DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY


in the status of development and the rate of change




A Study in Thought

sa058



by





Marius Heuff

Chapter 1

Content

The function of a title.
Definitions.
Primary and secondary forms of learning.
Genetic and cultural codes.
The hierachical order, fused territories, and task-differentiations.
Is the social unit a "living entity"?
Further definitions.
A blend of persuasion and coercion.
Social groupings can be centered around many different but shared variables and characteristics.
The "society of a nation" represents one of the most haphazard and accidental of all social groupings.

The titles I use in my essays have been jotted-down as a condensed idea, long before I sit-down and make an effort to work them out. When I get around to have a good look at such an idea, it becomes clear, that I was usually influenced by a number of assumptions and pre-conceptions, which I was not aware of at the time I wrote the title down. I have been looking closely, now, at the ideas that lie behind this title, and, again, a number of assumptions have come to the fore, which, I think, are so important, that it is necessary to "distill" these assumptions from the title and give them a separate and thorough treatment, before we proceed with the main ideas.

For example, one important assumption that becomes clear when looking at the title, is the idea, that the individual and his social environment, (which is the society one lives and works in), are indeed comparable entities. In the past, we have somewhat glibly assumed, that a society is, indeed, a living organism, just like an individual, and, the question of legitimacy in comparing these two entities has never arisen seriously. Therefore, let us begin by defining the concepts of an individual and a social unit, before we try to compare these two entities.

The human individual is a multi-celluar organism, where many billions of cells have become so inter-dependent upon each other, that the existence and life-span of all the cells have become synchronised, in the sense, that, each and every cell will die, whenever the organism as a whole "falls-apart" or dies. This feature is shared by virtually all multi-cellular organisms and is not specific for the human being.

The human species is also heir to the important evolutionary trend of behavioural flexibility, introducing the ability to adapt rapidly into, and out of, certain circumstances and conditions. This rapid form of adaptation is only possible, if the organism "learns" from its past experiences. For the human species, this trend has led to the development of a complex "cultural pool" of concepts and ideas, but, also, of attitudes, customs and other behavioural guidelines, which can be transmitted from generation to generation, and, from one individual to the next, in the form of "secondary learning".

This means, that an individual does not have to learn, or "verify", personally, all the collective experiences that have been condensed by the communal activities of symbolic communication into a single concept, idea or behavioural response. The younger generations can "absorb" or assimilate the contents of these cultural symbols, concepts or attitudes by accepting their truth and absorbing their contents. The latter is accomplished, primarily, by memorising these secondarily transferred guidelines and concepts. However, just because young people, (and anyone else who lacks the background of personal experience), do not have a sufficient repertoir of personal experiences, the full meaning of many cultural symbols is difficult to grasp and digest. These difficulties are quite apparent to anyone, who has tried to assimilate the material presented at school for which one did not have any affinity or personal relevance.

However, we do not want to go into the many factors that play a role in the processes of secondary learning and education, because we only want to emphasise, here, the fact, that, the human being, or the human species in general, behaves and acts, not only, according to the anatomical and physiological constitution of his organic existence, but, also, according to the content of past experiences, as well as secondarily transferred concepts and attitudes, which form, together, a web of beliefs and attitudes influencing and modifying man's primary behavioural responses to a remarkable extent.

The way we exist organically is, of course, determined by the genetic code, and, this code gives us, also, the range of functions that make it possible to absorb a "cultural code" from our environment. Together, the cultural and genetic codes, as well as a large number of primary and secondarily transferred experiences that have been classified by mechanisms under the control of both codes, determine who we are. We are, in essence, determined, anatomically and physiologically, by the genetic code of our particular constellation or "society of cells", which constitutes our body, and, we are determined, also, by our experiences, beliefs and attitudes, which we have absorbed from our social and natural environments, either as personal experiences, or, as secondarily transferred and accepted ideas and attitudes, classified by the "cultural code".

While this is a rather sketchy definition of the human being, we do not want to elaborate, here, concepts that have been worked-out before. We want to define a social entity as a result of the tentative search for a better way to exist through mutual cooperation and the exchange of functions. One way to improve the ease of existence is by bonding together into a socially integrated unit. This involves a process of task-differentiation and hierarchical stratification that go hand in hand. The individual members "fuse" their territories as a result of external pressures, and, they seek the protection of the strongest individual in the neighbourhood, in exchange for an attitude of sub-mission to such a strong or dominant individual.

Hierarchical ordening is the first, and, perhaps, most significant form of task-differentiation, because the strongest individuals enlarge their territories and defend, by implication, the weaker members of the grouping. The weaker members are tolerated within this enlarged territory in exchange for an attitude of submission, implying a measure of control over the primary aggressive instincts that are present in each individual. This is, in essence, a differentiation in function, or behavioural response.

We want to focus upon the following aspects; if we see individual cells orden themselves into a community of cells with marked anatomical and functional specialisations that form the essence of a multi-cellular individual, we have no difficulties accepting the concept that this multi-cellular individual is an organic and living unit. Yet, if we look at the somewhat parallel processes of social integration by large multi-cellular units into a socially integrated entity, the discrepancies between this social entity and the individual multi-cellular units are so large, that we have some difficulty accepting the idea, that the social unit is also a living, organic entity comparable to the multi-cellular unit.

There is a strong tendency, at the present time, to emphasise the process of individualisation and human rights, and, to see the existence of the social unit purely as a structure to "serve" the individual, while, on other occasions, the chaos and the confrontations resulting from unbridled individualistic instincts, emphasise the idea, that man has to be controled by, and fitted into, a social unit, before he can become a viable and "civilised" individual, able to work in peace and harmony with other human beings.

Let us try to define, therefore, what a social unit means, and, we will see, that our ideas are, indeed, vague and variable. After we have defined and discussed a large variety of social units, we may be in a better position to answer the question, whether or not we are justified to consider a social unit as a separate, independently existing and living organism; whether or not we can usefully compare the inter-actions between, and discrepancies of, the living units of socially integrated cells comprising the human individual, and, the social entities made-up of socially integrated human beings.

The smallest unit of social togetherness we can see is the family-unit, and, here, we see most of the factors that favoured the trend towards social togetherness still at work. The "head" of the family is, at the same time, the provider of food, shelter and security, but, he or she also regulates the behaviour of the members, disciplines or encourages, when necessary, and, the head of the family leads the unit in an attitude of care and concern.

The weaker and younger members find protection and shelter, but also contribute to the well-being of the unit. These contributions are partly deliberate and voluntary, as the members recognise the importance of helping-out, and, partly, the contribution is made subconsciously, because the members experience an emotional satisfaction when doing so. In part, making a contribution to the well-being of the family-unit is an obligation, and, such an attitude is strongly encouraged by the head of the family, who educates the members in the necessity of doing so. He or she sets a good example by his own behaviour, and, finally, "enforces" a measure of discipline and compulsory contribution, if persuasion fails to bring-about the desired results.

If the family-unit is strongly self-reliant, such as a pioneering farm-family, the experience that cooperation and hard work are needed to survive, creates a much more vigorous and tightly-knit unit than a sub-urban family in an affluent society, where each member can go his own way. Then, there is only a minimal need for cooperation and collective achievements in order to survive.

However, there are many types of social groupings in a large and complex society, and, many of these groupings are centered around only one special but shared interest, such as unions of labourers and professionals, trades-men or technicians, farmers or industrialists.

Just as the business of farming requires a high degree of cooperation and inter-dependence between the members of a family-unit, so are most small enterprises vulnerable to disruptions in personal relationships. The units of business have expanded, by and large, beyond family relationships, as people group themselves, voluntarily, but for a fee, around a common objective of producing a product or providing a service.

There are other groupings, such as people who share a culture, a way of life, a language, a creed or a racial origin, and, these groupings may correspond with a political unit, but, more often than not, a long history of conquests and defeats gives most independent and "sovereign" political entities, or "nations", a curiously haphazard mixture of racial, ethnic, cultural and religious entities.

The "society of the nation" is, therefore, one of the most haphazard, formless and arbitrary groupings of all, because it depends for its formation, almost entirely, on the vagaries and accidents of history, as well as the ambitions of its present political or military leadership.

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Chapter 2

Content

What, then, is the essence of a social environment?
Various levels of identification.
Shared cultural characteristics function as a "social cement".
Complete and incomplete social units.
An individual may belong to several, widely divergent social groupings.
The characteristics of a living organism.
The process of "ageing".
Ageing and disease; a difficult and, perhaps, irrelevant distinction.
Cellular mechanisms of ageing and disease.
Transience of existence is a fundamental characteristic of the living entity.
The trend of behavioural flexibility.

It is not surprising, that we do not quite know what we mean, when we talk about "the society". Are we talking about our country as it is, or was, or, as we think it should be? Are we thinking about specific cultural, ethnic or racial units, which are, often, a vehicle for collective activities, revolts and attempts to win independence? Are we thinking about our region, our particular geographic locale, or, our class within a much larger political entity?

We are prone to adopt a somewhat elitist attitude, if we happen to belong to the ruling classes, because we often consider ourselves as "the society", conveniently forgetting, that most of the really hard work is done by the classes below us. We may consider our society an intellectual or academic elite, or, perhaps, an artistic or revolutionary minority, which is fervently in love with its own ideas and activities.

The modern, complex societies are a mosaic of confused, somewhat contradictory, mutually suspicious and often haphazard groupings, where the overall political unit is the most visible entity, but, it is often the least natural unit of them all. Let us define a social unit, therefore, as a grouping of people, who function in a state of inter-dependence and cooperation. They enter into this state of inter-dependence to enhance their viability and security, and, to ease the chores of their existential requirements. As a result of their prolonged and close cooperation, they tend to develop a common language and shared cultural characteristics, such as customs, way of life, ceremonies and religious beliefs.

In a "pure" social unit, the ethnic, cultural, territorial and political leadership structures coincide. This means, that the unit would be the same, regardless, whether we look at it from a political, cultural, territorial, ethnic, linguistic or religious point of view. Rarely, if ever, can we find such a "pure" social unit, because through many centuries of intense contacts and equally intense conflicts, a remarkable degree of intermingling has taken place. Races and ethnic sub-groupings have mixed and inter-married. Cultural values, ideas, beliefs and ways of life have spread through a large variety of social units which used to exist more separately from each other, etc.

For this reason, political units are often comprised of a complex mosaic of sub-groupings, which differ in their culture, beliefs, ways of life, racial origins, history and territorial expanse. The "nation as a whole", as it exists at the present time, is, therefore, a poor example to consider as a "social unit".

Many groupings within society, such as political and religious organisations, cultural and linguistic groupings, ethnic, professional or trade organisations, business cartels, fraternities or bureaucracies, are, in essence, "incomplete" social groupings, because the people who group together within them, share, only, a limited number of common interests, and form, therefore, only a limited sphere of inter-dependence.

The phenomenon of the incomplete social entity, or "special-interest" grouping, is made possible by the security and protection given by a much larger political entity. This political unit is, often, dominated by a specific political Party or religious reality perception. The existence of many divergent sub-groupings and special-interest groupings within a large, divergent political unit, gives rise to the curious situation, that one individual may belong to several, widely divergent social units at the same time.

This is quite obvious, you will tell me, and, you like to hear, what these commonly known observations lead to. Why is it important to state the obvious? Perhaps, it is only obvious, after we have clearly described the many different entities to which we apply, from time to time, the concepts of forming a social entity, and, it is quite useful to see, clearly, the complex mosaic of partial and incomplete social groupings around us, because they exist in every nation, and, they have a direct bearing upon the interpretation of our social realities.

Let us now take another approach, and, let us see, whether or not these many social groupings show behavioural characteristics we associate with the existence of a living organism. What are the characteristics of a living organism? There is, for example, the ability to react to numerous stimuli from the environment, as well as the ability to distinguish between harmful and beneficial stimuli. A living organism, at least, an animal organism, can "move", avoiding or resisting an unpleasant or harmful stimulus, while searching for, or moving towards, a beneficial one.

All living organisms consume, continuously, an amount of energy, partly to carry-out their behavioural responses in relation to their external environment, and, partly, to repair their "internal machinery". All living organisms are characterised by fragile, contradictory and potentially disruptive mechanisms or reaction-patterns, which require a constant consumption of energy to be "restrained or repaired". Look, e.g. at the biochemical reactions within the protoplasm of a cell, or, the organisation of cellular organ-systems within a multi-cellular body. A living organism grows and matures under suitable conditions, and, it will initiate a process of duplication or reproduction, if the circumstances remain favourable. All the characteristics of life are there; metabolism, reactability to stimuli, movement, discrimination between sensory impressions, reproduction, but also the processes of ageing and death.

Let us discuss these last two characteristics a little more in detail. What is ageing, and, what constitutes the death of a living organism? Ageing is a gradual process that takes place in all living organisms. It is characterised by a decline in the agility, flexibility and efficiency with which behavioural actions are carried-out. Some behavioural actions suffer more and earlier than others, and, in the human being, physical abilities suffer usually earlier than mental faculties.

However, the rate of change in the processes of ageing is different from person to person, and, it is also different for each of the many functions and structures of the body. Often, the deterioration of abilities is associated with clear-cut disease processes, such as the blocking of a blood-vessel, or the abnormal calcification of tissues, the loss of individual cells, or, even, entire systems of cells, as well a the loss of "elasticity" in nearly all tissues.

Yet, it is often difficult to distinguish between a "normal" ageing process and a disease. This distinction depends, sometimes, on the age of onset, its severity and distribution, rather than on the specific underlying processes themselves. Is hardening of the arteries, or "arteriosclerosis", a "normal" ageing process, or a disease? It is a disease process, in the sense that it does not take place, everywhere, throughout the vascular system, and, it sometimes occurs hardly at all. There are definite changes in the walls of the blood-vessels, involving the break-down of normal cellular and structural configurations, as well as the deposition of abnormal products in such tissues, yet, it occurs, nearly invariably, in every individual, who has the good fortune of getting old.

In the complex multi-cellular organism, the loss of tissue elasticity, the stresses of "wear and tear", a series of minor injuries, or, the effects of a long-standing, elevated blood pressure, metabolic abnormalities, a high intake of fat, carbo-hydrates and other "caloric loads", all these factors contribute to a slow deterioration of the multi-cellular organism and its cohesion. Cohesion in structure and function represents the essence of the integrity of a multi-cellular organism, including our own existence. Sooner or later, a major failure takes place in one of the organ-systems, which is incompatible with the further existence of the cellular community as a whole, and, then, the individual "dies".

An important heart or brain artery may become obstructed by arterio-sclerosis or secondary clotting of the blood, or, there may be a rupture of a major blood-vessel. There may be an overwhelming infection, or an injury with complications, which is less well tolerated and resisted by an older organism.

Frequently, a small group of cells may escape this largely unknown complex of control mechanisms limiting the growth and proliferation of cells to whatever is required by the organism as a whole. Such a break-down leads to an uncontroled proliferation of these cells. This may lead to a rather localised, easily accessible and, therefore, relatively "benign" growth, or, the cells may seed quickly throughout the body, growing rapidly and indiscriminately, destroying cells and tissues on a wide scale. Such a situation is, therefore, quite harmful, or "malignant", and, it will, eventually, be fatal for the organism as a whole.

Ageing and disease processes can also take place within the machinery of a single cell, and, we run, here, into the same difficulties, if we want to make a distinction between ageing and disease. Nearly every cell shows a series of ageing characteristics as it gets older, and, these include such phenomena as a reduced ability to regenerate lost components, or, a reduced ability to tolerate stressful conditions; a general slowing of metabolic and behavioural reactions, or, the accumulation of waste-products within the cell. This, in turn, may lead to major mal-functions, or, even, the death and disintegration of the cellular unit, or, there may be a reduction in the elasticity and fluidity of the protoplasm.

When viewed at the level of biochemical events, we see, that, processes requiring a fair amount of energy, are the first to suffer. Here too, a wide variety of mechanisms occur under all sorts of circumstances, and, the boundary between a change due to ageing and a disease, remains vague.

Some observers have gone so far as to suggest that all ageing mechanisms are, in essence, a form of disease, but, such a view-point implies, that, eventually, all disease processes could be understood and prevented, and, this would mean, that, even, a large, multi-cellular organism could have "eternal life" and, perhaps, even, "eternal youth", if properly cared for.

Such a view is too optimistic in my opinion, and runs counter to the fundamental characteristic of the living organisation; nl. that it is a temporary unit of existence. I can not convince myself, that the cellular organism is just temporary by default. More likely, living existence is temporary as a result of this essential fragility, which made the living organisation possible in the first place.

Look at the essential fragility of most biochemical processes taking place within the cell. The temporary nature of the living organisation made the evolutionary search for a more viable genetic encoding possible. Genetic encoding, or the evolutionary molding of living organisms, would be completely impossible without a reasonably rapid succession of generations, and, we see in the evolution of behaviourally flexible species', that a slow a genetic turn-over slowed the genetic evolution of these species' to such an extent, that "nature" started to experiment seriously with the possibilities of behavioural modifications on the basis of experiences that have accumulated during the life-time of an actualised member of the species.

This trend towards "behavioural flexibility" became the beginning of the evolution of the "cultural code", but, it is wise to keep in mind, that this type of evolution was, in essence, the result of a lack of flexibility or evolutionary progress in the system of genetic encoding for large and complex organisms. Environmental changes were taking place, so quickly, that the genetic code had no chance to form the appropriate instructions for the larger species' All it could do, was, to allow the members of these species' a certain range of behavioural flexibility. This allowed them to "finely tune" their behaviour to the prevailing circumstances on the basis of their past experiences, as well as on the basis of behavioural examples from other members, in particular, the parental generations.

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Chapter 3

Content

The biological meaning of death.
The phenomenon of cellular rejuvenation.
Sexual and a-sexual modes of reproduction.
Disintegration after death.
Organisation; the search for an enhanced level of vitality.
Life is a matter of organisation.
The specialised, small-scale social unit; e.g., a sophisticated vehicle of transport.
An inter-dependence between structure and function.
Criteria of being alive.
Differences between a sophisticated social unit of human beings and a multi-cellular organism.
A temporary social organisation.
Processes of ageing and disease, translated into a social language.

Death, or the "genetic turn-over" from generation to generation, made the evolution of life, as well as the differentiation into a variety of species', possible. Without the temporary nature of the living organisation, be it a "natural death", or a death by predation, the evolution of the living organisation would not have been possible.

Let us abandon, here, a somewhat futile attempt to distinguish between ageing and disease. Perhaps, this distinction turns-out to be just as arbitrary and relative as the distinction between the single human being and the society he lives in. I realise, that this statement needs further elaboration, and I will come back to it, later in this essay, when we examine, in detail, our sense of individuality. Let us come back to the phenomenon of death, which is the cessation of the existence of a living organisation.

We can observe the phenomenon of death, clearly, at the level of a single cell, as well as in the multi-cellular individual. Sooner or later, every living organism will die, but, not necessarily from old age or disease, because the most common way plant or animal life is terminated, is, by becoming a prey, or "food", for someone else.

As part of the phenomenon of death, or the cessation of a living organisation, we have to discuss an interesting phenomenon, nl. the remarkable "rejuvenation" that takes place, when a uni-cellular organism divides itself and multiplies by a process of "mitotic" or a-sexual division. Here, at a certain stage of growth, development and suitable environmental conditions, its genetic code will reproduce itself completely, and, each full complement of genetic material moves towards opposite sides of the cell. The cell, then, pinches itself in two, and, there are two identical cells, growing equally vigorous under suitable conditions and maturing into reproducing cells with identical genetic codes.

It is interesting to note, that, this type of division does not lead to one "old" cell, and a newer or younger cell that has "budded-off" from its parent cell. Both cells are identical, so far as we know, and, we assume, that the material of the old cell has been divided, roughly equally, between the two halves, or "daughter cells". Both halves of the multiplying cell acquired a roughly equal number of old and new chromosomes, or genes, and, this gives both newly formed cells an equal potential for rejuvenation. Both halves have the ability to regenerate their protoplasmic contents and to grow, again, into a full-sized cell.

We can also say, that this process of division destroys completely the "old order" of the dividing cell. The transition of a single "old order" into a double "new order" is connected to each other by the regulatory mechanisms of the genetic code. We see, here, a fusion between the phenomena of death and reproduction, and, this process of duplication makes it possible for the genetic instructions of the cellular protoplasm, to regenerate, or "fill-out", the contents of the cellular protoplasm into two new and fully equivalent cells.

It is important to emphasise the idea, that such a division creates two new entities in stead of a new entity from an old one, because it allows us to visualise the equivalence of the two newly formed cells, and, it allows us also to make some useful comparisons, when we discuss, later, the mechanisms of life and reproduction within a social unit of human beings. In a social unit, we can also observe the dissolution of a structural and functional entity, as well as the smooth transition into a "new order", without being left with a dying organism or a "corpse". The existence of a corpse is inevitable after the death of a multi-cellular organism, because few, if any, parts of the multi-cellular organism are able to continue a living existence in a "new order", or another, younger, more viable organism of the same species.

All multi-cellular organisms, and some uni-cellular organisms as well, multiply sexually, and, this means, that the death of a multi-cellular, parent organism leaves a decaying body, where its many parts disintegrate, quickly, to a metabolically inert or biochemically stable form. This process of disintegration takes place, partly because of the fragility of biochemical components, partly, because of the liberation of dissolving enzymes, (which were previously safely sequestered in the living protoplasm), and, partly, disintegration takes place because of saprophytic organisms and micro-organisms, making use of the energy-potentials that are present in the organic molecules of a decaying body.

We mentioned, that, in nearly all multi-cellular organisms, the death of the living structure, or the dissolution of its living organisation, (which is the essence of being alive), leads to the death of all its member-cells as well, but, there are a few exceptions, such as e.g. the sponge or the slime-mold, where the multi-cellular "phase" of its existence is a temporary organisation of the cells. These cells can continue to exist, even, when the multi-cellular organisation has fallen-apart.

The single cell also loses nearly all its biochemical structures after death, but, the building-blocks of biochemical substances or chain-reactions are made-up of inorganic or non-reactable, stable elements, which do not disappear, when the cells die. They revert back to their inorganic configuration, except for a number of stable elements within the cellular debris that can form thick, sedimentary deposits on the bottom of the shallow, life-bearing seas.

The point we want to make is this. The essence of life is the organisation of a large number of inorganic, stable molecules into fragile, but reactive, biochemical substances. These fragile, biochemical substances have found, after a long evolutionary experiment with possibilities of existence, a way to prolong their existence within the structure and organisation of a living cell. This cell can synthesise its constituent parts, and, it can reproduce sexually or a-sexually, enhancing and perpetuating, thereby, its possibilities of existence.

We can not find in life, or, in the organisation of anyone of the living structures, a specific "principle", or, a new functional element, making the organisation of life possible. All characteristics of the living organisation are based upon a particular arrangement, relationship or organisation of inorganic molecules and atoms. Similarly, multi-cellular life does not represent a new principle of existence, but, it is merely an expression of the enlarged possibilities of existence found by a specialised and highly organised "community of cells".

This enlargement of the possibilities of existence for a multi-cellular community, may be enormous, and, it may far exceed the boundaries of the possibilities of existence existing for uni-cellular life-forms. Yet, as we know, these possibilities could never have been explored and tested, if the older generations would not have given-way to the younger generations, and, the processes of death and disintegration make room, therefore, not only, for the members of the next generation of the same species, but, the inevitability of death leads to two important mechanisms. On the one hand, it leads to an adaptation of a species, or a population of a species, through an evolutionary adaptation of the genetic code, and, on the other hand, it leads to the provision of "food" for other living organisms, through the mechanisms of scavenging, parasitism or predation.

Certainly, predation is not geared, exclusively, to eliminate those members who have fulfilled their role in reproduction and are getting old, but, predation tends to eliminate the weak and unhealthy young as well, which are, biologically speaking, a burden rather than a help in the evolutionary search of a species for a viable mode of existence.

Ageing and death seem, therefore, to be unavoidable and necessary processes in the existence of life, and, they form just as essential a link in the cycle of life, as the mechanisms of birth, growth, development and reproduction. I have, therefore, serious doubts about the physiological possibilities to arrest the ageing processes completely, in spite of the fact that we may retard them significantly, as we develop a good grasp over the processes involved. We should, indeed, carefully evaluate our somewhat blind inclination to preserve life, and combat death, at all costs.

Let us return to an examination of a variety of social organisations, and see, whether or not it is justified to classify any one of them as a living organism. Even the most tightly-knit social units of mankind do not begin to resemble the effectiveness of a single multi-cellular organism, but, on occasion, we see a small social unit of human beings which is engaged in a specific, dangerous and difficult task; where the viability of each individual depends on the survival of the unit as a whole. I am thinking about an air-plane, a sub-marine, or a space-craft, where the failure of the unit leads, quickly, to total disaster and the death of all its members.

You may argue, that we are here talking about the integrity of the craft, a man-made, physical creation, which is the vehicle of the social unit, rather than the unit of social organisation itself. Certainly, this technical vehicle is very important, and the social unit, as well as the lives of the individual members, depend as much on the integrity of this physical shell of protection as upon a continuation of the mechanisms of cooperation guiding the physical unit of men and machine.

Here, we may consider the social unit, formed by the leader and his crew, as a "central nervous system" of the physical unit of a space-craft or air-plane, aided by computers and special sensing equipment and propulsion systems. The success of the mission depends as much upon the integrity of the command-structure, the knowledge and behaviour of each crew member, as upon the physical aspects of the structure, which are, in turn, dependent upon the somewhat larger and more indirect society of people responsible for the design and construction of the craft.

If we analyse these relationships in more detail, we come to the conclusion, that men and machines form a functional unit, which has to be intact, in its entirety, before the mission has a chance of success. It becomes somewhat arbitrary to make a sharp distinction between the structural and functional components of the system. There is, therefore, a remarkable parallel between the anatomical and functional aspects of a single multi-cellular individual, and the unity of the social and structural aspects of a craft and its crew, engaged in a dangerous and complex mission.

Does this prove, then, that such a social unit is "alive", like a living organism? Let us look at a few other aspects of its existence. It certainly behaves like a unit of living existence, even, if many of its sensory and motoric responses are mediated over mechanical and technological devices. It certainly requires a steady flow of energy to feed its engines, instruments and people, and, it is subject to wear and tear, as well as to the threat of failure of an entire system, or "organ". It requires a correct diagnosis to rectify the problem, and, in the expertise of the crew and its ability to repair minor defects, we see a parallel with the self-restorative processes of the living organism. It certainly can "die", if a major failure occurs, and, with the death of the unit as a whole, its members die, too.

Certainly, the mechanically operated and designed systems do not have the same fragility as biological or biochemical substances, but, some of the electronic happenings in its computers and other electronic systems, resemble the living tissues quite closely, because, they too, require a steady flow of suitable energy in the form of an electrical current or voltage potential, before they become "alive" and reactive; capable of sensing the many stimuli, and carrying-out the many tasks they are designed for.

There are differences too, and, probably, the most significant difference with a multi-cellular organism is the fact, that the specialised human society is a temporary organisation with the purpose of enhancing the possibilities of existence for every member. It is, often, a unit, designed to meet a specific task, and, the participants in this unit are not born into it, and, they have not been forced to become permanently specialised in their form and function, like the cells in our body. The cells are permanently specialised, and, they have been formed specifically for the task of participating in an organ-system. Human differentiations take place through a voluntary effort of acquiring knowledge and skills.

Certainly, these differentiations are often based on a predisposition or "talent". The most difficult and complex skills can only be learned at a particular stage of our development, and, we do not have the freedom, nor the possibility, to master more than one program of complex skills during our life-time.

The specialised social organisations, based upon acquired skills, are largely temporary. They function in conjunction with the needs of the rest of society, and, they find their meaning, only, as a specialised feature within the totality of our existential requirements. Whithin this overall framework, the members of the specialised social unit are free to discontinue or disband the social unit, after the mission or production-task has been completed.

The viability of the members depends, therefore, only on this special unit for the duration of its active mission, e.g. the voyage of a space-craft. Afterwards, the unit is disbanded, or, the social organisation "ceases to exist", or "dies", unless resurrected, again, for a following mission. Most social units are much more tentative in their organisation than a space-craft, and, they never bind the existential security of their members, to such a large extent, to the success of a particular social entity.

Yet, in spite of the fact, that the overall existential security of the members is not tied so closely to a social unit, we can say with some justification, that the special interests of the members for which the social organisation was founded, are tied-in with the failure or success of this social entity.

Most of the other features of a living organism are also seen in the social unit. The continuous need to repair the effects of internal bickering and dissent, the need to carry-out certain functions which cost energy or money; the ability to sense and react as a unit of behaviour; all these social units are certainly vulnerable to the processes of ageing and disease, which can be translated into a social language as the phenomena of complacency, inertia, ignorance and corruption.

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Chapter 4

Content

Why we are inclined to adopt attitudes of suspicion towards the large social unit.
The importance of the scope of our outlook.
Existential requirements represent a key to a successful analysis of social mechanisms.
A focus on discrepancies in the rate of growth between various social units.
A somewhat dry and abstract discussion.
A keen awareness of individual existence.
Mechanisms of the personality development.

Perhaps, one of the main reasons why so many people in our affluent societies have become suspicious of the large social organisations, (be it the State, the bureaucracies, or the large commercial corporations), is the fact, that, many, if not most of them, suffer from stagnation and corruption, without anyone able to do anything about it. Some of the leaner, larger, commercial organisations or enterprises behave like predatorial monsters, that are virtually beyond the control and grasp of the public. It is not surprising, then, that we cling, wistfully, to the rights and dignity of the individual, because we feel threatened and overwhelmed by large organisations.

On the other hand, we, members of the public, are often remarkably complacent and gullible in trusting, that these large organisations will keep providing us with food, jobs and a cash-income, and, we seem to be unconcerned about the requirements of these giant bureaucratic and commercial conglomerates. Do we really have any idea, what they need, and, do we really know, what sacrifices we have to bring to keep them alive?

This confusing and overwhelming complexity of the larger societies with their numerous contradictory organisations and sub-organisations, makes us apprehensive and emotional, or, remarkably selective and narrowly focussed in our dealings with society, as well as with each other. Yet, if we allow a defensive attitude and a narrow focus of concern to colour our behaviour, we will never be able to grasp what is going-on, or, what direction we are heading into, and, we will never know, how we can influence the behaviour of those lumbering, social giants. If we remain defensive and narrow in our outlook, we will never develop a coherent collective will, and, without a collective will, we are not able to compete with societies that do have a clear-cut, coherent out-look upon their future.

The question to what extent it is justified to see a social unit as a living organism, is, therefore, determined by a pragmatic need to come to grips with the complex social environments we find ourselves in. If we have an imagery that lets us classify the behaviour of a large number of groupings of people as the behaviour of living or life-like organisms, we may be able to grasp, much more accurately, this web of contrasting and contradictory forces we have to deal with.

After all, we are influenced by the many different social entities in the way we live and work; in the way we look for shelter and security, or, in the way we try to secure opportunities to develop ourselves. By learning to analyse the behaviour of the many groupings we can see around us in terms of existential requirements, overt goal-patterns, as well as the more hidden motivations of aggressive intentions, opportunistic exploitations, or, the attitudes of a cautious and frightened self-defense, we get a clearer picture of reality. Our conceptual grasp will then be more accurate than when we classify the events and people around us in the more traditional categories of "good or evil", right or wrong, God or Satan.

Let us answer the question, whether or not social groupings are living organisms in the following manner. If we look at the many different social groupings around us, we come to the conclusion, that, some of them show many, if not all, the characteristics of a living organism, while others are so tentative, so easily formed and broken, so transient in their existence, that they exhibit only a few of the characteristics of life. They may show a measure of reactivity, of changeability, as well as a measure of vulnerability to decay and disintegration, but, they show relatively little in the way of reproductivity, persistence under a large variety of circumstances, or sophisticated inter-actions with their internal or external environment.

Perhaps, we see in most social organisations, or, in most attempts at becoming a socially coherent unit, a reflection of the same struggle that the primordial protoplasm must have witnessed during the long evolutionary search for a living cellular organism. Many social organisations have a temporary, transient level of viability, and, they are, in essence, "incomplete life-forms", and, because the lives of the members are rarely at stake, there is no compelling reason for most social organisations to search for a much more serious and durable configuration.

Let us change the focus of our attention to the main idea mentioned in the title, which is an examination of the discrepancies in the rate of growth between an individual human being, and, the various social organisations one may belong to, or has to deal with. We will enlarge this focus, somewhat, by considering, also, the many different growth-rates and stages of development we can see in the various social organisations around us, regardless, whether or not we are participating in them.

The purpose of this somewhat theoretical excercise is to explore a variety of ways of looking at ourselves, as well as the social structures around us, in the hope of finding, here and there, a useful insight that is going to help us master this complex area of our sphere of reality perceptions. Since the focus of our attention, as well as the topic under consideration, are, indeed, fairly narrow and theoretical, this essay will undoubtedly remain highly abstract and somewhat dry. Perhaps, it will be outright unintelligible for those, who happen to encounter this essay as a first exposure to my writings. The interest in my work may not survive such a cold, theoretical and abstract "baptism of relativistic thought", and we have not even mentioned, here, anything about relativistic reality perceptions. We will not do so either, because we have discussed these ideas extensively before.

Initially, we will remain on more familiar terrain, as we review, briefly, the processes of organic growth and mental maturation. Everyone can verify these phenomena by taking a good look at the world around us. One of the more remarkable aspects of our own birth and infancy, is the fact, that we have absolutely no recollection of this important happening, when we "came into the world". We all "find" ourselves, somewhere, in a social environment such as a family-unit. We find ourselves in a specific, but, nevertheless, haphazard or chance-like mode of existence.

We become consciously aware of our own existence, somewhere, between the ages of four and seven. Some of us are fortunate, and, we grow-up under conditions that are protective, stimulating and full of secure bonds of affection. While we participate, fully, and without any serious problems, in the relationships with our environment, this stage of happy harmony delays, to some extent, the development of a keen awareness of our individual existence.

If we are sensitive and intelligent, and, at the same time, somewhat difficult and head-strong, we are less liked and less well "understood" by our environment; at least, we become fairly early in life aware of the fact, that the contacts with our social environment are not as smooth as we would like them to be. In particular, if we have been subjected to rather haphazard and baffling or "traumatic" experiences, early in life, we develop a keen sense for the aggressive and defensive possibilities of human behaviour, and, this sharpens the awareness of ourselves as an entity; as a personality with its own requirements and drives.

We are more demanding and less likely to conform to the wishes of others, and, this egocentric orientation is often not very well accepted by our social environment. Often, we have to make a special effort or engage in a struggle, before we are able to play a role in society, and, before we experience a measure of fulfilment of our ambitions and drives. At the same time, we note, that the more smoothly developing personalities have "softer" relationships with their social environment, and, they are able to integrate "naturally" with the wishes and aspirations of other people in a smooth "give and take".

If the enviroment of our up-bringing is "harsher", less guided by examples of good-will, cooperation and affection, the relationships with others are more strident, more egocentric and more primitive. We integrate, then, primarily through the more primitive process of "hierarchical stratification", where we learn to accept, or avoid, the domination of those, who are stronger, while we bully, without any hesitation, those who are weaker.

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Chapter 5

Content

Characteristics of sensitive and intelligent people who are growing-up under harsh conditions.
The "bland" personality.
Analysing circumstances and conditions for the smooth unfolding of a personality.
The "organic computer"; "cerebral hardware" for a "cultural program".
The inter-play of genetic and environmental factors in the unfolding of the human personality.
A wide-ranging spectrum of inborn possibilities for unfolding.
A partial "actualisation" of possibilities of existence.
Learning to control instinctive behaviour-patterns.
Erroneous concepts about unlimited freedoms.
The relative validity of the concept of "abnormality".

Sensitive and intelligent people who are growing-up under harsh conditions, develop widely diverging characteristics; they learn, either, that ruthless egocentricity is the road to survival, or, they become aware of the fact, that ruthless egocentricity leads to an endless round of strife, frequently ending-up in defeat. Those, who grow-up in much more sheltered circumstances tend to become rather "bland" personalities. They do not become as ruthless as the more aggressive members, nor, do they develop this keen, reflective appreciation for the complex range of human behaviour.

Occasionally, a highly sensitive and intelligent individual breaks deliberately away from an atmosphere of shelter and security, because he or she wants to "understand", what life is all about. However, these are fairly specific conditions and circumstances, and, we should avoid the temptation to classify people into the "sheltered" or "un-sheltered" type. The actual circumstances are nearly always a mixture of sheltered and less sheltered conditions, and, rarely are children, either, completely sheltered, without any challenge to their ability to fend for themselves, or, totally unsheltered, where all bonds of protection and affection have fallen-away.

We only want to point-out, here, that an analysis of the circumstances under which a child grows-up, can give us a good insight into the personality traits that have been developed, but, let us avoid the conclusion, that all our personal characteristics have been developed as a result of the specific influences we have experienced. While it is true, that these influences play an important role in the formation and development of our personality, as well as the accentuation of certain features, people are also born with certain tendencies or predispositions.

The level of intelligence and sensitivity is a characteristic that varies from one person to the next, and, it seems, that this feature is more likely determined by a genetic predisposition, rather than the result of early childhood experiences. Nevertheless, it is still very difficult to differentiate between genetic and environmental factors during the formation of a human personality, and, we know, that the focus of our scrutiny has a significant influence upon the way we tend to answer these questions. Let us merely re-iterate, here, that we are determined by a combination of genetic and cultural factors, and, that the possibility to be influenced by cultural or environmental factors is given as a "range", or "tolerance", of the genetic code.

Behavioural flexibility is a feature made possible by the fact, that the genetic code encourages the formation of a large network of neural connections during embryological development. The brain becomes an "organic computer", so to speak, which provides the "hard-ware" for the "cultural program" of the living organism. On the other hand, the formation of organic life-forms, and, certainly, the growth of a human embryo, is a function of the genetic code, which only gets a chance to "express" itself, and form a new human being, whenever all the necessary conditions, including those of environmental stability, are adequately represented and under the control of this genetic code.

As we have discussed before, a persistent effort to analyse the various characteristics of the human personality as the result of either environmental or genetic factors, is somewhat sterile, because, in most cases, we do not quite know, how to distinguish between these influences. Besides, this distinction has a tendency to lose its meaning and relevance, whenever we look at these mechanisms very closely. Let us put it this way.

Each human being is born according to its specific genetic instructions, in combination with the particular circumstances that were present at the time of embryological development. These genetic instructions are different from one person to the next, and, together, these genetically encoded instructions form the gene-pool of the human species. The mechanisms of genetic re-combinations forms an endless variety of potentialities. These potentialities, or possibilities of existence, form the totality of the genetic spectrum of a species; either "actualised" as existing members or beings, or, as potential beings; as possibilities that could be actualised or realised, if the combinations actually took place and were given a chance to develop and mature into a fully-grown member of the species.

The inter-play between genetic instructions and environmental factors is so intense, however, that it is difficult to separate them, regardless, how we look at these factors. The genetic code is nothing more than a structural key, but the elements that make-up this key are molecules, taken from the environment at the time a particular cell was being formed. In the same way, the construction of the entire multi-cellular body is completely guided by this structural key of the genes in our cells, but, all the building-materials are taken from the environment. The genetic code is only the "blue-print", but, this blue-print allows the possibilities and characteristics of a specific organisation of life to come to the fore.

The actual emergence of these possibilities depends, primarily, upon environmental or circumstantial factors. Sometimes, this possibility, or "propensity", is very strong, and, a characteristic will then emerge with a minimum of stimulation from the environment, while other characteristics have a weak or much less pronounced propensity or "anlage", and, they require, then, a much more intense stimulation or more specific set of stimulating factors, before the anlage or the "photographic image" of this particular genetic anlage or propensity can be developed into an actual reality.

It is probably safe to say, that, every human being, born into the world, has a roughly similar, but wide-ranging spectrum of possibilities, provided, this human being has been developed normally and the genetic code shows no serious defects. From this very large range of possibilities, only a few can be developed during the unfolding of the personality, and the rest remain latent potentials that slowly wither-away. Characteristics with strongly developed potentials will break-through, even, if the circumstances do not particularly stimulate or favour them, while other potential characteristics depend strongly on a careful cultivation, before they can become realised or "actualised". The strongest behavioural characteristics are "instincts" that develop in every human being.

I realise, that the criteria for the range of normality are vague, but, we do not want to complicate these matters by sliding into a discussion about the range of normality and health. We only want to emphasise the obvious fact, that, a serious defect in the "anlage" of a potential is "an abnormality", just as the lack of proper environmental conditions during the differentiation and maturation in utero, or the first, few, crucial years of exra-uterine life, lead to serious and severe abnormalities.

In the normally formed, healthy individual, all the instinctive drives will find an expression, but, they can be markedly modified by environmental or social circumstances. If a child learns, from an early age, that it can get things easier by cooperating with others, or, by restraining its desires until there is a more opportune moment, the child learns the value of controling an instinctive drive, but, if the child experiences that its whining and temper-tantrums will bring the desired results, we can not expect its behaviour to become socially more acceptable.

Here, indeed, we see the value of a continuous social inter-play, as well as the value of natural and normal behaviour-patterns by the members of society, whenever they get irritated and impatient with the primitive, egocentric behaviour of a whining, undisciplined child. There is, therefore, nothing wrong wih showing a child your displeasure or impatience whenever it whines, but, this displeasure should be consistent and not boil-over as a completely unexpected and unbalanced manifestation of frustration and anger, especially, when the parent feels humiliated in front of other adults.

If we only could see, how wrong many so-called "modern" ideas about child education are, we would have a better chance to prepare the following generations adequately for their tasks of being responsible and intelligent adults. One of the most short-sighted errors is the notion, that a child should be allowed to develop its personality in "total freedom", without restraints. One creates only a childish, immature and socially unacceptable child that has never learned to discipline its instincts and desires, and, as a result, it never learns to take into account the wishes, desires and needs of other people in its social environment.

Of course, there is an essential difference between the ability to control a desire or instinct, and, the attempt to suppress such an instinct or desire completely, because it is judged to be "evil" or undesirable. Many of the ideas about the advisability of letting a child grow-up in freedom were the result of an understandable reaction to the ignorance of previous generations, who tried to eradicate an "evil trend".

We have to understand, why certain traits of human behaviour came to be viewed as "evil", because every society developed certain criteria and standards of socially acceptable behaviour. For a long time, such a rigorous suppression of instincts seemed to be the only way to "mold" human behaviour into a somewhat more civilised and tolerable form. Yet, the suppression of instincts, (primarily, those of aggression and sexuality), do not solve the problems of human existence, and, they lead, often, to severe, neurotic deviations in behaviour. At least, such behavioural deviations can be classified as abnormal and neurotic in a society that understands human nature more precisely, but, such a commonly practiced suppression of essentially normal patterns of behaviour can just as easily be classified as "normal", or desirable, especially, by those, who have actively cultivated this type of behaviour with their mores, customs and religious beliefs.

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Chapter 6

Content

A clear picture of the behavioural range of the human being.
Psychological mechanisms during the development of the personality.
The balanced personality; a flexible give and take with others.
The road towards reflection.
What is the right "mix" of challenge and protection?
People tend to mature towards a more balanced personality.
The life-cycle.
Productivity becomes "routine", as we get older.
We all can be productive, happy and wise people during the later stages of maturity.

We want a clear picture of the behavioural range of the human personality, including the awareness, that our instincts and drives are part of a shared biological heritage. These strong, instinctive patterns of behaviour must have had some merit, otherwise, nature would never have sharpened them into the behaviour of living organisms. We know, now, how we got this biological heritage, and, we know, that we have to excercise control over it, if we want to form a harmonious, just and vigorous society. We know, that we have to "finely tune" our behaviour in order to react appropriately to environmental circumstances, and, these include, also, the behaviour-patterns of a large number of people, who have, in essence, the same desires and needs as ourselves.

Yet, most of us do not know much about these basic and simple facts of life. We are caught in a confusing web of sympathies and anti-pathies, where we regard some people as our friends, because they help us to get what we want and do not challenge us, while others are considered to be "enemies", because they compete with us for the things we want, and, they challenge us for the positions we occupy and the privileges we enjoy. It is logical, therefore, that we show patterns of behaviour that alternate between cooperation and trust towards our friends, and competitive strife and suspicion towards those, who are adversaries.

As soon as we gain in security, we become less defensive, and, we may find ways to cooperate with those we do not really trust. We may, then, be able to get our competitors to cooperate with us, but, if we have a difficult time developing this sense of basic security, we continue to regard most of the people around us as competitors and enemies, and, we are defensive, introvert, and not well integrated with our social environment.

A well-balanced personality will have a "normal" and healthy genetic anlage, and, it will have developed its instincts and drives properly. This personality can look after its existential requirements with a measure of ease. In addition, a normal individual will have its share of "talents", or, special genetic endowments that are somewhat above average. The social environment will have encouraged, at least, a few of these talents or natural inclinations, so that the individual has an additional measure of security. The well-balanced personality will, therefore, have built-up sufficient security and strength of character to be able to trust others, and, to cooperate and relate to other people, but, at the same time, it will have received enough stimulation and challenges to realise, that it has to work hard to reach its goals, and, that it has to be cautious and vigilant.

The balanced personality will recognise, at least, intuitively, that those, who compete, as well as those, who are friends and relatives, have the same basic existential requirements. Everyone is trying to fulfill these basic existential requirements, in one way or another. The well-balanced personality can be loyal without being fanatic. He or she can see the need to work for the common good, without losing the ability to think clearly and ask questions. He or she will be engaged in a flexible give-and-take with others, adhering to a certain code of behaviour. Its protective instincts will be aroused when a weaker member needs help, but, it will be irate, if someone else tries to exploit or abuse a situation of trust and cooperation.

Yet, the well-balanced and intelligent personality realises, that we all are subject to the temptations of a quick and opportunistic gain, and, such a personality will reflect, from time to time, upon this contradictory bundle of thoughts, impulses, desires and goals, which it notices within itself, and sees reflected in the behaviour of so many others.

This sketch of the normal personality indicates, that, those, who grow-up with a marked tendency towards an aggressive-defensive type of behaviour, will have to learn, through a slow process of accumulating experiences, that most competitors are exactly like themselves, and, that everyone's actions, thoughts and emotions are guided by a personality structure that shares its basic features with everyone else.

As the competitive indvidualist gains in security, he or she will become more reflective, and will spend more time thinking about life. One will notice the large content of instinctive behaviour-patterns guiding one's major goals for years at a stretch, and, one will begin to reflect, somewhat ruefully, about the many blind spots and missed opportunities, which presented themselves, when one was so busily pursuing one's goals.

Yet, the individual who grows-up in a very sheltered existence, has a lot to learn as well. Often, he or she withdraws from contacts with strangers or those who may pose a challenge. The outside world becomes a hostile, frightening and strange place. One becomes increasingly reliant upon this shell of protection. Occasionally, such a sheltered existence allows the flowering of a rare talent, but, most often, the personality is too weak to bring-up the rigorous discipline necessary for a talent to grow to a robust state of health.

Unless such a sheltered individual is disciplined and stimulated by wise "protectors", it becomes a weak and ineffectual personality, with a parasitic and neurotic dependency upon its immediate environment; fearful and defensive in its contacts with others, and, with a narrow focus of mainly egocentric concerns. We see, then, that, too early and too harsh an exposure to inconsistent, exploitative and egocentric stimuli, tends to bring out an inconsistent, egocentric and opportunistic personality, while too sheltered an existence fosters a weak, under-develped and complacent attitude.

What is the right mixture of stimuli, and, when are the living conditions too harsh or too sheltered? This is difficult to determine, and, at the present time, we just have to accept a status-quo as it has developed, because we are, by and large, unable to change a personality, after its outlines have been developed. Perhaps, it is fair, and not too optimistic, to say, that, as a rule, people tend to mature towards a more balanced personality and compensate for the bias that was present during their early years. As we have seen, security tends to increase with advancing age, but the lessening of vitality, and the slowing-down of ambitions, tend to make the aggressive individualist more mellow and tolerant. Those, who remained somewhat immature and dependent, lose, sooner or later, their protective shell, and these people have to live a more independent way of life.

Perhaps, a large majority of rather bland, happily integrated and less ambitious people mature the least, because they are least likely to be exposed to taxing circumstances, and, yet, even they have to cope, sooner or later, with the problems of disease and death. We all start to lose relatives and friends, and, this provides, together with the emotional crises of behavioural immaturity, sufficient stress to bring-about a slow process of maturation, even of the well-integrated, bland personality.

So far, we have not touched upon the more traditional ways of looking at the various stages of human development. These can be summarised by the categories of infancy and early childhood, the school-going period, including puberty and adolescence, early maturity and the period of maximum physical vigor. Then, we pass into a stage of slow physical decline, a lessening of energies and ambitions. We start to settle into a comfortable routine, and, there may be a final flowering of expertise in a chosen field of profession. This stage of late maturity fades, imperceptibly, into a stage of declining physical and mental capabilities and activities, and, the period of making a contribution has then passed.

If someone has acquired a well-developed expertise in one field or another, we see, often, a remarkably long period of productivity, but the productivity becomes "routine", and a search for new ways becomes less frequent. Yet, this comfortable routine can be exceptionally beautiful and fruitful, and, the sincerity of the effort is often moving. It elevates a work of art to a truly great height, because the wisdom of the ageing personality, his patience to work persistently for perfection, as well as his freedom from strong emotional and instinctive pressures, let him shape these great masterpieces, in spite of the fact, that he may be in a period of decline, physically as well as mentally.

Certainly, not everyone is so fortunate to become a master-artist during the declining years of one's existence, and, we should have a look at a more average individual. We should not be surprised to see, however, that the average individual and the master-artist are not as far apart as we are inclined to believe, at first sight.

The master-artist has a "hobby" to keep him active and occupied in his declining years, but, so has any sensible individual, who retires from his usual occupation at a certain age. While some write or compose music, others build furniture, repair automobiles, or tend gardens. Every healthy human being keeps himself busy. The "ordinary", average citizen, with a good dose of common-sense, is just as wise and mellow as the thinker, but, it is true, that a writer has a better chance to put his thoughts, and those of others, more accurately on paper. Ordinary people may, however, far outshine the writer in the ability to repair their homes, to look after the many appliances of everyday life, or, to be of assistance to their social surroundings.

The efforts of the artist or the thinker may last longer, if they happen to find a measure of acceptance, but, at the time of existence, the activities of the ordinary, average citizen, who is nearing the stage of "late maturity", seems to be a lot more productive and useful than those of a writer or composer.

We all can be productive, happy and wise individuals in the stage of late maturity, and, we all can have some sort of knowledge and expertise that is useful to others and ourselves.

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Chapter 7

Content

"Falling-apart" because of old-age.
A reflection upon the essence of death.
Physiological and cellular mechanisms of decay.
Death gives a possibility of existence to many other organisms.
A continuous challenge from stressful stimuli and taxing circumstances.
Stress-resistance and stress-avoidance.
Living with "our backs against the wall".
Modern medical technology, and the postponement of complete organic dissolution.
A few thoughts about medical techniques and aspirations.
The dangers of a dwindling gene-pool.
The "molding" of the gene-pool by the pressures of natural selection.
Entering a period of "genetic stability".
A case of inadvertent mass-suicide?

Finally, in rounding-off this short summary of the growth, development and decline of the human being, we should have a look at this last phase, which is still ahead of nearly all of us, because, I assume, that most of my readers can still read, write and think. We should think, for a moment, about this mysterious and dreaded time, when we are rapidly deteriorating, physically, mentally, or both. We may be literally "falling-apart" as a result of old-age, or, we may be consumed by an incurable disease. We may be suffering from a premature decline of our faculties of memory, concentration and comprehension. Whatever form this deterioration may take, we know, that it is the prelude to our death and disintegration; the irreversible cessation of our personal existence. What is death?

The death of a living organism is the break-down and irreversible disintegration of the organisation of all the components that form, together, this living organism. If the organism is a single cell, its components are the clusters of biochemical production processes that are grouped-together as little organs, or "organelles". These organelles are scattered throughout the protoplasm of the cell, and, they "fall-apart", just as the individual biochemical substances and reaction-patterns disintegrate within these organelles.

All the fragile elements of the living organisation lose their possibility of existence because of the loss of a spatial and functional integrity. This loss of integrity, or coherence, interferes with this essential flow of energy that is necessary to keep the systems together. The degree to which each component decays, depends on the circumstances, such as the presence of enzymes facilitating the break-down of organic materials. These enzymes are, in turn, dependent upon the moisture-content and the temperature-range of the environment. It also depends on the availability of micro-organisms, as well as larger, saprophytic or scavenging organisms that can use some or most of the substances of a decaying organism as a source of energy, or food, for their own metabolic requirements.

We see, then, how the life and death of living organisms are inter-woven into a complex web of metabolic inter-dependencies, where the growth, development and maintenance of an organism requires a constant source of suitable energy, which is often provided by the death of other organisms. It is fitting, therefore, that our own death gives a possibility of existence to many other living organisms, including organisms of the same species, just as the death of many other living organisms, including the generations before us, have made our own existence possible.

Death may come-about in many different ways, and, we should keep in mind, that the initial events ushering-in death, may be identical to the challenges and stresses, which we have been able to fight-off successfully in the past. Each living organism is continuously subjected to challenging, or potentially harmful, stimuli and stresses. The ability to withstand such stresses is due, in part, to the repair and restorative processes of the body, and, partly, it is a result of the fact, that an organism may be able to avoid or minimise exposure to such harmful stimuli.

The totality of this package of stress-resisting and stress-avoiding behaviour of the organism determines its chances for survival. If an organism gets older, its internal mechanisms of stress-resistance, as well as its agility and alertness to avoid stressful circumstances, diminish, and, sooner or later, it will be increasingly challenged by disease, injury or competitive pressures. Sooner or later, these challenges reach a point, where the organism can not overcome the level of stress. Soon, the damage or injuries will be so extensive, that the organism is, either, literally "ripped-apart" by a predator, or, it is ripped-apart by the processes of disease and decay.

Certainly, as part of the processes of maturation and viability during the period of late maturity and early senescence, many human beings learn, instinctively or consciously, how to reduce the risk of being exposed to severely challenging circumstances, and, the human being who exists under flexible circumstances, has an important ability to adjust to a decline in the ability to withstand stress, with a deliberately brought-about change in external circumstances.

If we live under much less flexible circumstances, e.g. if we live with "our backs against the wall", and, if we have allowed the burdens of pressures and responsibilities to grow beyond control, such as the incurrence of financial debts and other obligations, we have little lee-way to adjust to the pressures and challenges upon our existence, While we rarely lose our life as a result of financial and social pressures, we are nevertheless thrown into a severely impoverished and chronically uncomfortable situation, if we have failed to recognise the dangers of heaping upon ourselves ever more stressful pressures and obligations.

This, however, is an aside. We see, that the difference between life and death is, merely, the ability, or inability, to withstand or avoid the level of stress we are being exposed to. Some conditions of stress, such as a disease process, are, often, beyond our capabilities to avoid or withstand, and, the capabilities of physicians to combat these processes are limited, especially, when we get older. Our existence becomes more precarious and fragile with advancing age, and, the ability to resist stress declines continuously. Eventually, we reach a stage of physical frailty, where a simple cold, or a minor injury, is sufficient to set into motion a series of events ending in death.

Modern medical technology can often take-over, at least, temporarily, a number of vitally important bodily functions, such as breathing, the excretion of waste products, the maintenance of the volume, pressure and composition of blood, the administration of energy and liquids, etc. This has led to the situation, where a body can be maintained physically for prolonged periods of time, in spite of the fact, that the central nervous system has suffered irreparable and irreversible damage from a variety of causes.

We can postpone the final process of total disintegration by taking-over, with life-support systems, the vital functions that have fallen-away, but, since the central nervous system has no capability to re-build itself or replace tissues that have been lost, the excercise is often futile, when severe brain-damage has occurred.

Even, if consciousness is regained, to some extent, in a case of severe brain damage, or, if an individual with an incurable disease is given a few more months to live, we have to pause for a moment and reflect upon our medical zeal to preserve life. We have to ask ourselves, whether or not we have really done something worthwhile for the patient. Often, we come to the conclusion, that we have only prolonged the agony of the patient and his relatives, and, that we have burdened the family, or the community, with very high medical expenses, without providing the patient a significant improvement in the quality of life.

The point of death can be postponed by life-support systems, and, because of our technological abilities, we can encounter a situation, where a vital organ has been destroyed, while the patient is still "alive"; a condition, that would lead irrevocably to the death of the entire organism without such life-supporting efforts. If this vital organ is the central nervous system or the brain, the individual is, in essence, "dead", because the foundation for its bodily coherence and mental functions of awareness and inter-action with the environment, have been lost, and, no amount of technological support is going to bring-back the integrative funtions of the central nervous system.

Many other vital organs can now be transplanted into another human being, and, the vital coherence of body and behaviour may be restored to a remarkable extent as a result of such a transplant operation, but, because of the severe stresses involved in such radical attempts to preserve life, we have to look, with a measure of scepticism, at all these efforts. We can not deny, that many interesting results may come to light, and, this knowledge and expertise may become very useful at some time in the future, but we have to be careful, that we do not add to the burden of being terminally ill.

The essence of death, at least, for a complex living organism, seems, therefore, the disappearance of this overall, coordinating and stress-resisting, organisation of life. As a result, all complex components decay, until a chemically inert and stable configuration has been reached. This overall coordinating structure reminds us about the essence of the genetic code, and, indeed, the genetic code, which regulated and maintained, as well as formed and originated this particular living structure, has now irretrievably disappeared with the death of all the cellular components of a multi-cellular organism.

The chances for an identical genetic code being formed by a re-combination of existing codes from the gene-pool, is extremely remote, but, as long as the total amount of genetic material in the gene-pool is sufficient to produce a large and healthy population of "actualised" or living members of a species, the chain between generations will remain intact, and the species survives and retains its adaptative capabilities.

However, if the gene-pool becomes small, or, if the conditions and circumstances change in such a way, that a majority of the living members do not have the ability to survive and reproduce, a severe stress is developing upon the survival of the gene-pool as a whole. If only a relatively small fragment of a new generation survives, the gene-pool may compensate for this severe stress by a very high birth-rate. This off-sets the high mortality-rate of its off-spring. Such a situation gives the processes of natural selection a change to "mold" the surviving fragment of the gene-pool, by enhancing characteristics that increase the rate of survival.

Such a species will be in a period of rapid genetic adaptation, but, once a species is successful and its existential pressures ease-off, the mortality-rate drops significantly. Then, the processes of natural selection cease to operate, because they can not select, anymore, a particular trend or feature from the genetic spectrum. The species is, then, in a period of "genetic stability", where each successive generation has virtually the same genetic spectrum. Any changes in the appearance from one generation to the next are, then, due to changes in environmental or external circumstances.

The human species is genetically in a period of "stability", because its survival rate from one generation to the next is quite high, at least, in nearly all but the poorest and most deprived areas. Because man's behaviour is so strongly influenced by the cultural code, which can change very rapidly from one generation to another, man's cultural code, or way of life, determines his vigor and ability to survive. Viability is not anymore determined by a specific configuration of the genetic code, but, of course, a healthy and adequate genetic code is necessary in order to have a chance to survive the competitive pressures of human existence.

We are probably justified in saying, that man's genetic code is sufficient to secure near indefinite survival of the human species, but, the tensions of high population densities and intra-species competition may become so severe, that mankind commits an inadvertant mass-suicide because of inadequate cultural regulators, destroying its ecological niche with a variety of fatal pollutants , as well as the physical stability of its genetic code.

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Chapter 8

Content

Man is a product of genetic and cultural regulators.
A "cultural death".
Consequences of a change in beliefs.
Experimenting with a variety of beliefs and interpretations.
Cultural entities are born, grow, mature and die.
The cultural code is the main organising principle of a social unit.
A strong tendency to see our own existence as "autonomous".
A questionable state of independence as a physical entity.
Psychologically, we form a network of inter-woven spheres of conscious awareness.
The definition of a concept and the outline of an idea depend on a continuous "flow" of communications through this network of psychological inter-wovenness.

Man's nature and behaviour are determined by a combination of the genetic code, (forming his organic existence and providing the potential for a cultural code), and the cultural code itself, which "finely tunes" man's behaviour and regulates his social inter-actions. The cultural code contains the entire pool of thoughts, ideas, concepts, beliefs, customs, notions and feelings, which are shared by the members of a social unit.

We should ask the question, whether man can "die" a cultural death, before he dies a genetic death, as manifested by the disintegration of his body. Perhaps, you will object to this line of thought, because you have the impression, that such a discussion is meaningless and artificial. "Of course", you will say, "thoughts and notions, ideas and concepts come and go. We think about many different things, but, it would be nonsense to consider, that we suffer a "cultural death" every time we change our ideas and beliefs. Thinking is a random process of trial and error, where we look for the best ideas and most useful beliefs to help us formulate a viable behavioural response. Is this not comparable to the random motions of an animal organism, going here and there, looking for the best possible way to reach its objectives?"

Yes, you are quite right, and, we do not want to give the impression, that, changing an idea or belief is the same as suffering a "cultural death", but, even, when "changing a belief structure", we know, that we may be dealing with a fundamental change in our existence. Often, such a change is a painful process, leaving us confused and vulnerable, until we have found a more encompassing and broader belief-structure to guide our behaviour.

It seems justified to say, that the cohesiveness or organisation of our behaviour becomes unraveled, if such a structure of beliefs or guidance-pattern is becoming unstuck or defective. As a rule, our momentary thoughts and plans do not have a significant influence upon the organisation of our overall behaviour. Nevertheless, here, too, we see, that, people, who continuously change their momentary thoughs and ideas, show a rather haphazard and erratic pattern of behaviour, which, often, leads them into trouble.

We see, then, that most of our thoughts, ideas and plans are not as haphazard or disorganised as we may think, even, if we are not always aware of the underlying principles or structural organisation that binds them together. Certainly, we can adopt a deliberate attitude of "freely associating thoughts and mental images", but, we do so as an experiment to see what happens, and, we do not use these sequences as a guide for our behavioural choices.

Most people are reasonably well integrated into their environment, and, they perform adequately the tasks and challenges they face. These people are guided by concepts, beliefs, guidelines and attitudes that do not change from one moment to the next, in spite of the fact, that they may give themselves deliberately a margin of freedom in their thoughts and judgements, in order to make it possible to experiment with a variety of ideas and responses, especially, when searching for the best possible solution to an actual problem.

If we look at the more serious, long-term plans or tasks we may have taken-upon ourselves, (or, may have been given to us when accepting a position of responsibility), we see, that, most of these tasks and plans are structures of thought, forming a web of ideas and concepts that span a number of years. They were conceived, nurtured and modified, until they finally reached a stage of maturity, where they were given full recognition and were taken seriously. Eventually, however, even, the best conceived plans and the most efficiently organised tasks begin to show their age.

Initially, changing circumstances make it possible to amend or modify the details of a well worked-out plan, while leaving the basic structure intact, but, eventually, this adaptative process becomes unsatisfactory, and, it becomes necessary to design a new plan; to formulate a task anew; to re-structure an organisation from the ground up, and, we have then witnessed, and described, the "death" of a "cultural structure".

Certainly, the death of a plan or organisation does not mean, that the individuals involved will die as well, except under special circumstances, as we have described before.

It is important to note, here, that we all live our lives with the help of a variety of plans and dreams, as well as more socially oriented tasks and responsibilities. All our activities are based upon concepts and ideas that have been born, somewhere, in the past. These ideas and objectives have grown and found recognition, and they have functioned, or still function, as the cultural code for our personal amibitions, as well as the objectives of the organisations and social groupings we belong to.

Indeed, an important aspect we have to be aware of, is the role of the cultural code as an organising principle for the structure and function of a social grouping. All social groupings find their origin in an idea or a belief that has become widely accepted. It has become important enough to function as a behavioural regulator, and, an idea may become so powerful and overwhelming, that it is unquestionably adopted as an absolute truth, generation after generation.

The concept of a cultural code gives us an explanatory tool that is as important as the concept of a genetic code, whenever we try to capture the essence of human behaviour. However, we can also use this tool as an important conceptual link between the individual and the various social organisations one may belong to.

So far, we have merely traced the possibility, and the plausibility, of seeing the multi-individual organisation of a number of human individuals as a structure with some of the characteristics of a living entity, but, now, we can develop an even more compelling comparison between the existence of an individual and a multi-individual social entity, because the members of a social unit of human beings are linked together by a complex network of conscious, subconscious and conceptual lines of communication.

We all have a nearly irrepressible tendency to see our own existence as an "autonomous entity". Undoubtedly, this is largely due to the fact, that, those of us, who are most vocal and speak-out on matters of social and philosophical concern, have strong individualistic tendencies. Nevertheless, we all recognise the importance of social cohesion, mutual concerns, as well as attitudes of tolerance and trust in our relationships with each other. Even those, who are less individualistic in their thoughts and more apt to accept, wihout questioning, a commonly accepted point of view, will see themselves as independently existing, fully autonomous human beings, who are all entitled to a package of basic rights and essential equality.

We exist, so obviously, independently from each other, because each one of us can go his or her own way, and, it seems utter nonsense to question the fact, that the human being is an entity, described by the physical contours and outlines of his body. Yet, is such a view, indeed, justified, or, is it only partially true? I believe, that it is basically correct, so far as our physical existence is concerned, in spite of the fact, that this concepts minimises the mechanisms of inter-dependence in metabolic requirements. However, this point of view is certainly not correct, if we look at the existence of a human being in terms of his psychological experiences and the world of conscious awarenesses.

First of all, our physical independence is not nearly as autonomous as the sharp contours of our anatomical existence may suggest, because we all know, how dependent we are on the oxygen of the air, the food-stuffs of our environment, as well as the ability to get rid of our waste-products. However, our main emphasis, here, will be on the even more nebulous delineation of our existence, whenever we look at the realm of our experiences, ideas and concepts, notions and beliefs.

Do we not share all our concepts and word-symbols with people of the society we were born into and grew-up in? Did we not absorb all the words, ideas and beliefs from this cultural environment, or "pool", which is, somehow, formed and kept alive by the living members of a social environment? Are not our deepest emotions and feelings expressed in such a common "cultural currency", which we absorbed or assimilated from this social environment? Are the deepest emotions, and, even, the most private experiences of our existence not shared by all other people, who have the ability to reflect and express these feelings? What, then, is the essence of our individuality?

We share the drive of wanting to stay alive with all other living organisms, human and non-human beings alike, and, we share the ability to verbalise and conceptualise our awarenesses with other people, in every society. Would it be possible to survive without the social contacts of our environment? We certainly would not be able to talk, and, we would not be able to think, because thinking is, primarily, a process of talking to ourselves and carrying-on a dialogue in the mental imagery of our minds.

If we can not talk and think, we could not have any of the awarenesses we have, now, and, we would be so retarded in our development, in spite of a normal genetical heritage and a normally developed body and brain, that we would not know to be human, and, what is more, we would hardly be recognised as a human being by those, who have developed their mental potentials in the processes of social contacts and cultural assimilation.

If we are so dependent upon our contacts with the cultural pool, as well as the stimulation and protection provided by our parents and guardians; if we are so dependent upon a constant exposure to language and culturally determined behaviour-patterns of other people, and, if we can only think as a dialogue, and communicate by exchanging cultural symbols with other people in our environment, how, then, can we maintain, in all sincerity, that we are an entity that is strictly defined by the existence of our body?

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Chapter 9

Content

We represent individual pillars of organic existence.
Existential drives are "welling-up" from this pillar of physical existence.
I am the "giver of life" to my sphere of conscious awarenesses.
Overlapping reality perceptions.
A return to the social unit as a living organism.
"Viral existence"; fractional regulators that are embedded in organic existence.
A parallel with ideas and concepts, seen as fractional regulators in the realm of psychological existence.
Cultural guidelines can be "clothed" with an actualised organisation.
Analysing discrepancies in the rate of growth and decline of living organisms.
Youngsters, and their social environment.
Consequences of a failure to absorb the life-giving cultural code of the social environment.
Cumulative cultural defects.
The death of a cultural code.

It is more realistic to visualise our existence in the psychological sphere of awarenesses, concepts, ideas and notions, as a web, where each individual forms a nucleus or a "pillar of biological existence", made possible by the organic existence of our body and brain. The boundaries of this existence blur into a transitional zone and slide, imperceptibly, into the psychological sphere of someone else. The entire cultural pool of ideas, language symbols, beliefs, attitudes and other behavioural regulators, is contained within this web of psychological existence, and, we see, also, how the sharpness of definition, and, even, the existence of a concept or idea, depends upon a constant dialogue or communication between the individual pillars of organic existence.

It is indeed justified to say, that the sphere of our awarenesses extends around us and forms the world in which we live. Psychologically, we experience to be the center and origin of this sphere of awarenesses. We also notice, that our behaviour is strongly influenced by a number of primary, existential drives that "well-up", so to speak, from this pillar of organic existence. These drives have been shaped by millions of years of organic-genetic evolution. At the periphery of this sphere of awarenesses or psychological existence, we can be aware of a sphere or space without bounds, which is populated by numerous other people, each with their own center, or pillar, of organic existence.

All existence I am aware of, or, anyone else can be aware of, is contained within this sphere of awarenesses. It has me at its center, and, I am also the originator, or "giver of life", to this sphere of awarenesses, because it disappears without a trace, if I am not conscious, or, do not exist anymore.

We see numerous other individuals with their own spheres of awarenesses, somewhere in this space of our individual reality perceptions. By extrapolation and inference, we know, that, each one of them is also the center of their particular sphere of awarenesses, and, we know, that I become a "speck of existence", somewhere in their periphery, just as these people are a speck of existence in the periphery of my sphere of awarenesses.

While I may have the impression, that all observable reality is centered around me, and, that I am the origin and reason for the existence of all my awarenesses, I know, also, that each living and thinking human being has a sphere of reality perceptions or awarenesses that is just as much centered around his or her being and existential requirements, as my sphere of reality perceptions and awarenesses is centered around my own existence and existential requirements.

This awareness forms the basis for the concept, that reality is a relative experience, and, that we can only look for a common denominator in the overlapping of reality spheres. Therefore, it is futile to search for a reality that is "absolute" and independently true; unrelated to the existence of me or other human beings.

Let us resist the temptation to elaborate, here, the concept of a relativistic reality perception, because we have done so many times before. Here, we only want to emphasise the fact, that our individual existence appears relatively independent, autonomous and sharply defined, whenever we look at our physical existence, but, our psychological spheres of existence merge with each other, and, often, overlap to a considerable extent.

The entire cultural code with its pool of concepts, ideas and beliefs is supported and elaborated by this psychological web of inter-dependent existence, where each one of us forms a pillar of organic existence for its support, making possible this web of psychological existence and sphere of awarenesses. Our genetic code determines and shapes this pillar of organic existence, but, it also influences our reality perceptions and behaviour-patterns through the physiological mechanisms of body and mind. Behaviour is determined by our organic existence with its existential requirements, as well as the cultural regulators, which are primarily geared to ensure a mutually acceptable behaviour in a state of social integration.

We also want to re-iterate the concept, that all the larger social organisations are guided by a cultural code, or a series of ideas, concepts and beliefs. It seems reasonable to view social organisations, therefore, as structures that exhibit, in many ways, the characteristics of a living organism, and, occasionally, a social organisation of human beings becomes coherent and complex enough to show definite signs of a "personality", or a "behavioural entity".

Often, a social organisation, as well as its level of integration, is too primitive, and, too tentative, to show convincing evidence for a personality of its own. Yet, even so, we can usually trace the phenomena of birth, growth, maturity, senescence and decay in such a social organisation, mirroring, closely, the life-cycles of living organisms. These features are an indication of the "living nature" of a social organism, as well as its progress towards becoming a behavioural entity.

Finally, we want to mention, briefly, the concept, that many individual ideas, goals and beliefs are also showing characteristics of life, in the sense, that they have been born and will eventually die; that they come and go, and, that they find many different levels of strength and viability during the time of their existence. Many of these ideas and concepts, however, are so tentative and short-lived, that, they, too, seem to exist at the borderline between living and non-living existence. They can be compared to "viral organisms" in the pillar of biological existence, which are also on the border between living and non-living existence.

If concepts, ideas and beliefs are extra-ordinarily successful, they start to function as the guiding and organising principles of a social organisation. This represents, in essence, a link between individual and multi-individual existence, formed by "cultural structures". These cultural structures can be "clothed" with an actual organisation, such as a Church, a social Movement, or a political Party.

One of the most obvious discrepancies between individual members and the society as a whole, comes to the fore, whenever the overall structure of society is decaying rapidly and exists in a state of "near-death". Since most members are far from a state of near-death, they are scurrying for shelter, as they experience the break-down of the larger society around them. Smaller sub-groupings, such as ethnic and regional leaderships become more important, because they take-over the tasks of providing security and survival for the members. These tasks were initially, the prerogative of the larger society, but, they are now taken-over by regional leaderships or sub-groupings of the former social entity.

With the rise in the autonomy of sub-groupings, (which were previously subjugated to the higher authority of the central State or the overall political leadership of the larger society), we see, at the same time, a rise in militant attitudes and a tendency for armed conflict to break-out between these sub-groupings, because they were, usually, forced together in an atmosphere of grudging tolerance by a central authority that has now disintegrated and largely disappeared. In many historical and contemporary examples, we see, therefore, quite clearly, how profoundly the members of a society are affected, when a large, centralised State starts to decay.

While these disastrous and spectacular developments are quite well known to most of us, we should not forget to look at the more subtle tensions and pressures arising from a discrepancy in the rates of growth or the state of development between individuals and groupings in general, or, between a specific individual and the social group a person belongs to. Youngsters, growing-up in their social environments, are developing and changing quickly, while the status of their development is still more "immature" than the status of the society into which they have been born. This is the reason, why a wise and mature society can accomodate for this discrepancy in growth-rate and stage of development, and, it usually sets aside special institutions to guide the development of its youngsters.

If a society forgets this task, or, if the adult members lose the insight that it is important to manage, consciously, the discrepancies between a society and its youngsters, serious troubles will soon come to the fore. The youngsters are not guided, and they become frustrated and confused. The educational program becomes meaningless. The young people begin to exploit all sorts of opportunities to carry-out mischievous and criminal activities, and, they mature into confused adults, who have failed to master the essential knowledge and expertise, so necessary to keep their societies healthy, whenever the time has come for them to take-over the leadership functions of their society.

The failure of the younger generations to absorb the life-giving cultural code of their social environment, marks the beginning of a rapid decline of this social entity, because this generation will, now, be even more incapable of teaching its own youngsters when compared with the deficiencies of its parents. These mechanisms are the root-cause of a process of rapid cultural decay and social demise, but, we should not forget, that it is advantageous to have a measure of flexibility in the way the cultural code is transferred from one generation to the next.

If the code is handed-down too rigidly to the younger generations, we see a well-developed sense of awe and respect for this code, but, the quality of understanding and a sense of affinity for the cultural code begins to disappear. Man's behaviour becomes, then, formal and ritualistic, where he goes through complex motions in order to assure himself that he is behaving correctly. However, there is an atmosphere of fear and non-comprehension, if the code is so rigid, stark and awe-inspiring. Such a rigid code loses, quickly, its relevance, because it can not adapt to changing circumstances, and this leads to rising tensions and anxieties.

If the situation of a society becomes precarious and severely stressful, this rigid code may become a cruel and monstrous ritual, where the rate of emotional investment is raised continuously, in a subconscious effort to remain a true believer in this difficult and incomprehensible cultural or religious code.

However, if such a society finds a measure of prosperity, the self-confidence of the people may be sufficient to allow a measure of "neglect", but, such a neglect may come to haunt people with feelings of guilt, as soon as the situation becomes again more difficult. Then, the code may, either, be adapted quickly in a rapid spurt of evolutionary change, or, it is rejected and replaced by other cultural or religious structures.

Sometimes, an entire cultural code dies, e.g. when a society is absorbed into a larger social structure, and, then, the forced contacts with other societies may show the intellectual difficulties and emotional short-comings of an out-moded cultural code.

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Chapter 10

Content

A fortuitous mix of stability and flexibility.
When we forget the reasons for belonging together.
Adult generations in a crumbling society.
When the forces of decay take-on a "will" of their own.
Consequences of disparities in rates of development.
Evolving goal-patterns; from hero-worship to abstract ideals.
Contributing, unwittingly, to the attitudes and mechanisms of decay.
We have a long way to go, before we can forestall the mechanisms of decay with an act of the collective will.

The alert, vigorous and wise society has, therefore, by definition, a cultural code that is in tune with the circumstances and conditions of existence. This cultural code is emotionally and intellectually satisfying, and, it is understood by most members. It can be smoothly adapted, because it is efficiently transmitted to the younger generations with the right mix of authority and flexibility. A wise, alert and vigorous society is able to channel the energies of its young people into productive activities. It has a meaningful curriculum of education, and, it can promote a sense of responsibility, cooperation and good-will.

Such a society will not neglect the problems that come to the fore, whenever their young people fail to understand the meaning of what they have been asked to learn. Their young people are not left in isolation from the rest of society, neglected and looked-upon with a measure of suspicion as unwelcome competitors, whenever they are ready to enter the work-force.

Here, we see some of the tragic short-comings of the affluent societies of today, where youngsters are neglected, defectively educated and poorly integrated into society, after they have finished their schooling and training. The young people are educated in a spirit of fierce competitiveness, where the frame-work of ethical ground-rules, designed to keep this competitive spirit in bounds, is slowly crumbling. The modern, affluent societies are completely neglecting to teach their youngsters the reasons for the existence of a social unit, because the adults themselves do not know, what society is all about. If the members of society have lost the knowledge and insight, why they belong together, the viability of this cultural code is seriously undermined, and society will soon crumble into chaos.

We see, then, how many problems in society, in particular the tensions between the younger and older generations, are due to the fact, that the cultural code is being transmitted defectively; that the older generations, as well as the society as a whole, are beginning to neglect the tensions between a young, fast-growing and vigorous generation, and a slowly crumbling, egocentric, inefficient and somewhat corrupt establishment.

We have to put the blame, squarely, on the adult generations of such a crumbling society, in spite of the fact, that they themselves may have been victims of a defectively transmitted cultural code. After all, the hallmark of maturity is the assumption of responsibility for one's actions and attitudes, and, we can not keep blaming our parents for their mistakes and short-comings. We have to find the energy, and, we have to develop the initiatives, to make our own decisions, and, to correct what we find wrong in society, but, to a future student of history, these events will appear just as they appear to us, when we look at the historical developments of previous generations.

Indeed, we know, that it is virtually impossible to restore a cultural code, after it has become defective. Very few people are able to pull themselves up by their boot-straps, and, a majority of adults will continue to perform defectively, whenever they have been reared defectively. Therefore, the course of history, the deterioration of a cultural code, and the unraveling of society, seem to take place independently from the efforts and influences of the collective human will. These events seem to take-on a life of their own, determining the fate of millions upon millions of people, who sit there, watching, helplessly, but without understanding what is going-on.

Yet, it does not have to be this way, because, after all, we have the potential of making a viable, collective choice, just like any other organism. However, we have to make sure, that the social structure becomes, indeed, competent enough to generate and support such an intelligent collective choice. It is certainly possible, that, human societies, and, perhaps, even, humanity as a whole, will become the masters of their own destiny, rather than a victim of an inexorable course of cultural decay.

Indeed, societies that pay much more attention to the need to maintain the quality of their cultural or ideological core, have a better chance to determine their own destiny with a collective choice. If we want to preserve human life on earth for many generations to come, we will all have to work hard towards a rapid increase in the number of societies and peoples, which are are able to preserve their cultural code with careful management and conscious decision-making.

However, let us go back to the focal point of our discussion, and, let us look at other discrepancies we can see in growth-rates or states of development. The discrepancies between youngsters and their society are unavoidable, and, they can be beneficial, if the adult society provides adequate opportunities and educational guidance to absorb the vital energies of its youngsters. The rate of change will always be greater in those youngsters than in the society at large, unless society happens to slide into a catastrophic collapse, or a period of intense warfare.

By and large, the rate of change in society is nearly absent, compared to the rate of change of its youngsters, and, even, after these youngsters reach adulthood and become integrated members of society, as well as parents and teachers themselves, we still see, that the rate of change between an individual and his society remains vastly different.

The individual continues towards the stages of late maturity, senescence, decay and death, usually, long before the society as a whole follows the same path. These discrepancies give rise to tensions for most people, throughout their lives. When we are young, lucky enough to be well-fed and well-educated, we develop vigorously, and, because of the greater stage of development of the society in which we live, our goal-patterns are relatively easily formulated. Perhaps, these goals are not formulated in an abstract sense, where we want to pursue high ideals of achievement or behavioural standards, but, we identify with our heroes; people, whose behaviour and achievements we want to imitate.

Later, we recognise, that the achievements and circumstances are unique for each individual, and, we realise, that we are different from our heroes. These differences in personality, characteristics and circumstances will make it imposible to duplicate, exactly, the examples of our heroes, but, on the other hand, we discover possibilities of achievement and individualisation which are uniquely ours. Then, we begin to formulate goal-patterns that are more in line with abstract principles, rather than the imitation of someone's achievements or behaviour-patterns.

As we become adolescents and reach the stage of early maturity, we tend to become somewhat disappointed with our society and the behaviour of people we looked-up to as examples of authority and benevolence. We see, increasingly, the frailties, weaknesses, vagaries and unevenness of the performance of people in responsible positions, and, we tend to busy ourselves in a particular field of expertise, our hobbies, our family, our property. We spend our energies, mainly, to safeguard our own existence, or, to safeguard the security of a small group of dependents and close relatives, and, we become less enthousiastic and concerned about the rest of society.

Of course, we are, then, unwittingly, contributing to the decay of our social environment, because we tend to forget, that we become just as much an object of disappointment and suspicion in the eyes of others on account of our own lack-luster performance and lack of loyalty to the tasks we are responsible for. We are just as likely to become an object of disappointment and disillusionment for others, as others have contributed towards the rising cynicism and distrust of ourselves.

Again, we see, how a vicious cycle of cultural decay develops, if a significant portion of the adult population becomes narrow, suspicious and egocentric in its outlook, and, the cumulative effects of distrust, poor performance and questionable loyalties eat-away at the core of our social viability. Yet, how are we going to prevent such a vicious circle of events?

We have to keep the awareness alive of the reasons, why society exists. We have to make sure, that, all segments of the population benefit from belonging to society, and, we have to make sure, that the sense of justice, as well as the integrity of the leadership and the governing bureaucracy, is being maintained with a high level of transparence and scrutiny.

However, we have a long way to go, before a sufficient number of people will have become aware of the need to install these safeguards against cultural decay, and, until such time, it will not be possible to prevent or reverse the processes of cultural decay with an act of the collective will.

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Chapter 11

Content

The privilege of getting older in a healthy social environment.
Transferring our hopes and ideals to the younger generations.
Letting-go of a position of responsibility and contribution.
Why we may adopt an unwarranted outlook of pessimism or despair.
Correcting effects that result from a discrepancy in the rate of growth.
A mosaic of different stages of development.
The commercial enterprise, seen as a living unit; a discussion.
Enlarging the sphere of needs and wants by "advertising".
People had just freed themselves from the tyranny of a wealthy clerical and aristocratic elite during the French Revolution, only to be captured by the social upheavals and disparities of the Industrial Revolution.

Even, if society is functioning reasonably well, many sensitive and reflective individuals will feel a moment of tension and frustration, as they grow older and experience a rapid decline in their powers and vitality. This deterioration is somewhat frightening, because we did not realise, how quickly we could lose contact with the mainstream of society. The discrepancy between a still vigorous society and an ageing individual, is apparent to most people, and, they will, eventually, be able to accept the biological fact, that they are getting older, and, that they have to make place for the younger generations.

Many people are able to do so quite willingly, if they can place their hopes and expectations in the younger generations. However, if we have neglected these younger generations; if we have failed to give them an adequate understanding of the most pressing problems society is faced with, we have little reason to be confident about the future, and, we dread the moment we have to relinquish our positions and powers. We, ourselves, are to blame, then, because there is no reason to believe, that the younger generations are any different from ourselves or our ancestors.

We are often caught by feelings of anxiety and suspicion, not so much, because we have reasons to fear for the future of our society, but, because we can not admit to ourselves, that our role is coming to an end. It is difficult to admit to ourselves, that other people can do our job and perform our tasks just as well as we can, even, if they seem to approach these jobs and tasks in a way that is new and horrifying to us. Inexperience may lead to a temporary deterioration in the quality of a performance, or, the care with which tasks are carried-out, but, a new approach may also bring a renewed measure of flexibility and vitality to a task, which had become somewhat rigid and routine in our hands.

Indeed, it is nearly impossible for anyone approaching old-age to know, whether or not we should interpret these changes in a positive light, and be glad that we can hand-over the responsibilities of leadership, or, should we look at these changes negatively, and be fearful for our future and our social environment. Let us do our best to be objective, but, let us also acknowledge, that the final judgement will not come until much later, when future historians have a good, cold look at the performance of their ancestors. We should also acknowledge, that, we, as well as our youthful challengers, will be lumped together, unceremoniously, as "ancestors", and we may not, even, be distinguished clearly, or judged separately, from each other.

There is another example of a discrepancy in status of development, or rate of change, between an individual and his social environment. A reflective and informed individual will inevitably acquire a perspective and a depth of understanding during the later stages of his maturity, which outstrips and outperforms the opinions of many people around him. This discrepancy in the level of insight between himself and his social environment may lead to an unwarranted pessimistic outlook upon society, as well as the trends that are visible within this society. This is similar to the tendency of wise and concerned parents to judge the behaviour of their off-spring sometimes inadvertently harshly, whenever they judge their children according to their own status of insight and development, rather than the status of development of their offspring.

The truly wise and reflective individual will realise, at least, intuitively, that these discrepancies exist, and, he will take them into account. The intelligent individual will also realise, that the "larger society" is, in reality, a complex conglomerate of numerous people, groupings, trends and developments, which all have their own life-cycle with widely diverging positions of development and varying rates of change. These discrepancies in status and rate of change are responsible for many, if not most, of the tensions we can observe in society.

We see, everywhere, how the young and vigorous members clash with the older, more established members, regardless of the grouping we may want to look at. We see it in the religious groupings, the churches, the political Parties, the unions, the professional organisations, special-interest groupings, regional and local hierarchies, ethnic and cultural societies, the schools and universities, the bureaucracies of government and business, etc., etc. We see, everywhere, a mosaic of different stages of development, different rates of growth, as well as different tolerances for renewal and flexibility. Some of these institutions, groupings or ideas are near collapse, others are just forming and are tentatively exploring their possibilities of existence.

Perhaps, we see the resemblance with a living organism nowhere as clearly as in the social unit of the commercial enterprise, or the business organisation. Here, the rules of competition introduce a clear-cut element of "natural selection", and, the similarities between the evolution of business enterprises and the living species' of nature, are so striking, that we should consider them for a moment, in spite of the fact, that we have done so before. I agree with you, if you object, that we are dealing, then, only indirectly with a comparison of growth-rates and stages of development.

The business enterprise is a good example, how an idea or concept can become a highly viable and independently existing living organisation, and, it shows us, also, a good example of the concept, that ideas and concepts may form transitional entities of existence between those of the individual human being and the multi-individual social unit. An enterprise is based, first of all, on the perception, that a certain activity, (be it the manufacture of an item, the provision of a particular service, or the transportation of goods from one place to another), is going to be useful to other people. This activity has to be useful, and, other people must be willing to pay a certain price for the commodity or service. The crux of a successful business enterprise is, first of all, the perception of a "need" for a service or product, felt by others, and, the need for "profitability", felt by the enterprising individuals. These factors have a profound influence on the motivations and attitudes of those engaged in a business-enterprise.

There are only a few good business ideas, because the needs of people do not change much from year to year, or, from one generation to the next. In order to try to "break through" this "limitation", (fortunately, we have only a limited number of needs), free-enterprisers have tried, from the beginning, but, especially, in our modern era of mass-communications and advertising techniques, to enlarge, artificially, the number of human needs. Actually, our "needs" remain the same, but, in times of leisure and prosperity, man is always tempted to enlarge the range and extent of his "wants".

While we have a rather limited number of basic, physiological needs, our wants, appetites and desires can be stimulated and enlarged to a nearly unlimited extent, and, clever enterprisers and their advertising experts have exploited this domain of wants, desires and appetites in a ruthless manner, largely, with disastrous results.

Initially, these efforts to stimulate our wants seemed rather innocuous, as we were, by and large, firmly in the grip of religious, ethical and practical restraints against excessive indulgence. The absence of serious pollution problems and resource scarcities seemed to justify an attitude of tolerance, or, even, an active encouragement towards consumerism and economic expansion. Yet, all the negative factors of the trends towards consumerism and rapid economic growth have now come clearly to the fore, and, as a result, the advertising campaigns to stimulate our appetites and levels of consumption have become detrimental to those who indulge, obscene for those who are impoverished, and highly unjust for everyone else. Unfortunately, employment in affluent societies has come to rely, increasingly, upon such unnecessary or harmful business activities and consumerist appetites.

The stimulation of appetites has led to a gross exaggeration of egocentric behaviour-patterns, just at a time, when we have to be careful with our resources and the environment, and, just at a time that it has become more necessary than ever before, to think about the disastrous disparities between the rich and the poor. Therefore, the advertising techniques have become remarkably anti-social in their effects upon the world, while, at the same time, the peoples of the affluent nations have become increasingly dependent upon these business trends and activities.

However, this does not mean, that all enterprising activities have to be abandoned or suppressed. On the contrary, we are going to need highly enterprising people, who can deal with the needs and problems of our social environments and individual existence in the near future. What we have to change, however, is the orientation, or the motivation, for such enterprising activities.

In essence, the business-venture starts-out as a purely egocentric activity, because it sells, trades, manufactures or provides a service from which it can profit. As profits and assets grow, the enterprisers become more powerful, and, this allows them to expand their business enterprises and attract more people to work for them. It also allows the owners to live in a greater degree of luxury and affluence, and, inevitably, they begin to exert more political power in their social environment.

With the ability of man to make machines and fuel them with a variety of energy-releasing petro-chemicals, it became possible to expand the amount of consumer goods and complex construction projects to an unprecedented level. Mechanisation provided the opportunity to free ourselves from the necessity of carrying-out back-breaking chores, but, at the same time, it provided an opportunity for the clever and the powerful to get fabulously rich.

People had just freed themselves from the tyranny of a wealthy clerical and land-owning aristocracy during the French Revolution, only to be captured, again, by the social upheavals and injustices associated with the Industrial Revolution.

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Chapter 12

Content

Cash-flows and maintenance costs.
Advertising; a specialised business-enterprise.
The art of remaining competitive.
Trying to secure a position of power through a monopoly or political infuence.
The trend towards corporate gigantism.
Mergers and take-overs.
An atmosphere of cynicism and despair.
For every trend we notice, there are others that seem to contradict our observations and conclusions.
Generalising about society is difficult and treacherous.
A walk in the garden.
A conglomerate of contradictory impulses.
Questions about the validity of comparing living entities with different rates of growth.
A reason for diverging reality perceptions and goal-patterns.
A summary of what we have been trying to do.

A business-enterprise behaves very much like a living organism. It needs a continuous supply of "energy", or "cash", just like a living cell, because, it too, has steady "maintenance costs" to support its organisation. A business-enterprise has to have the ability to purchase its raw materials and machinery, to pay its employees, and to be able to stockpile and transport its finished products.

Just like a living organism, a business-enterprise is nearly always looking for new sources of energy, or "food", as it looks hungrily at the spending powers of a wage-earning public. It has to watch, continuously, its output of manufactured products, in order to make sure, that people buy them in sufficient quantities to secure this all-important flow of cash-income.

If a business does not have a monopoly, (when people have no choice but to buy its products), it has to be alert, and, it has to make sure, that it is not being out-manoeuvered by its competitors. In an effort to boost its sales, it wants to draw attention to itself and make its products attractive. This is done through a publicity campaign in the public media. The activity of "advertising" has become a highly technical and cut-throat endeavour, and most businesses now sub-contract their advertising requirements to specialised enterprises.

If the public's taste starts to change, a company has to change its products, and a business-enterprise has to look, constantly, at all angles of its performance in order to remain in business. It has to make sure, that its products remain competitively priced by streamlining production methods, by cutting unnecessary costs, by cleverly securing raw materials at a low price; by ensuring good workmanship from its labour-force, also, at a reasonably low cost; by appealing to as large a segment of the population as possible, and, by looking for new markets in other nations.

However, there are other mechanisms for a business to enhance its security. It can try to own the industries that supply the raw materials, or the retail outlets that sell its finished products. It can also try to eliminate competitors, either by squeezing them into bankruptcy, or, by a process of mergers and take-overs.

Just like any living organism, the business never likes a situation of cut-throat, nerve-wracking competition. It wants a situation of ease and comfort, with a security of income and a certainty of sales. Therefore, every business will look for ways to lessen competitive pressures, and, in our modern era of mechanisation, industrialisation and sophisticated networks of computers and communications, there is a trend for a business-enterprise to become very large, or, even, multi-national in scope, while it becomes monopolistic and inscrutable in its behaviour.

We can not blame the multi-national corporations for the tendency to become extremely powerful, monopolistic and politically influential organisations, because it is a natural way to enhance their viability. In many ways, the political leaderships and government bureaucracies have been left far behind in the quality of their organisation, when compared to the lean and efficient, highly complex, but well-organised organisations of multi-national enterprises.

In most societies, the public is hardly aware of what has been happening. People are primarily concerned with the ability to find work and earn money, in order to buy the products that the advertisers have taught them to want. Consumer products, advertising campaigns, as well as many of the work opportunities are, now, under the control of these very large, multi-national corporations and international business conglomerates. This trend has destroyed, in essence, most of the principles that lie behind the concepts of "free-enterprise" and true competitiveness.

However, we do not want to enter, here, upon a discussion of the merits and disadvantages of the free-enterprise system. We want to show, how a business behaves like a living organism. We have seen, how it needs a continuous flow of energy, or cash, in order to "stay alive". We have seen, how it needs to be flexible and vigilant, reacting appropriately to changing circumstances, and, as we know, these circumstances are always changing. Enterprises grow and become strong in order to become less vulnerable to competitive pressures, and the smaller enterprises may then be "swallowed up" in a predatory act of take-over or merger.

Business-enterprises tend to stake-out a territory in which they do not allow a competitor to operate. They can multiply, if they become successful, establishing a large number of "chains" or daughter operations, which are organised by a "head office". We notice, how vulnerable business enterprises become to a slump in sales, especially, if they have grown lazy, fat, large and inefficient, but, we see, also, how the continuous pressures to remain lean and efficient may create conditions of exploitation and hardship for individual people, or small groups, who work for these large business-enterprises.

Large business-ventures become, inevitably, politically influential, in spite of the fact, that this political influence is usually hidden, leading to poorly visible pressures upon political leaders. All these developments make the intelligent citizen of the affluent societies cynical about any real influence an individual may have on one's democratically elected government.

If we look at a number of business-enterprises around us, we see, how they all differ in the stage of their development, in their size and complexity, as well as their rates of change. A business may be in a stage of vigorous growth, of near-stagnation in maturity, or, it may be in a stage of gradual decay and deterioration, when old-age, corruption, incompetence and complacency have replaced the pioneering spirit of the founding fathers.

Business-enterprises all differ in the stage of their development, just like all other organisms, and, these differing levels of effectiveness and vitality, the contrasting aspects of vigour and decay, the opposite trends of growth and decline, make it so difficult to talk, accurately and convincingly, about the "society as a whole". For every trend we notice, there are others that seem to contradict our observations, and, the entire field of generalising about society is difficult and treacherous.

This is one of the reasons, why we considered it useful to explore the possibilities of analysing the society as a large grouping of more or less viable organisms, which are all in different phases of their life-cycle and in different stages of development.

There is no end to the examples of different life-cycles, different stages of development, or, different rates of growth. A walk in the garden shows us a myriad of organisms. Most of them exist in a complex web of ecological inter-dependencies, yet, each one is unfolding its existence according to the instructions of its genetic coding, and, according to the possibilities given by environmental conditions.

Our own organic existence is made-up by a community of cells in varying stages of growth, development and rates of change, and, mentally, we exist as a collection of psychological images, notions and emotions. We are not as indivisible a unit as we like to think. We all have experienced the confusing pull of contradictory drives and contrasting tendencies, have we not? This is particularly noticeable, if we are going through a difficult time.

Is not the crux of our conscious existence the fact, that we need a sophisticated evaluating apparatus in order to evaluate the relative importance of our contradictory sense impressions? Is it, therefore, strange to consider ourselves as a conglomerate of differing impulses, drives, goals and ambitions, each with their own particular life-cycle, rate of growth and decay, as well as their own particular status of development?

Certainly, we are, far more often, aware of ourselves as a behavioural unit, rather than as a conglomerate of contrasting and diverging trends and tendencies, but, if we look at ourselves, closely, in particular, when we have difficulties finding an appropriate response to the many challenges we face, we will come to the conclusion, that it is fairly accurate to see ourselves as a community of diverging psychological impulses and tendencies, as well as a community of cells and organ-systems.

Indeed, our cellular existence seems to be a much more coherent and synchronised society than the conglomerate of impulses, drives and goal-patterns we experience in the world of psychological existence. Our cells are so inter-dependent, that they all die whenever the unity of our physical existence has come to an end. However, we see, also, that many cells in our body come and go during our existence, and, this means, that, many of the cells taking part in our physical configuration, have a much shorter life-cycle than the community of cells as a whole, and, we see, here, another parallel between the existence of our body as a community of cells, and, our social environment as an organisation of individual human beings.

I would not be surprised, if you still had some doubts about the validity or usefulness of analysing the events around us, and within us, as a conglomerate of many different living entities, each with their own particular rate of growth or stage of development. It seems, that we lose touch with an already complex reality, and, you may argue, that we need a principle of understanding that will increase our mastery, not lessen it.

I sympathesise with your feelings, and, I too, would like to see a quick and easy way to grasp the complexities around us, but, we often have to explore, patiently, a particular way of looking at reality, before we can see any obvious practical benefit in doing so. I think, that it is already possible to see a few benefits, as well as a few clarifications in the complexity of social and individual existence, when considering the phenomena of existence as manifestations of living organisms in varying phases of their life-cycle.

For example, we can interpret, at least, some of the difficulties in the communications between generations as the result of a difference in the rate of growth and the status of development of living human beings. These fundamental differences in the phase of a life-cycle and rate of development give rise to important differences in the reality perceptions and goal-patterns of people or groups of people.

Certainly, we can not explain, blandly, all the reasons for the differences in perception, or the clashes between generations, as a result of diverging rates of growth and varying stages of development. Often, there is a simple clash of existential interests, which is, after all, the most common and obvious reason for a clash between living organisms. However, a lack of understanding and appreciation for each other's point of view or goal-pattern, is certainly aggravated by the discrepancies we have discussed, and, it is certainly possible, that a seemingly unavoidable head-on clash between two strong-willed and stubborn parties can be defused, or be put into a much broader perspective of understanding, if we apply the principles of analysis that have been the subject of discussion in this essay.

Our primary aim is to interpret the behaviour of human beings as a result of the fact, that they are living organisms, and, that they share basic existential drives and needs. As a refinement of this biological approach to the phenomena of human behaviour, we have introduced the idea, that numerous discrepancies between the life-cycles of the various organisms have to be taken into account. We have explored, extensively, the reasons for considering the social organisation as a living organism. We have discussed the merits, as well as the difficulties, that are associated with such an approach, and, we have seen, that, one of the most important benefits of applying the principles of life to the social organisation, is the clarity it brings to many facts and facets of history and contemporary social existence.

The biological approach to the analysis of society shows us, why certain functions take place smoothly; why others are stagnating; why some social structures may be crumbling, while others are gaining in vitality and importance. If we see the social organisation of people, be it large or small, as an expression of the fact, that a certain cultural code or regulator has found a great deal of resonance, we see a bridge between the psychological inter-wovenness of human beings and the apparently separate and independent existence of the physical organism.

.......

Chapter 13

Content

A review of the topics that have been discussed.
Human survival is bound to the preservation of a viable cultural code.
Physical and psychological spheres of existence.
Egocentric drives.
The reasons for adopting a relativistic approach to the perception of reality.
Acknowledging each other as "specks" in the periphery of each other's sphere of awarenesses.
An apparent undermining of existential needs.
The wasted energies of a fierce competitiveness.
The price of ignorance about psychological and existential mechanisms.
We are still "too emotional" in our decisions and reactions.
Let us explore the possibilities of comprehension and insight.
The potential to give the species of mankind a few more million years of existence.

I believe, that it is useful to approach the existence of ourselves from such an unconventional point of view, because it recognises the common roots we all share as participants in, and carriers of, the human gene-pool, as well as the cultural web that penetrates our social environment. It emphasises the idea, that our organic physical existence is the pillar upon which all psychological phenomena rest.

Without this large number of living pillars, or living members of the human society, the entire realm of awarenesses, ideas, concepts, explanations or reality perceptions, would not be possible. All conscious awarenesses are, therefore, dependent upon the existence of intact biological structures, which have been given the possibility, or the "anlage", to form such a sphere of mental or psychological awareness and inter-wovenness. We have seen, that the ability of psychological awareness rests on the "neurological computer", the brain, which has been constructed under the guidance of the genetic code.

The genetic code has been shaped over many hundreds of millions of years by the forces of natural selection, and, we can say, therefore, that our realm of mental or conscious existence is given, genetically, as a possibility that can be developed and explored under suitable circumstances. Yet, without such "suitable" circumstances, virtually nothing of these potentials can be actualised. Indeed, survival in a natural setting is not possible, anymore, for the human being, without the supporting functions of an intact cultural code.

As we have discussed before, the cultural code is a much more varied, variable and vulnerable structure than the genetic code, because it depends, largely, on "instructions", or, processes of secondary transfer, where knowledge, information and attitudes have to be transmitted, carefully, from one generation to the next. The human being can not hope to survive, and, is incapable of forming conscious awarenesses, unless the organic pillar of his bodily existence is integrated with this web of psychological or cultural existence.

We see, also, that the apparent physical independence of the human body does not find a parallel in his psychological or mental existence. Indeed, we have come to realise, that this physical independence is more an illusion than a reality, as soon as we learned, how vulnerable we were to an interruption of our oxygen or energy-supplies, or, to a deterioration of the physical environment.

Even in our psychological sphere of existence, we get the impression, that we are far more independent and autonomous than we really are, because so many of our actions, thoughts, emotions and feelings are centered around our particular existence by egocentric and existential drives. These egocentric drives place our own existence, squarely, at the center of our concerns, and, they form the basis for our sense of importance.

We realise, much less clearly, to what extent we depend for all these conscious awarenesses upon the "cultural currency" of our social environment. This cultural currency is represented by the concepts, ideas and language-symbols we have absorbed from our enviroment, and use primarily for our own benefit. Yet, these instruments are a cultural legacy, and not a product of our own existence.

We know, that the sphere of our awarenesses has to have our own existence at its center, because, the existence of such a sphere of awareness has been made possible by the organic existence of us as a living human individual. At the periphery of our awareness-sphere, we seem to merge with the awarenesses of countless other people, or, even, whole groups and entire nations. We all share, in essence, the same concepts and ideas, and, we see numerous, small "specks of individual existence" in the periphery of our sphere of conscious awarenesses.

In spite of this simple observation and logical conclusion, we seem to have a difficult time acknowledging, that our own center of awareness, so important to us, is only a speck of existence to someone else, just as they are a speck of existence for us. The reason, why it is difficult to see this obvious relativity of importance in view-point and existential concerns, lies in the "centering" effect of our existential drives. Our biological heritage tells us, that "we" are the important consideration, and, that the rest is only a "periphery". It seems, therefore, useless and self-defeating to try to place ourselves in the position of someone we see at the periphery of our field of vision. Such an act or attitude seems to undermine the sense of self-importance, which is the central motivation of our behaviour, and provides the drive to fulfill our existential requirements.

Certainly, existentially speaking, such an attitude of relativation is not very useful. However, it may become very significant, if our goal is not, primarily, an emotional or instinctive drive to survive as an individual. The drive to individual survival is sharpened, of course, under conditions of existential competitiveness, but, if we try to form a broad perspective; if we try to form a large-scale understanding and reality perception, especially, if we do so as a means to secure a long-term form of collective survival, such a relativistic approach may be very useful; not only, for ourselves, but, for everyone else as well, because we realise, then, intuitively or consciously, that it is so much easier to survive collectively in an attitude of cooperation than it is to survive, individually, through the mechanisms of competitive strife.

Look at all the energy we waste competing with each other! Besides becoming an unacceptable waste of energy, as well as an unacceptable burden of suffering and misery, competitive strife has a real chance of becoming a collective suicide, because the toll of all-out strife is getting so high, that, both sides in a situation of armed conflict, as well as the rest of humanity, may suffer a fatal decline in the ability to survive.

Too often, our leaders still behave emotionally, sweeping us all into the damnation of warfare, mutual destruction and indescribable suffering. Too often, our social entities are still nearly blind, primitive and unregulated in their behaviour and organisation, and, they are too careless in their control over leadership ambitions to become viable units of social integration, serving the well-being of all their members. We are lulled into a false sense of safety or security, if we accept the facile promises of political candidates, competing for the voter's choice. We still believe, too readily, their rethoric about national interests and patriotic pride.

We, ordinary members, have not become critical and sophisticated enough, to make sure, that we get the quality of leadership we need to survive, and, to create a society of justice and essential equality. We are still too emotional, and too unaware, to avoid the wrong decisions and the temptations of narrow and short-sighted gains. We are still getting the leaders we deserve, but soon, we have to get better leaders, than we deserve; otherwise, we will have embarked, irrevocably, upon a road towards collective extinction.

Let us explore the possibilities of comprehension and insight that lie behind the ideas we have discussed, here. Let us see, what we can do with them. Perhaps, we can get a better grip over ourselves, our emotions and our impulses. If we could improve on the quality of leadership and the level of insight in our affluent societies, we could easily create a cultural code with the potential to give humanity millions of years of dignified existence.

.......

Summary

1. The function of a title.
   Definitions.
   Primary and secondary forms of learning.
   Genetic and cultural codes.
   The hierachical order, fused territories, and task-differentiations.
   Is the social unit a "living entity"?
   Further definitions.
   A blend of persuasion and coercion.
   Social groupings can be centered around many different but shared variables and characteristics.
   The "society of a nation" represents one of the most haphazard and accidental of all social groupings.
   
   
   
2. What, then, is the essence of a social environment?
   Various levels of identification.
   Shared cultural characteristics function as a "social cement".
   Complete and incomplete social units.
   An individual may belong to several, widely divergent social groupings.
   The characteristics of a living organism.
   The process of "ageing".
   Ageing and disease; a difficult and, perhaps, irrelevant distinction.
   Cellular mechanisms of ageing and disease.
   Transience of existence is a fundamental characteristic of the living entity.
   The trend of behavioural flexibility.
   
   
   
3. The biological meaning of death.
   The phenomenon of cellular rejuvenation.
   Sexual and a-sexual modes of reproduction.
   Disintegration after death.
   Organisation; the search for an enhanced level of vitality.
   Life is a matter of organisation.
   The specialised, small-scale social unit; e.g., a sophisticated vehicle of transport.
   An inter-dependence between structure and function.
   Criteria of being alive.
   Differences between a sophisticated social unit of human beings and a multi-cellular organism.
   A temporary social organisation.
   Processes of ageing and disease, translated into a social language.
   
   
   
4. Why we are inclined to adopt attitudes of suspicion towards the large social unit.
   The importance of the scope of our outlook.
   Existential requirements represent a key to a successful analysis of social mechanisms.
   A focus on discrepancies in the rate of growth between various social units.
   A somewhat dry and abstract discussion.
   A keen awareness of individual existence.
   Mechanisms of the personality development.
   
   
   
5. Characteristics of sensitive and intelligent people who are growing-up under harsh conditions.
   The "bland" personality.
   Analysing circumstances and conditions for the smooth unfolding of a personality.
   The "organic computer"; "cerebral hardware" for a "cultural program".
   The inter-play of genetic and environmental factors in the unfolding of the human personality.
   A wide-ranging spectrum of inborn possibilities for unfolding.
   A partial "actualisation" of possibilities of existence.
   Learning to control instinctive behaviour-patterns.
   Erroneous concepts about unlimited freedoms.
   The relative validity of the concept of "abnormality".
   
   
   
6. A clear picture of the behavioural range of the human being.
   Psychological mechanisms during the development of the personality.
   The balanced personality; a flexible give and take with others.
   The road towards reflection.
   What is the right "mix" of challenge and protection?
   People tend to mature towards a more balanced personality.
   The life-cycle.
   Productivity becomes "routine", as we get older.
   We all can be productive, happy and wise people during the later stages of maturity.
   
   
   
7. "Falling-apart" because of old-age.
   A reflection upon the essence of death.
   Physiological and cellular mechanisms of decay.
   Death gives a possibility of existence to many other organisms.
   A continuous challenge from stressful stimuli and taxing circumstances.
   Stress-resistance and stress-avoidance.
   Living with "our backs against the wall".
   Modern medical technology, and the postponement of complete organic dissolution.
   A few thoughts about medical techniques and aspirations.
   The dangers of a dwindling gene-pool.
   The "molding" of the gene-pool by the pressures of natural selection.
   Entering a period of "genetic stability".
   A case of inadvertent mass-suicide?
   
   
   
8. Man is a product of genetic and cultural regulators.
   A "cultural death".
   Consequences of a change in beliefs.
   Experimenting with a variety of beliefs and interpretations.
   Cultural entities are born, grow, mature and die.
   The cultural code is the main organising principle of a social unit.
   A strong tendency to see our own existence as "autonomous".
   A questionable state of independence as a physical entity.
   Psychologically, we form a network of inter-woven spheres of conscious awareness.
   The definition of a concept and the outline of an idea depend on a continuous "flow" of communications through this network of psychological inter-wovenness.
   
   
   
9. We represent individual pillars of organic existence.
   Existential drives are "welling-up" from this pillar of physical existence.
   I am the "giver of life" to my sphere of conscious awarenesses.
   Overlapping reality perceptions.
   A return to the social unit as a living organism.
   "Viral existence"; fractional regulators that are embedded in organic existence.
   A parallel with ideas and concepts, seen as fractional regulators in the realm of psychological existence.
   Cultural guidelines can be "clothed" with an actualised organisation.
   Analysing discrepancies in the rate of growth and decline of living organisms.
   Youngsters, and their social environment.
   Consequences of a failure to absorb the life-giving cultural code of the social environment.
   Cumulative cultural defects.
   The death of a cultural code.
   
   
   
10. A fortuitous mix of stability and flexibility.
    When we forget the reasons for belonging together.
    Adult generations in a crumbling society.
    When the forces of decay take-on a "will" of their own.
    Consequences of disparities in rates of development.
    Evolving goal-patterns; from hero-worship to abstract ideals.
    Contributing, unwittingly, to the attitudes and mechanisms of decay.
    We have a long way to go, before we can forestall the mechanisms of decay with an act of the collective will.
    
    
    
11. The privilege of getting older in a healthy social environment.
    Transferring our hopes and ideals to the younger generations.
    Letting-go of a position of responsibility and contribution.
    Why we may adopt an unwarranted outlook of pessimism or despair.
    Correcting effects that result from a discrepancy in the rate of growth.
    A mosaic of different stages of development.
    The commercial enterprise, seen as a living unit; a discussion.
    Enlarging the sphere of needs and wants by "advertising".
    People had just freed themselves from the tyranny of a wealthy clerical and aristocratic elite during the French Revolution, only to be captured by the social upheavals and disparities of the Industrial Revolution.
    
    
    
12. Cash-flows and maintenance costs.
    Advertising; a specialised business-enterprise.
    The art of remaining competitive.
    Trying to secure a position of power through a monopoly or political infuence.
    The trend towards corporate gigantism.
    Mergers and take-overs.
    An atmosphere of cynicism and despair.
    For every trend we notice, there are others that seem to contradict our observations and conclusions.
    Generalising about society is difficult and treacherous.
    A walk in the garden.
    A conglomerate of contradictory impulses.
    Questions about the validity of comparing living entities with different rates of growth.
    A reason for diverging reality perceptions and goal-patterns.
    A summary of what we have been trying to do.
    
    
    
13. A review of the topics that have been discussed.
    Human survival is bound to the preservation of a viable cultural code.
    Physical and psychological spheres of existence.
    Egocentric drives.
    The reasons for adopting a relativistic approach to the perception of reality.
    Acknowledging each other as "specks" in the periphery of each other's sphere of awarenesses.
    An apparent undermining of existential needs.
    The wasted energies of a fierce competitiveness.
    The price of ignorance about psychological and existential mechanisms.
    We are still "too emotional" in our decisions and reactions.
    Let us explore the possibilities of comprehension and insight.
    The potential to give the species of mankind a few more million years of existence.

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