TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE IT
Sherri Tepper, the science fiction writer, created a character who mentions in passing that humans are motivated by a selfish "ape-mind" in addition to the other layers of our evolutionarily developed consciousness (a more basic drive for reproduction coming perhaps from the inner layer of a "reptilian mind," and the ability to use language and to reason abstractly coming from the outer layer of a "human mind.") As an example, this story's character cites that if you, "give six gorillas six bananas," you will invariably end up with the biggest gorilla with six bananas unless the other five discover how to defend themselves as a team.
Why does the biggest gorilla always HAVE TO HAVE all of the bananas? Is it really from a sense of self preservation and an insatiable fear that he won't have "enough" that this huge animal feels compelled to take the other bananas? Or perhaps it is his sense of competitiveness, he feels he must always be on top, again due to fear (that others might dominate him).
Now, when I compare this to the human condition, I see a world created with more than enough resources for all humans, yet these resources distributed, much like with the gorillas, unequally, based upon power and probably likewise motivated by fear and competitiveness.
How do we create a social system which helps us rise above fear and insecurity to guarantee that all of mankind may reap the benefits of this bountiful world without injuring one another? Jeffersonian-inspired democracy (with the assistance of a capitalist consumer economy) suggests that we each have a right to the resources of the world in proportion to our individual ability to obtain and protect them. Communist and socialist thought suggests that as a group, humans are capable of owning the world's resources in common and distributing them to each person according to his or her needs. Practice has shown that communism and socialism have not been capable of counteracting man's natural fears and competitive nature.
So, if we could only overcome this fear of not having enough for ourself to survive and this drive to be the dominant individual, we might be able to develop a system which allows us to live in harmony with the world's magnificent resources. Is this only a dream of Eden, or is the problem-solving ability of the human mind up to the challenge?
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