true nature

No sense in arguing the point but if you want to know the true nature of something look at its origin - where did it come from? Before it became anything else it was itself. It’s not like things start off being something they’re not and then become what they are. And so I submit to you, dear reader, the following evidence, case by case. A child’s smile, even that of a newborn, is so innocent and pure it can melt the heart of the most cynical person. Oh yeah they fuss and cry, they fight with their siblings, they can be selfish and even mean but when they are relaxed and in their most natural state the transcendent beauty that shines out of them comes from a place deeply authentic. Sublime would be the word, angelic would not be far off. It’s only when things are not right that their darker spirits get aroused. Am I right moms? Our species, homo Sapiens, began about 300,000 years ago and our earliest expressions were simple, forthright, humble and spoke of a calm and focused demeanor. Rather than wild warriors shaking spears we have Urfa Man holding his penis. Sorry if that’s gross but people were more primordial back then. It wasn’t the same - sexuality - as it is today. Anyway he’s the earliest model of a human that we have found so far, a life size statue 11,500 years old from southern Turkey. He looks almost spiritual. Maybe he was. Maybe the ‘divine’ aspect of things was more apparent back then. Maybe the early childhood of our species was much like that baby who popped a smile while asleep. One of the oldest remaining strains of human beings on the planet are the Bushmen of southern Africa. They live in small, egalitarian, extended families with strong ethics, rich oral traditions and deep spiritual connections to the land. They possess an intimate, ancient knowledge of the desert ecosystem where they live, similar to the Aborigines of Australia. They had, and to some degree still have, a vibrant culture of music, dancing, story-telling and painting. There is a general consensus among social scientists that the modern Bushman communities are directly descended from the Neolithic (new Stone Age from 10,000 BC to 2,000 BC) societies of southern and eastern Africa and comprise one of the oldest cultures on Earth. Laurens van der Post documented his time living among them in his amazing but somewhat patronizing book The Lost World of the Kalahari (1958). The Kalahari Desert is where they lived after being driven out of every other habitable space by the ‘civilized’ people. In his book he describes their shock when they discover that he can’t hear the stars singing. At first, they assume he’s joking, but when they realize he really can’t, they’re deeply saddened. For them, being unable to hear nature was the most serious affliction a person could have—a sign of profound disconnection from the world around them. Here’s a photo of the author with a Bushman. They were tiny, less than 5 feet tall but could walk all day long (or jog if they were tracking game) and communicate by telepathy with their tribal mates. He described them as a gentle, kind people, not at all warlike and intimately in touch with their environment. So yes, this is basically a rebuttal of what everyone seems to think - that human beings are inherently violent and cursed to destroy things and to employ war as a solution to their problems, that there can never be ‘peace on earth’ like we sing about every Christmas, pax humana as the ancient Romans envisioned it. Actually I think every civilization that has called itself civilized has aspired to this. My friend Prem Rawat maintains that peace would be mankind’s highest achievement. He’s someone who has tirelessly traveled the world for 60 years reminding people that peace is possible because it lies inside every human being. Brilliant. Hey, by the way, don’t we all aspire for that? Somewhere in the depths of our sweet, simple heart is there not a bell ringing? In our ‘heart of a child’. Our truest wish. Our deepest longing. Thank you to Casting Crowns for their inspired performance. The lyrics of this song are based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow written on Christmas day 1863 in the throes of the Civil War. You can support my work by becoming a free or paid subscriber or by leaving a tip. All my posts are free, and paid subscribers (thank you!) allow me to keep it this way. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rohn.substack.com/subscribe