🌍 Human Nature & Consciousness

TL;DR – Human Nature & Consciousness Blog Post (5 Bullet Summary):

Essence of Humanity – Being human is more than survival; it’s about the unique ability to imagine, feel deeply, and grow beyond our conditioning and emotional shadows.
Modern Disconnection – Ancient tribal life offered real, communal connection tied to survival and identity, while today’s society is more individualistic and transactional, leaving many feeling isolated.
True Self vs. Social Identity – The "true self" may only fully emerge in solitude or nature, while social roles can feel like masks—even if they’re just different versions of the same self.
Cycles or Evolution? – Humanity often repeats harmful patterns unconsciously, but real change begins when individuals face their suffering and take responsibility for inner growth.
The Call to Evolve – For collective transformation and survival, we must break from past conditioning, stop projecting pain onto others, and evolve with compassion and awareness.

1. What do I believe is the essence of being human? Is it consciousness, creativity, suffering, love… or something else entirely?
#exploration

What is the essence of being human? Is there really such a thing? Humans are like everything else in Nature in that we are built to survive and procreate. Yet, Humans have a unique potential. A potential to aspire and imagine and grow in ways that other forms of life may not. We have the potential to either be unaware of and be obedient to our shadows, or we can be aware of and grow beyond our shadow. We have the choice to be more than just our conditioning. We also experience a very dynamic spectrum of emotion and other sorts of experience. We adapt in ways that other animals do not; through emotions and psychological adaptations. Being human means having social DNA. Humans cannot separate themselves from their ancient DNA. Which is why our current western society feels so out of alignment with our ancient and ancestral DNA. Current society is separated and isolated in comparison to what it was thousands of years ago. Although we are "connected" through technology, is that real connection? By real connection, I mean is that the connection we need to fulfill us?
Connection thousands of years ago was living in small communities, tribes, with maybe 100-200 people. In these tribes we knew people, and the connection was in person. How is this connection different than the connection of today. The connection in a tribe is different, right? The connection of the tribe was familial. Although im sure there was conflict between members of the tribe, the difference was in the mindset of the people. I would like to believe that in a tribal setting that i am describing, the survival of the tribe was the survival of the individual. People saw their identities to be not their bodies, but their entire tribe. This mentality was less selfish and gave people more connection and meaning. People relied on each other, needed each other. And through this they bonded and connected. Maybe that is one of the big differences from today's society. Today, we can survive without being truly connected at all to others. But can we thrive? We thrive in community. Yet the current society is not built on community. It is built on the market. The western world is a transaction-based world.

To be continued...

2. How do I experience the difference between my "true self" and the roles or identities I play in the world?

What is my "true self" ? Is there such a thing? When i am in the presence of others i seem to feel like i have to be something other than what i am. Is this why i feel i have to return to solitude? Do i feel like solitude is the only place where i can safely be who i am? I dont want to deceive myself here though. Is who i am with others just a different version of me? Being in nature for sure makes me feel refreshed. Alone in nature i mean. Nothing judging me.

3. Are we evolving toward something — spiritually, culturally, or technologically — or are we simply repeating patterns in new forms?

These changes must come from within each and every one of us. It is up to each of us to wake up to our own suffering and cradle ourselves. Hold ourselves and be compassionate to our hurt parts. In order to enact true change in our species we must no longer be acting from our shadows. No longer must we be so unconscious, reenacting the past over and over again. The time has come to evolve. To aspire to something greater. For continued survival on the planet requires us to change. No longer can we continue repeating old patterns. The time has come to look at our shadows with compassion, to hold our hurt, and to grow beyond it into something new. These old patterns exist in so many of us and by othering each other we are simply perpetuating the same patterns. No longer can we look away, no longer can we blame, we must take responsibility. Each and every one of us has more power than we know to change. We must shed these limiting beliefs about ourselves and others.