I am glad I waited to read this for a moment when I had some space to allow the full implications to land in me. I experienced this transmission as a form of medicine that brought my own emerging understanding of collective and inter-generational trauma dynamics into greater clarity -- aligning with a lot of what I've been learning, but providing a more precise geometry to contain what can seem like diverse elements of theory and fact. I often feel after reading your pieces that it I am being invited beyond myself in terms of formulating a response, so I will rest it there for now -- suffice to say I will be returning to this post, and walking its contents for a long time to come.
You’ve lost me at “it is unnatural for an adult to sexually offend a child” and trauma is therefore unnatural. This type of behavior happens in others species all the time and evidence of PTSD does not make it unnatural. Everything we do as humans is natural. We are imperfect which is why we experience PTSD. They say rabbits don’t get PTSD simply because they shake their bodies after experiencing a traumatic event. Trauma happens because we live in a body, a body that is matter. Conflict and trauma are inevitable when matter comes into contact with other matter. This is a transmission I received - that there is so much conflict in the world because we are on a journey with and in matter.
Yes, I can’t remember where I read this before, perhaps the book Sapiens, I’m not 100% sure but yes, we were prey until we discovered fire and became more predator through this discovery. The problem with that is that we didn’t go through thousands of years of evolution to get from prey to predator, like say a lion who did the work to become predator and acts like one (cool, confident, etc). It was a relatively quick shift for us (we didn’t do the work) so we embody prey but act like predator, which is like being scared bullies, but that makes sense. Being prey is difficult because we are nervous and prone to being traumatized. Recipe for disaster in a country where no one trusts anyone, especially with such a mixing of various groups of people. Healing trauma is perhaps the single most important thing we need to do now, but it’s a tall order, and probably not in the best interest of a government that is gearing us up to go to war. We’re also up against seriously compromised environmental conditions. Not a good mix.
I wouldn’t put too much energy into this as it was just an insight that had. But interesting that some think the way forward is to upload our consciousness into the metaverse so that we all live virtually rather than in bodies in reality.
And in the shamanic worldview, there is an upper world, lower world and middle world. The middle world is where we are in this Earth reality and it’s dangerous, as opposed to the upper and lower worlds which are benevolent.
It’s interesting but I think the point is that we have to accept and acknowledge that we all have the capacity to engage in horrific acts. That is where morality comes in. As someone wise said, if there is a Nazi out there, there is a Nazi in all of us. The above statement insulates that such crimes are against nature but in fact they are nature or a part of nature. If we don’t acknowledge that we all have the capacity for evil, we will inevitable perpetuate evil in some way shape or form.
Nobody is saying humans are not capable of horrific acts, Merritt. All I'm saying is that human nature is good, and the idea that it is not is a product of Abrahmic religion's Garden of Eden nonsense. But yes, humans have this little thing called 'free will,' and that includes the ability to act against our better nature. Morality, or a conscience, is what informs us that we are so acting. If it were perfectly natural to do horrific things, then nobody would ever feel guilt or regret.
Actually I’m not sure how much free will we actually have given that we have more nonhuman cells than human cells in our bodies. Yes I think human behavior can be good but is deeply challenged when environmental conditions are less than optimal. I’m not sure I even like characterizing it has good versus bad. Human behavior is creative and interacting with environments. There is no good or bad outside of our own constructs. There is only adaptative versus maladaptive and that is complex depending on the individual circumstances.
I am glad I waited to read this for a moment when I had some space to allow the full implications to land in me. I experienced this transmission as a form of medicine that brought my own emerging understanding of collective and inter-generational trauma dynamics into greater clarity -- aligning with a lot of what I've been learning, but providing a more precise geometry to contain what can seem like diverse elements of theory and fact. I often feel after reading your pieces that it I am being invited beyond myself in terms of formulating a response, so I will rest it there for now -- suffice to say I will be returning to this post, and walking its contents for a long time to come.
This is a deeply meaningful piece. Thank you!
You’ve lost me at “it is unnatural for an adult to sexually offend a child” and trauma is therefore unnatural. This type of behavior happens in others species all the time and evidence of PTSD does not make it unnatural. Everything we do as humans is natural. We are imperfect which is why we experience PTSD. They say rabbits don’t get PTSD simply because they shake their bodies after experiencing a traumatic event. Trauma happens because we live in a body, a body that is matter. Conflict and trauma are inevitable when matter comes into contact with other matter. This is a transmission I received - that there is so much conflict in the world because we are on a journey with and in matter.
Is your email still the same? Need to contact you about a project you might be interested in.
Merritt (and others interested in this human nature debate): I think you may find this article to be illuminating: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/22/opinion/human-nature-polarization-predator.html?unlocked_article_code=1._04.ADbP.oo7JlmsEpHFo&smid=url-share
Would love your response to it.
Yes, I can’t remember where I read this before, perhaps the book Sapiens, I’m not 100% sure but yes, we were prey until we discovered fire and became more predator through this discovery. The problem with that is that we didn’t go through thousands of years of evolution to get from prey to predator, like say a lion who did the work to become predator and acts like one (cool, confident, etc). It was a relatively quick shift for us (we didn’t do the work) so we embody prey but act like predator, which is like being scared bullies, but that makes sense. Being prey is difficult because we are nervous and prone to being traumatized. Recipe for disaster in a country where no one trusts anyone, especially with such a mixing of various groups of people. Healing trauma is perhaps the single most important thing we need to do now, but it’s a tall order, and probably not in the best interest of a government that is gearing us up to go to war. We’re also up against seriously compromised environmental conditions. Not a good mix.
Have you 'fleshed out' this theory somewhere?
I wouldn’t put too much energy into this as it was just an insight that had. But interesting that some think the way forward is to upload our consciousness into the metaverse so that we all live virtually rather than in bodies in reality.
And in the shamanic worldview, there is an upper world, lower world and middle world. The middle world is where we are in this Earth reality and it’s dangerous, as opposed to the upper and lower worlds which are benevolent.
I’m not a physicist so no.
Interesting, then, that we call those "crimes against nature," isn't it?
It’s interesting but I think the point is that we have to accept and acknowledge that we all have the capacity to engage in horrific acts. That is where morality comes in. As someone wise said, if there is a Nazi out there, there is a Nazi in all of us. The above statement insulates that such crimes are against nature but in fact they are nature or a part of nature. If we don’t acknowledge that we all have the capacity for evil, we will inevitable perpetuate evil in some way shape or form.
And actually I don’t like that I used the word evil. Let’s just say horrific acts, rather than evil.
Nobody is saying humans are not capable of horrific acts, Merritt. All I'm saying is that human nature is good, and the idea that it is not is a product of Abrahmic religion's Garden of Eden nonsense. But yes, humans have this little thing called 'free will,' and that includes the ability to act against our better nature. Morality, or a conscience, is what informs us that we are so acting. If it were perfectly natural to do horrific things, then nobody would ever feel guilt or regret.
Actually I’m not sure how much free will we actually have given that we have more nonhuman cells than human cells in our bodies. Yes I think human behavior can be good but is deeply challenged when environmental conditions are less than optimal. I’m not sure I even like characterizing it has good versus bad. Human behavior is creative and interacting with environments. There is no good or bad outside of our own constructs. There is only adaptative versus maladaptive and that is complex depending on the individual circumstances.
Yes to all this becoming known
Oh, hey -- let's start a new religion ; ) We'll just call ourselves Mother Lovers!
Blessed be!