SPIRITUALITY / PRACTICAL
It’s Only Natural, Part II
Are we just animals, or are we something more? Let’s find out…
Alright, hold on to your petunias. I’m about to make a statement that for some reason really bothers a lot of people.
Humans are just animals. Biologically no greater or more worthy of life than any other animal on Earth, or the universe for that matter. Spiritually, on the other hand, there might be a difference (emphasis on the word “might”), but that is only something that comes from the “spark of the divine” accessible within all humans; something wildly more complex, physiologically integrated, and intricate than any juvenile concept of a “soul”.
NOTE: This “spark of the divine” is a subject for a future segment, but it’s important to state that I firmly believe — and think it’s provable — that humans aren’t the only species that have it. In fact, even if all humans have it, not all foster it in their natural lives, effectively making it non-existent for them.
As best I can figure, the reason people bristle at the statement that “we are all animals” comes from how these same people treat animals: like garbage or worse. In itself it’s a shame, as we can learn so much about ourselves, the universe, and even develop useful technologies by respecting and exploring our fellow animals. But I digress and return to the point.
We are animals.
NOTE: Another subject for a future segment is that there is no such thing as a “species”. Everything — humans, insects, other animal life, plants — are all individual organisms with meaningful differences from on another of these supposed “same species”. But for the sake of brevity, I’m continuing with the term “humans” and “we” in this piece.
But then, what are animals? Quick definition: “Organisms of the kingdom Metazoa that ingest food rather than manufacturing it themselves and are usually able to move about during at least part of their life cycle.”
What does that mean in the abstract? Animals are entities that are reliant upon their environment to sustain life. You, as an animal, need the world around you to exist. Without it you can’t feed yourself, can’t shit yourself, and can’t even move. In even simpler terms: no nature, no you.
Now, with that point in mind, logically what would happen to an entity the further removed it is from its natural environment if that environment is necessary for existence? It dies. Perhaps not instantaneously, it might be a slow death, but it inevitably must die.
Consider the orca held in captivity. For whatever reason, when in captivity most male orcas — and even many of the females — will develop a drooping dorsal fin that was previously (or normally) straight. This is still a mystery as to why it occurs, though there are theories that the purpose of the dorsal fin is to allow them to swim more efficiently (hydrodynamics), and that in captive conditions gravity takes its toll on the dorsal fin from lack of use. I do think it’s a hydrodynamic appendage, and gravity may play a role, but I think it’s something more. The animal is not living in the environment it was meant to live in, and compared to what it’s truly capable of, it is dying a slow death, its drooping fin representative of its loss of nature. Even if the orca didn’t consciously understand its condition — though I would argue it very much does — and it was just gravity causing this, my point would still stand, and there are many other animals where we can observe this type of “defeatist” behavior.
So what happens to the human when it’s removed from its naturally evolved habitat of at least hundreds of thousands of years? It droops (SEE: heads ever looking down at smartphone screens), it biologically and spiritually decays, and dies.
You are not meant to exist in 10x12 “boxes”, 6x6 cubicles, or 7x5 four-wheeled mechanical chariots. You are not meant to cover your beautiful, remarkable body that partly comes as a product of millennia of surviving where other species couldn’t. You are not meant to live for the external whims of billions, millions, or even thousands of other people.
You are meant to co-exist, survive, and ultimately thrive with the natural world around you; the plants, the other animals, the sea, the trees, the planets, the stars, and the galaxies. You are meant to contemplate your existence and the nature of the universe without extrinsic distraction. You are meant to be a part of the biological system that allows this entity we call “Earth” — as well as the entity we call “the universe” that it inhabits — to function and exist.
This is what naturism is all about.
And along with respecting the environment you live in comes tremendous advantages to you for mental, physical, and spiritual health. And always remember that the healthier you are, the more capable you are of being there for those and that which you love.
Of course, the irony in all of this is that now corporations/governments (SEE: Corporatism) — the very things that generally destroy the natural world, or at least keep you too busy to engage with what’s left of it — themselves recognize these benefits of surrounding yourself with the natural world and are trying to implement this in workplaces. Everything from pictures of plants, to open windows, to renovated curved walls, to full office gardens are becoming the norm as the reality of our genetic affinity to nature — not concrete and straight walls — is continually reinforced by billions of dollars in research around the world. Biophilia (the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living beings) is a fact, not theory, and it offers everything from increased productivity, happiness, health, cognitive abilities, and just overall well-being.
So I ask, why just confine this fact to your office space? Why not take biophilia all the way and practice naturism?
We’re going to explore naturism further in the next segment, but I want to leave you with a crazy idea, and it’s one of my favorites: immortality.
There are a few species of animal out there that are known as “biologically immortal”. This means that the organism exists in a state in which the rate of mortality from senescence is stable or decreasing. Essentially, outside of injury or predation, this creature could live for hundreds if not thousands of years (and perhaps more). The Eastern box turtle (a personal favorite of mine), the Greenland shark, the lobster (that interestingly gets more virile in its “senior age” than when its in its youthful prime), the jellyfish, and more all fit into this animal category of “biologically immortal”. The idea is then, what if these creatures are just so adaptable, tied-in, and harmonious with the greater existence of their environment via physiological and dietary means that they reap the reward of effective immortality? Through naturism, could humans achieve the same? Just something to consider.
Besides, when’s the last time a box turtle or shark looked comfortable sitting in front of a computer wearing a business suit?
P.S. No Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Street Sharks jokes, please. ;)
This article originally appeared in the “Spirituality” section of the Sovryn Technica Newsletter, Issue 07.
