by Ray Jason
Most of the sky was clear and starry, but ten miles
out to sea there was a cluster of clouds filled with lightning. I was anchored peacefully behind a low island
that afforded me a perfect view of this dramatic spectacle. Sitting on the foredeck with my back against
the mast, I sipped some hot sake and marveled at this exquisite display. Each burst of sky fire was contained within
an individual cloud. Some would erupt in
amber-colored brightness and others would shimmer in soft silver or lavender. The almost Japanese lantern quality of the
clouds sparked a memory within me that I struggled to recall. A second cup of sake unlocked the remembrance
vault, and the incident drifted back. It was a good one.
About a year earlier AVENTURA was nestled in a pristine
cove with a few Indio houses scattered on the shore. One afternoon I heard the nearby children
chattering enthusiastically about something.
I took my binoculars topside and aimed them towards the commotion. The father was draping a fresh snakeskin over
the low branch of a tree. My guess was
that the kids were so excited because they would have fresh snake for dinner
that evening. But my guess was
delightfully wrong.
When nightfall arrived, the clearing around their
little house filled with lightning bugs.
That was a normal occurrence, but soon the little fireflies discovered
the snakeskin, and slipped inside. Their
pale neon green illumination created an eerie but magnificent tubular lantern. The children laughed with almost feral joy as
they danced around this strange, blinking totem.
*******
Watching this lightning now - and recalling those
children then - was the catalyst for a slow, gentle, rice-wine contemplation of
those qualities of human existence that are enduring and elemental as opposed
to those that are temporary and superficial.
I wondered how many generations ago that Indio family had discovered that
lightning bugs were attracted to snake skins.
And I pondered how many generations into the future that folk wisdom
would endure. But the more profound
question that I considered was whether these self-reliant indigenous people
would remain long after the hyper-dependent gringos had vanished. If so, it seemed like poetic and ethical
justice.
*******
As the modern world careens from one catastrophe to
another, a rarely-questioned phrase keeps appearing in print and in conversation. Here is an example of it in common usage: “If
the gap between the haves and the have-nots keeps deepening, the thin veneer of civilization could
easily be torn apart.” Allow me to
question the foundation of this aphorism that we accept so readily. The implication is that if certain societal
conditions deteriorate, then huge numbers of people will revert to their
natural, uncivilized state which is immoral savagery. I don’t just beg to differ, I insist on
differing.
The living arrangement that we refer to as
Civilization with a capital C, only arose about 10,000 years ago with the
advent of Agriculture with a capital A.
The hallmark of this change was that these Neolithic people began
domesticating a few crops and a few types of animals. Prior to this, everyone survived through
hunting and gathering. And this mode of
living did not just span 10,000 years - it lasted for about 10,000 generations. Mostly, it was small bands of about 50 people
who lived a co-operative existence where everyone shared the blessings that
nature provided. Obviously, if the
ethical code of these Paleolithic humans had been immoral savagery, they would
not have survived for 200,000 years.
For many decades white male anthropologists tried to
convince the world that indigenous people were merely sub-human primitives who
deserved to be subdued by the superior white race. They did so to justify the slaughter of
millions of First Peoples whose lands and resources were also stolen. So who are the “immoral savages” in such
a scenario?
And if such hideous genocidal conduct is not bad
enough, let’s examine the way of life of those who were conquered, and compare
it with the lifestyle of those who destroyed them. I’ll begin by describing some of the
characteristics of tribal living:
·
The First peoples
understood that Life is a web and all of the interlocking strands are essential
to the integrity of the whole. They
realized that the geometry of Earth is not a pyramid with humanity at the apex -
ordained to rule over all else Instead,
they knew that the well-being of their brother and sister creatures and of the
forests, rivers and jungles that cocooned them, were of vital importance to the
entire planetary dance of life.
·
There was superb
equality amongst the sexes with the women fully involved in the decision
making.
·
They understood
the wisdom of limits. They did not
deplete their hunting and foraging grounds, they limited their population, and
they killed only when it was imperative for their survival. They embraced a life of harmony with their
neighbors rather than hegemony over them.
·
Indigenous tribes
were not divided into rulers and ruled.
And there were no rich and poor.
All shared equally in the spoils of the hunt.
·
These people were
phenomenally fit and healthy as revealed through modern archaeology and as
verified by the anthropologists living amongst the several dozen tribes that
have escaped extinction. In fact, after
only a few centuries of agriculture, the human skeleton had shrunken by about 6
inches because they switched to a cultivated grain diet rather than the mixed
protein, fat and vegetable Paleolithic diet.
·
They are
blissfully happy - as the contemporary anthropologists report. Because they are in such harmony with each
other and with the natural world that sustains them, they always feel like they
are “home.”
Now let me contrast that hunter/gatherer culture with
how daily living arrangements changed after the arrival of Agriculture - or
what I more accurately call “Conquest Agriculture.” I prefer this derogatory term because the
early Neanderthals used a “scorched earth” farming practice of destroying
anything that was a threat to their crops or domesticated animals.
When big C Civilization arrived, it brought
domestication not just to crops and farm animals, but also to the average
person. Instead of being wild and feral
and self-sufficient, humanity was reduced to dependency and servitude. This was instituted through “division of
labor.” Instead of everyone knowing how
to feed and clothe and shelter themselves, people were obligated to specialize
in just one skill. The vast majority
tilled the fields, while others made tools or pottery or baskets - or in the
case of the military – they made dead people!
What also arrived with division of labor was hierarchy
of power. Suddenly rulers appeared, and
unfortunately, those at the top did not achieve that status by being the wisest
and most compassionate. They gained
prominence by being the most ruthless and immoral. To enforce their edicts, standing armies
arrived on the scene. The elites were also
served by a class of courtiers or middle managers. And finally the new phenomenon of “priests” appeared. They quickly realized that they could attach
themselves to kings or pharaohs for mutual benefit. The religious potentate could demonize
certain groups of people to justify their imperial conquest by the secular
leader and his army.
So, the hunter/gatherer’s life of free-roaming
self-sufficiency was soon displaced by mud-hut, impoverished slavery. Thus from the very outset it was a disastrous
development for the vast majority of people.
And now let me list some of the historical legacies of Civilization as
it wreaked its havoc down the centuries.
This is an utterly staggering inventory of pathologies that did not
exist in the tribal societies that were exterminated, and is not found in the
few dozen that have survived.
·
Slavery
·
Insanity
·
Torture
·
Human Sacrifice
·
Genocide
·
Plagues
·
Chronic
Loneliness
·
Industrial War
·
Laws
·
Obesity
·
Homicidal
Dictators
·
Asylums
·
Heart Attacks
·
Lawyers
·
Crusades
·
Atomic Bombs
·
Cancer
·
Poverty
·
Inquisitions
·
Diseases of
Civilization
·
Witch-hunts
·
Drones
·
Suicide Bombers
·
Drug Addiction
·
Taxes
·
Robot Soldiers
·
Bankers
·
Missionaries
·
Junk Food
·
Overpopulation
·
Sweat Shops
·
Famine
·
Disparity of
Wealth
·
Sexual Deviancy
·
Child Molesters
·
Serial Killers
·
Compulsive
Consumption
·
Extinction of
Species
It is hard to imagine any rational human being reading
that list of atrocities and not saying to themselves, “Why have these
consequences of Civilization never been brought to my attention?” That sensible question brings us back to the
title of this essay: “The Thick Facade of Civilization.” Here is the standard dictionary definition for
the word facade: “an outward appearance
that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant reality.” Civilization is so toxic to human and animal
and planetary well-being, that its true nature must be hidden from people.
And those in charge of the planet – the gatekeepers –
or what I prefer to call The Malignant Overlords – do an extraordinary job of
keeping that knowledge suppressed. You
will never hear “the Downside of Civilization” discussed in the mainstream
media or from pulpits or in the classroom.
Therefore, the possibility of modern mass society reforming itself
backwards towards a more holistic mode of living lightly and sustainably on the
Earth is nearly impossible. Even when a
major political or economic system is abandoned because of its uselessness, the
underlying foundation of Civilization is not allowed to be questioned.
My belief is that only if there is a planet-wide
collapse, can the prospect of smaller, tribal-based communities re-emerge. That is why I have dedicated great effort to
sharing and refining my concept known as the
Sea Gypsy Tribe. (Here is the direct link.) But I emphasize that I do not desire
this scenario, since it would involve a massive die-off. But if the worst should occur, I feel it
wise to have some concrete strategy for rebuilding a world that might possibly
bequeath our descendents Mozart without the Mushroom Cloud.
*******
After a couple of hours of savoring the lightning-lush
sky, the clouds dispersed and suddenly revealed a handsome, half-moon. Somehow it seemed like there was a message in
its appearance. As I contentedly sipped
my sake, I searched for some meaning.
Then it jolted me. Perhaps the
universe was reminding me of what is ephemeral and what is enduring. The magnificent lightning show represented
the amazing, electro-hypnotic spell of Civilization. But it swiftly was gone. Whereas the moon rising, as it has done for
millions of years, symbolizes that less transitory epoch, when humanity lived
in harmony with the planet and its creatures and the inscrutable vastness
beyond us.
And perhaps one day that era may return…