What we actually are

How can we so completely miss the reality of our existence? It is almost as if we are shells, as if our consciousness was this layer that we occupy between the animal- nay, a temporal organic iteration of physical information, and the un-alive and eternal universe. We are a code sequence of DNA. It preceded us in our parents. It succeeds us in our children. The consciousness, the only part that we are aware of and experience, the shell, dies.

Our obligation….. Our debt to…. Please finish this in a way that relates to the temporary nature of the condition of life. The Past…it is dead. The Future…it does not exist. And yet we have received the gift of existence embedded in a thousand layers of conditionality. We can do what we want with the gift of our lives, within the constraints of our thousand layers. The layers of conditionality are what we use and adopt to conduct our very brief lives by. We may choose to accept and abide by some, and thus perpetuate them, or we may disregard them. You value the place you live by default, and you therefore perpetuate others to live there also. The way you live influences the world just as the world influences the way you live.

So much of our environment is a constraint, a guide, a predetermined path of progress, and we elaborate less and less as we age. Our choice is through action and our actions are many avoided choices. All change in the universe at large happens at that shell layer. Everything else has been, is, and will be according to the immutable laws of physics. The power we possess is unprecedented and we are not prepared to wield the power of choice that is a skill to be learned.

The course of human history has been like a slow explosion. Chaotic, destructive, and transformative it continues to unfold through us. Within this chaos are threads and strands of coherence. Following the choice avoidance path is one method of perpetuating those threads of cohesion, it works. It works until the thread ends due to one of those immutable laws, the most treacherous of which is “adapt or die”. This is what sets humanity apart from the other known greasy liquid based beings in the universe: Adaptation.

Adaptation requires consideration, contemplation, experimentation, empirical examination of action, and then doing it over again and again. It is the adaptation loop or method. The adaptation behavior requires that the actors set values that are in conformance with reality, and then constantly reassess the assumptions and readjust the action. Adaptation requires the ability to discern trends and patterns. This is the basis of the predictive component, the hypothesis formation. This pattern recognition allows opportunities to be exploited by positioning action in anticipation of an event before the event occurs. Discernment is the evaluation of reality in a way that is functional to the objective. This is not the perception of Objective reality although observation and discernment would ideally be as Objective as possible. (Objective perception is not conscious perception)

What does this have to do with you here and now? You cannot adapt to your environment, or change your environment in a directed way, without a clear perception of the world that you inhabit and your position in it. The way that you view the world is based on your values; your values are intrinsic to your ability to observe reality in an objective way. People discuss emotional and psychological values as if they only exist within you and were given to you by a tradition or human knowledge. All real functional values are transcendent of the human condition. Functional values are objective in nature. Honesty, integrity, and respect, are functions of the physical world expressed through us. Proactiveness is what separates humanity from that physical world; it is the other three values in action.

Honesty
Honesty is simply objectivity in human form. Honesty is the basis of everything. It would seem bizarre to even contemplate a star, a leaf, a spider, or even a squirrel as being dishonest. Monkeys have fairness as an innate social aspect of being a monkey. People have brain regions related to detecting and dealing with dishonesty in other people. The lack of honesty can be a result of mental defect or social conditioning. Dishonest people are a threat to any group that they are a part of. Honesty is where we start to build cohesion and functioning, directed social relationships.

Integrity
Integrity is the preservation of honesty within a hostile environment. Integrity in the physical world is the preservation of a functioning system. It doesn’t take a very large degradation of an atom to change its fundamental nature. In a human context, integrity in the individual is what preserves the social group. Integrity is honesty in applied action.

Respect
Respect for other people, the goals of a group, and one’s own self is essential to maintaining the emotional fabric of that group or individual. Respect is valuing the worth of yourself and others. Respect is a commitment to being honest on an emotional and social level. Respect is allowing yourself and others to be imperfect without penalty in the event that an honest mistake has been made. Respect is acknowledging accomplishment in yourself and others. Respect is the builder of a team and social movement. Respect is characterized by the positive affect of all persons involved. Respect is another aspect of honesty. This is why you respect your enemies, they are not to be dishonestly discounted, and that will make you vulnerable in your contempt. Respect is honesty between individuals.

Proactiveness
To be proactive is to be honest to the human condition that separates us from the rest of the dead universe and even reactive animals of our planet. We are different. Knowledge that is available to us comes with the responsibility that we must act upon it to the best of our ability. Proactive is the essential aspect of civilization, it is action that meets a need before it happens. Proactive behavior may define humanity, but it is not inherent in the individual. We almost all have the capacity to develop proactive skills, but only a very few people actually do this for themselves. Most of our lives are reactive; we prefer to not have to invent new behavior if we can survive on what we are already doing. While this is efficient in some ways, it may ultimately betray you over a lifetime. Motivation is a proven skill that resides in a specific area of the brain and must be developed. Think of proactive behavior as building a bridge over a canyon instead of climbing down the cliff swimming the river and scaling the other side. You may have a climbing route given to you by your ancestors, but that doesn’t make it right. Proactive is being true to what makes people transcend the rest of the dead universe and animal kingdom.