jung's insights over Freud's, but...I prefer Jung's insights over Freud's, but I enjoy Sigmund's take on the start of civilization:<br /><br />He wrote that, while in the trees, human ancestors relied on smell like most wild creatures, and hence sought out sexual partners only when they were in heat.<br /><br />But once on the ground, we were forced to walk upright and rely more on our eyes, and that led to the males being attracted to females for coupling all the time, which eventually led to the institution of marriage to "own" our sexual partners so that they would be readily available.<br /><br />So, Freud insists, it was man's ability to be constantly erect that led to civilization.Riversonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05413657075902226702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4136626590097801169.post-20706050934721093512014-01-10T02:18:06.822-08:002014-01-10T02:18:06.822-08:00Brilliant and kind essay. Thanks. I stumbled upon ...Brilliant and kind essay. Thanks. I stumbled upon it when completing "The Wind Kicks up ...and the Wind Kicks Down" which benefited from linking to this "What Is a Human Being", at http://www.culturechange.org/cms/content/view/902/63/Anonymoushttp://www.culturechange.orgnoreply@blogger.com