This is the prequel.

My next post will be something of an additional observation, however this post is going to be the proverbial (but, I guess also literal) building block for the next.

I have been thinking a lot about why we (people) are the way we are. I guess in a way trying to reconcile what we (people) are, and the way we behave through the lens of evolution. My main observation for today is that we evolved in small groups. Small tribes, small villages, family groups and a radius of explored land around us was all our lives consisted of. Tens of tens of thousands of years went by without newspapers, 24-hour news channels, and broadband internet (fat pipes). As intellect and technology have improved our radius of explored land has increased dramatically. And because of that, in my opinion we have a pretty striking dichotomy with the way we perceive the world. And it seems to boil down to this: from the time we are very young we are mercilessly desensitized to any pain or death that happens "out there", not within our own household. Even occurrences near our own worldviews (?) are purposely (consciously or unconsciously) ignored or shut-out. We see images in the news or even on entertainment TV that are graphic or seriously profound. And they are filtered into and out of our minds to protect the id within us. We see images nearly everyday of military troops (not just US, I'm thinking more globally) coming under fire, dissidents in countries with harsh human rights policies immolating themselves, or even entertainment TV of a dramatization of a woman being stalked by a sexual predator. And we barely blink, until something happens to us, or close to us. It seems it takes something happening within the small group that we evolved to sentience within. It isn't until we are struck within the family or those we consider family. It isn't until we see it with our own eyes that we see death and mourn. It isn't until we see the torn clothes or bruised body and get angry. It isn't until we recognize that someone was hurt that we let ourselves react.

I am not sure that is entirely good for us.

I don't know that it is healthy for us to be so unaware. I used to work with a girl at Borders who was a bit of a closet Goth, and one lunch hour I got in a discussion that in the of despite the daily evidence, people so rarely think about death. We ended the discussion after we both sunk into thought about our agreement that if more people thought more about death and the apparent permanence of that event how different would the world be?

And that is all for the prequel, please comment, and I will tie the main theme into the last thought next time that I write. Hopefully soon. World Cup is almost over.