Human Survival

HUMAN SURVIVAL

“Look after self, kin and community: if people’s needs are met in compassionate and simple ways, the environment surrounding them will prosper”—permacultureprinciples.com

ORIGINS

Survival happens, and we are left in awe of the world we inhabit, and in our own capacities, our thoughts and feelings, our imagination and creativity, our commonness and connectivity to life as it is. A reference to survival brings focus to our common relative heritage, and as the breadth of relationships between human animals and non-human animals and the earth has expanded, to identify vegaculture as a point of contact with history and tradition.

While clothing, energy and shelter have a fascinating history, our focus will be on the adaption of food sources and we shall discover, just as the survivor exists as part of the whole, so the whole is also incorporated into the survivor!

The origin of life remains a mystery, and while the search for understanding the biological nature of the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) in the tree of life continues, that which is represented by a set of 355 genes estimated to have lived some 3.5-3.8 billion years ago (Ref.1), science understands the earliest signature are microbes, single cell organisms or micro-organisms, which extensively inhabit earth, with only around 1% being identified, leaving plenty of room for further investigation. We continue to search for water and microbes, as a sign of life elsewhere in the universe (Ref.2).

In a recent BBC documentary (Ref.3), while David Attenborough was holding a newborn baby in his arms, he expressed it this way:

“[This baby’s] ancestry like that of all of us stretches back over 500 million years to a tiny little worm-like creature swimming in the bottom of the sea.” Continuing to refer to the child, he said: “reptiles gave him his watertight skin. Tiny nocturnal mammals donated a bigger brain, sharper senses, and the manner in which he was born. His hands and colour vision came from the fruit-eating primates; and his larger brain and greater intelligence from the first humans.” And David Attenborough’s grand conclusion: “So all our features of our body can be traced back to our ancient ancestor”.

However we can also refer to our human origins in other ways, in fact our truest identity in our subjective human experience is to confirm our existence, which is often stated, as “I am I,” a realisation that can rapidly limit further conversation! We can also hold experience at arms length and cognise knowingness that is a mystery beyond expression; just as readily we accept that we are conscious, this is ever our experience, but we are ignorant of the origin of consciousness. An insatiable quest for life and a path of discovery of the unknown “I’ are at the foundation of human survival; and it seems, our greatest responsibility.

Natures Intent

Nature may or may not have any ‘intentions’, but it won’t deter some of us from concluding that it does; what is clear though, is that change is inevitable and every thing is living, and interacting, with every other thing. It may be a rock weathering, a microbe moving, a person talking, a fog lifting, a dog sniffing, or the familiar butterfly flapping its wings, but each and every movement or stillness is part of the whole that is occurring at any instant; could it be that we are that whole?

Humans have claimed a unique capacity for consciousness, what evolution shows is a continual interfacing, with nature trialing the progress of its many manifestations daily for billions of years, adapting and accumulating experience in self-reliance, and creative problem solving, sharing and co-operating, experimenting and honing survival techniques. There were times when the challenges of nature were almost insurmountable; it is generally accepted that the total world human population stood at just 10,000 people around 60,000 years ago (Ref.4).

Attributing an intent in the first instance, and then double-guessing a response is a game at which we humans are very good; for enquiry is indeed a seed for thought, and something we generate habitually. The scientist Rupert Sheldrake (Ref.5) ‘accepts the notion that the world constitutes a series of fixed habits, not fixed laws.’ Science recently, it seems, has suggested multiple models of both this and parallel universes, where evolution may have no relevance, and the function of time may turn out to be non- existent (Ref.6).

Social evolution demonstrates a continued lack of foresight and extended deliberation to make fundamental changes to the way in which the mechanisms of the social order operate so as to benefit everyone; a dearth of enlightened experiences to address inequality does not only extend back to the dark ages, but throughout recorded history. Non-violent action has made some progress, but redistribution of nutritional wealth is needed, as malnutrition continues, even though the numbers of obese and overweight people has exceeded the numbers in hunger for over a decade (Ref.7,8).

The enquiry arises, ‘can cultures co-exist peacefully?’ or does the challenge of a relative existence, separateness in subject-object, body and mind, them and us, preclude this possibility? Do we need to resurrect a common God, or can we form a consensus, a unity of consciousness of a shared global culture, with many manifestations of value and worth and rights, to unite and peacefully exist together while building the harmony into longevity, a sustainable solution?

Humans have elevated their self importance in the natural world to such a level that the present era of history has been defined as the Anthropocene; human ‘endeavour’ has been so significant that it is officially recognised as having scaled the geological time scale, which by the way is quite a bit higher than Mount Everest!

The list of social and environmental issues that demand attention keeps growing while nature responds with a growing ferocity. Comprehending life from nature’s perspective given our long history of fighting for survival should come easily, and we already know the solutions.

Life is, and the approach to any issue can only ever be improved by approaching with an abundance of compassion and justice. With over 7.6 billion people, with a strong interest in happiness and freedom, the numbers are there, and rising. Combating our own ego has become the number one priority of the human species.

I ask the question: what is my intent, and can a Vegaculture help?

Community

Commonly understood as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common, community is representative of the many aspects of individuals in the collective, and as a consequence, able to be interrogated for its own sake. History confirms our extraordinary capacity for survival; an expanding group of social animals in a Garden of Eden, where ‘strength in numbers’ has brought the human story into the arena of modernity, a magical and inspirational opportunity for interaction and understanding.

The reason for introducing community into the vegaculture discussion is pretty obvious, as we need to consider social and cultural issues, and any discussion of survival must surely embrace the wealth of community. We often consider contact with ‘like-minded’ people as one of the fulcrums in life, a place where we feel secure and accepted, and able to relax and be at ease; where daily challenges can be shared or avoided, at least for a while. Recognising our own need for communication, and then identifying the preferred outlet and place of respite can be considered an art; the science and fine art of community interaction, maybe an essential aspect of the human condition.

Usually, our circle of influence begins with family, and broadens as relationships and interests and circumstance determine. As we mature, so does our capacity for co-operation and sharing grow, and underlying this process is a sense of the common good. Like numerous other community influences, vegaculture can be viewed as a part of the web of communication, of the web of life. As an expression of the common good, it surely has a ‘place of pride,’ not in the sense of personal pride, but as a valued place to call home, where we can meet people with openness and shared values, where our endeavour will continue to enhance sustainable living practices and hence, community reinforcement and survival.

Food Security

“See harmony trying to find itself”–Canela Meyers

There are many reasons why it is important to uncover and document our dietary history, including the relationship of food security and diet within a broad understanding of evolution, the discovery of our heritage, and the development of comparative anatomy and the survival skills of our ancestors. It is interesting to study the variety of traditional foods, but a chasm of availability now exists between the food choices we take for granted in a sophisticated market place, and what our ancient ancestors may have chosen if lucky, or eaten if hungry. The reference to past habits is one factor in our dietary history, but not solely useful as the only relevant means by which to construct our diet.