Competition as Lack of Insight

HUMAN NATURE is a complicated area of study because people have such strongly held beliefs about it.  Their beliefs about human nature are wrapped up tightly in their emotions, which inform their “meaning of Life.”  The uniquely human existential crises that have produced world religions offer their own misguided views of human nature.  That’s why most people feel they are experts on the topic, even though they might be just as “experienced” with human nature as they are with regard to the molecular structure of the antibiotic they are taking.  Even if they can detach themselves from their emotional investment in “human nature,” it is still a very difficult area of study.  Is there a way to study a human in a cultural vacuum? If there were, have not the generations of human culture already shaped to some degree our genetic expression?  And what about individual differences?  It is true that we all need relatively “clean” food, but some people can handle “dirtier” food than others.  Pain may be bad, but what level of pain a person can endure can vary widely from person to person.  And pain tolerance can impact what kinds of activities someone pursues. 

This kind of awareness about knowing our nature is relevant when talking about competition and cooperation, and which is "natural" to humans.  There is a lot of research about the advantages of cooperation; indeed, it seems to have been critical to our survival as a species because we are not that physically robust.  In thinking about this continuum of cooperation-competition, it is helpful to conceive of it not as a fixed trait, but as a constantly available repertoire of possible action.  Capitalist culture, for example, is continually demanding a competitive response, so the members of that culture behave accordingly.  But, if an individual behaved in that way within the context of their nuclear family, it would cause immediate and terrible disruption.  (Parent to child: I know you are only 5 years old, but you need to earn your keep because I don’t want to spend my hard-earned money on you.  Only by investing in myself will I be able to achieve greater success (excess) and you might get some trickle-down beverages and scraps of food.)  A more cooperative response is needed within the family to keep the family intact.  We feed, clothe, house, and nurture each other, which supports everyone’s well being.  I have never met a homemaker who charges the rest of the family for dinner or washing the dishes, and there’s probably a good reason for that.

This flexible approach to human nature is advantageous because it frees up the time spent on trying to decide which side is “right,” and it means that the fork-in-the-road is not something long past, but constantly re-appearing.  We didn’t, individually, or as a species, decide to be competitive and now we’re stuck in that mode of behaving.  One may have been ruthlessly competitive yesterday, but today is a new opportunity to respond more cooperatively. 

Recently, I read an article about the 100 richest people being wealthy enough to end world poverty.  And just after that, I read about Robert Axelrod’s simulations of social behavior and how cooperative strategies outperformed competitive ones within groups.  If cooperative behavior were so rewarding, and hence, self-reinforcing, then why would these richest 100 people come to have such power?  Wouldn’t we just have known better so that such disparities never happened in the first place?  It would not be sensible to have a socio-economic system that demands competitive strategies.

I think this problem relates to another problem of human perception.  Humans tend to focus on immediate rewards and punishments.  It is probably why the Native American Iroquois valued thinking ahead for seven generations, as an applied mental exercise.  Such a cultural compass helped mitigate the effects of an immediate reward/punishment paradigm.  They understood that their actions now would create ripple effects for many generations to come, and it was their responsibility to ensure wise decisions were made.

While the impoverished do not have the luxury of thinking ahead that far (they might not survive this generation!), the richest 100 certainly have that opportunity.  Of course, they are rich because they have worked the game in such a way to get those immediate benefits. Their behavior was reinforced. Further, they may not be aware of the many ways that shortsightedness undermines their well being.  They are blind to the long-term consequences, and aware of only the benefits, so by their calculation, their behavior is entirely rational and beneficial. By not addressing the momentum of increasing ecosystem collapse, there will be less clean air, water, and land.  Catastrophic natural disasters such as fracking-induced earthquakes or “super storms” may claim their lives, or those of their families.  Social instability increases their insecurity since ownership rights only have meaning in a society that recognizes and permits those rights.  They, or their families, may be victims of random or intentional violence.  Social and technical infrastructures on which they rely may be destroyed (striking food workers, highways crumbling due to insufficient funding, airplane bombings from “terrorists, contaminated drugs from counterfeit manufacturers trying to increase their earnings, arts and entertainment venues closing because everyone needs a “practical” business degree). People sickened by the excesses of competition causes a pandemic of neurotic disorders.

Lastly, it takes a special kind of desensitization programming to grow thick enough skin to not be affected by children being dismembered by wars and violence, desperate homeless faces looking for a meal, and miserable workers employed at these richest 100-owned companies who would rather leap to their deaths than spend another day enslaved by corporate fascism.  Sure, humans can adapt to callousness, but like a painkiller that numbs the pain, does not callousness dull the mind?  In other words, they have to anesthetize themselves to live in a world of pervasive degradation.  Their own well being is ultimately compromised by their lack of foresight. 

Enlightened by this broader understanding of causality, the view of “self-interest” goes from Standard to HD widescreen.  With a clearer picture of how society is interconnected, and how ecosystems are housed within a giant galactic Russian doll, the richest 100 can make better decisions about how to wield their socially granted power.  If they don’t, society will turn against them wresting power from them by force. The shift to a global cooperative strategy is not a missed opportunity, but a current opportunity, one that should be seized immediately.  Human nature, with its extraordinary flexibility, allows us to respond differently--and wiser!--for generations to come.

You Aren't Free Without Me

An exercise in personification

Hi, my name is Freem.  Nice to meet you.  Well, I’m not sure it’s nice to meet you yet, but I’m going to find out.  I want to learn about you.   To be honest, I just want to learn enough about you so that I can figure out what you can do for me.  I would really like to know how you can help me in my mission of self-aggrandizement.  I like being able to do what I want without restriction. 

For example, just the other day, I went to this charming little town along the river.  Who knew a place could be so beautiful?!  It was impressive to see all of the tiny fish struggling against the currents of the crystal clear waters.  The birds would noisily alert their friends to this buffet below, as though it was a stroke of good luck (luck that happened every day…no wonder they are called “birdbrain”).  When the sun would tiptoe below the height of the ancestral trees, bursts of color shot through their leaves, as though one were standing in a hallway of stained-glass masterpieces.  The air was so pure, the whole of one’s body felt cleansed, not just of stale air, but of restless thoughts too.  In this magnificent place, I set out to enjoy myself. 

I had to move on a year later.  The place was trashed!  When I party, I can’t let anything get in my way.  The rivers now gurgle with a black sludge obscuring any life that might have survived below the surface.  The trees that had survived for centuries were swiftly chopped down—I needed the space.  The people who once wore welcoming smiles and gladly fed me (“Mr. Arket, try this dish,” they would say) when I arrived had become stressed and half-dead.  It’s probably because I didn’t give them enough time to rest and recuperate.  Or maybe it was the unrelenting labor I forced them to submit to.  In any case, they are not my concern.  The weaker individuals ended up getting sick from the particulates I expelled into the air.  I don’t know if they survived.  A few brave folks tried to stop me from having my fun, but I crushed them before they could present any real challenge to my influence. A small group tried not to join my party, but I helped them bring near their expiration date.  It’s not that I intentionally killed them; I just didn’t give them what they needed.  There is a difference between killing someone and not giving away my stuff, even if it produces the same result.  Isn’t that right?  After all, I know how to throw a party so I’m very popular with most people.  They will pretty much do anything I say.  I have been around for quite some time, and let’s face it, I’m pretty much a legend.  When I show up, people kiss my feet, unless I make them lick my boots clean.  They know who’s boss, and they want to get on my good side.  It’s either that, or they fear my punishments, which I dole out generously.

It’s not important to me how I get what I want, so I needn’t unnecessarily burden myself with “responsibilities.”  The coolest thing is that people rarely notice my role in the transformation of their environment or culture.  Instead, they blame each other and fight each other.  They think their problems are from the people on the other side of town, so they are constantly asking me for guns and other weapons (which I gladly provide) to assassinate key personalities.  Where you see despair, I see opportunity.  Seriously! [chuckle of self-righteousness] Do you know how much my power grows when I give them these weapons?  I’m pretty much untouchable.

So, enough about me.  Tell me about you.  How can you make yourself useful to me? I’m not being rude, I’m just cutting to the chase.  I know, I’ve heard it all before from fools like you…[sigh]...”Mr, Freem Arket, you’re so callous, cruel, conniving.”  These may be true characterizations, but don’t you see?  None of that matters.  My responsibility is to myself and my development.  It’s my nature.  And baby, this is what I call freedom.  It's right there in the word: I'm FREE to DOMinate. Say it with me now, “FREEDOM!” [repeat as necessary] If you try to trespass on my freedom, I will mobilize my disciples against you.  I’m part of the people’s mythos now, a cultural god, and we will resist you and your countercultural absurdity.  My disciples will sacrifice themselves for my purposes.  Your ridiculous psychobabble diagnosis suggesting a sociopathic disposition is something my adherents won’t swallow.  They believe that I am the one who has given them a better standard of living.  They believe I’m the source of their innovation.  And best of all, they believe I AM their freedom.  Like the gods of yesteryear whose moods brought lightning, tempests, and sunshine, I am the god of freedom.  That is my power; and as long as people believe in me, I will constantly seek new lovely towns, beaches, forests, and cities to dominate and set ablaze.  There are always more places to exploit. I cannot be wrong about that, can I?  It is not a corruption of my nature, it is my nature.  With new technology, I am now crafting plans to expand to the moon!  What can I say?  I’m a badass!

I understand how you feel, but here’s my card.  Keep it handy for when you feel hungry and are ready to submit.