become Earth’s current “super species” ill -equip us to effectively deal with our planet-sized issues. But they also give insight into what might be a better match — and thus a longer lasting match - for our genotype. For those who care about our reality, the future, and the environment of the pale blue dot (Earth), a close-up look at ourselves is essential . TaaL: Look at humans up closely? Ick. Please, keep your distance! But it’s true: at this point you don’t so much have hundreds of disparate problems, you have one: a brain problem which leads to myriad consequences. Human minds are patchworks of bias, error, default behaviors and blind spots which all evolved in the service of tribe survival during the great bulk of your prehistory. You remain driven by the fears, lusts, and hopes which long pre-date the potential for abstract rational thought. These are the precursors for any species with the potential for sapience: such a potential is the accidental outcome of survival adaptations. And to be actualized, it requires learning to let go of irrationality for at least part of the time. This would be difficult enough in ordinary times, but you now face a complicating factor: you’ve fallen into a behavioral “carbon trap” (burning fossil carbon) which feels really good in immediate terms yet is disastrous if pursued for long. This “trap” has drastically collapsed the time available for your transition to becoming a truly conscious species: rather than a process of 50 thousand years as it was for my conspecifics, you need to get a good start within the next few decades or lose the chance. The ability of human brains to rationalize and deny, in furtherance of temporary gratification and immediate reward, looms large. Most of your species never aspire to do anything but exist and react. Yet when it comes to the possibility of sapient behavior leading to better futures, the brains of Homo sapiens are the “make or break” chance for your planet. Ergo, the fate of all conscious evolved life on earth now hinges on the way your cave - man brains understand and respond to the real world. So yes, learning about the human brain is a wise — and necessary — first step.
My prescription to your species: know thyself, human, and man up. (Or is that woman up? You look alike to me.)
The Bottom Line: We don’t so much have energy or environmental problems, as a human brain problem.
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