Primal Primer 20 (Mentality)
Spiritual orientation provided significant survival benefits contributing to the sapien’s ability to scale social cooperation and heal body & mind. While the origins of spirituality are difficult to trace, archaeological evidence suggests spiritual beliefs and practice commenced thousands of years ago, likely extending further back in lost genesis. Adjunct to increasing physical and mental performance, the theme of shared identity and ability to cooperate independent of acutally knowing other individuals created unity in ways no other species can compete with. The powerful shared and accepted word of religious text and prescriptions has motivated action and sacrifice in ways that can only be described as divine in function.
Guidance Of The Gods
Social Cohesion & Unity – Religion involves shared beliefs, rituals, and values that unify groups. Practitioners bound by shared spirituality were more likely to integrate and work together cooperatively; increasing chances of success in hunting, gathering, building, and warfare.
Ethics & Conflict Resolution – Moral codes & norms of reciprocity strengthen innate instincts and encourage altruism between humans; facilitating sharing of resources and resolving group disputes through structure.
Psychological Comfort & Uncertainty Coping – Homo sapiens were constantly challenged with chaos and tentative survival. Religion and spirituality provide possible explanations for life’s uncertainties, especially concerning death and afterlife. Meaning and purpose are structurally inspired, providing strength in times of hardship and tragedy.
Health & Healing Rituals – Early humans believed illness and injury were caused by spiritual supernatural forces. Shamans and healers alike often performed rituals providing psychological comfort and physiological healing. Tapping into the placebo effect, mixed with herbal knowledge and natural remedies, early healthcare was born.
Seek Center & Anchor
Works of art, literature, and apex positioning is grounded by belief. As Nietsche predicted, society would eventually move past religious archetypes, leaving a hole to be filled by lesser wholesome and destructive ideologies. Replacing this empty space with great thoughts from the most critical and rational contributors to the human pantheon of thought helps us anchor in the storm of unknowables. Centering through any number of lenses, one optimizes mindfulness and solidifies their arrow of time.
~Cave Implementation~
Seek out various works of the greatest thinkers and religions that approach questions of impermanence, soul, legacy, and salvation. Although there exists no empirically proven answers, anyone’s guess is just as good as the next. Confronting unknowables with humility and openness has immeasurable positive effects on the psyche. Nihilism has never been a purposeful stance serving the individual or community for the better.
Laws of Physical Impermanence Governs Us All & Should Be Reflected Constructively.
