Need vs. Want

The one thing that I can honestly admit is that I have no idea what reality is. I know what it looks like with my eyes, sounds like with my ears, feels like with my skin, smells like with my nose and tastes like with my tongue. I also have this other “feeling” sometimes. A general perception of the state of the world. I can almost “feel” the amount of turmoil in it.  Does that make sense? It’s almost like how I “feel” what the season of autumn feels like. It’s a “feeling” I can only explain like an endorphin that only comes out when it is in the months of autumn. I can also “feel” how Christmas feels and that is a whole different feeling. It’s hard to explain but if you know what I’m talking about, then read on.    

Our brains are information processing receivers. Our brains process information that is gathered from our 5 (or maybe even 6) senses. Most of us already understand this. We then, with our “bodies”, interact with that information and manipulate our reality to generate information that is, hopefully, pleasing. Our bodies are there to gather the information that the brain needs for stimulus and our brains tell our bodies what to do to produce the stimulus it needs. Why are some of us so bad at it then? Why, if we as humans, were created to gather pleasing information and manipulate our environment to create it, is it so difficult to find happiness, love, or even contentment? Why do some of us “feel” so bad most of the time?    

Another major aspect of our reality is the fact that we are aware of it. We are “conscious” of it. We perceive, observe, and believe that we as an individual are somehow placed in this world for some sort of purpose other than just survival or mere existence. We “feel” the need for a greater purpose. Well, I believe most of us do anyway. Maybe that’s why gathering the information necessary for happiness is so difficult. Humans were created, or evolved into (depending on your belief or faith system that I’ll get into later) creatures that need to serve a greater purpose than just simple survival and / or existence. Follow me so far? Do you agree?    

The universe appears to have created harmony out of chaos, but we as humans do not fit into the natural state of existence in this reality (this planet, solar system, galaxy, universe) that is perceived by our information gathering brains. It appears that nature has created a balance for life, but humans do not fit into that balance. We tend to want to make things “better” because our brains tell us that things are difficult. Survival is difficult. Existence is difficult. We want to change the world to make it a “better place” for OUR existence. Do you see the conflict here? Humans are the only creatures in this reality that appear to not belong as part of nature. We are the only species on this planet that feels the need to make it “better”. We are never happy with what we have and we always want more. We want to make the world a “better” place. How long have we wanted to make the world a better place? It seems like ever since I can remember we have been saying that. “Let’s make the world a better place.” Why? Why do we need it “better”? What was wrong with the way it originally was? What was wrong in the beginning of the human species? The key difference that sets us apart from the natural order of things is our ability to perceive our reality, realize we exist in it and with our information gathering brains “feel” that existence is difficult so, with our bodies, we have decided to constantly increase our technology of everything to “better” our existence. But is it better?  

I see humans struggling with the same issues that our ancestors had only we have more technology now. They had problems that were different than the ones we have today, but we still have problems. Problems that we have created as the result of the advancement of our technology. We have obliterated entire species from the planet. Why do humans put themselves above all other creatures on this planet? Only the strong survive? We are at the top of the food chain? We are even creating food now that harms us. Our processed foods contain chemicals that cause damage to our bodies. Why do humans do this? Human technology has changed over time, but the human brain has not. Humans perceive life as a challenge, a game, a competition. Our selfish nature has never left us. If humans could rid the brain of selfishness, then wouldn’t that make the world a better place?    

Our whole problem is that we have been trying to change the outside, which is our environment, our space, our physical place of existence. We have been trying to satisfy our bodies which exist in this environment. We have been trying to change the planet to suit our needs when we have had what we have needed all along. Notice that I used the word, “needed” here. This word is very important, because needed isn’t what we “wanted”. Want fuels the desire in our brains to go forth and search for things that are pleasing to our brains. Want causes competition. Want causes turmoil. Everything we ‘need’ is already here. It was placed here when it was created, or when it evolved into what it is today. Why didn’t we evolve with it the same way everything else did? Why do we want instead of just being happy with what we have? What we have IS all we need. Why do humans want MORE than what we need?     

There is a line in one of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies said by the character Captain Jack Sparrow.  "The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Do you understand?".  This rings so true for the human race. We need to stop looking outside at “the problem” and realize that “the problem” is inside our information gathering, pleasure seeking brains. How we perceive the universe and manipulate it is the problem. We have all we NEED right here, but we have created a problem out of trying to solve the original problem perceived by our first human ancestor that had the realization that there was a problem. There was never a problem. We just perceived one. That’s the flaw of humanity. That is the destruction of our race. With the level of consciousness that we have as humans to perceive problems and attempt to solve those problems is the problem. We perceive existence at a level of consciousness that is above need and below harmony. We don’t need to create more advanced technology to grow our species. We need to grow ourselves on the inside. Our inner selves would benefit greatly if we could grow our inner selves, our spirituality, to reach a level of consciousness that is above what we currently perceive. Our reality is our perception of our existence. Let’s start evolving our brains, not our technology. Let’s grow our spirit, not our world. Let’s help each other reach a HIGHER level of consciousness.    

Most theologies have been attempting to teach us this from the beginning of theology. Grow the spirit, not the “flesh”. The “flesh” meaning anything physical or material. Grow our spiritual awareness, not our physical environment. We, as a species, have reached a level of technology that without a higher level of consciousness will destroy itself. We need to grow spiritually. We do need to love our neighbors as ourselves. We do need to forgive. We do need to honor each other, but most of all we need to put the “spirit” first above all things. The problem isn’t outside, it’s inside. We need to evolve our spiritual nature. The problem is that most of us don’t “want” that. We have been deceived into believing that if we have all the material things for comfort for our physical bodies that we will be a better species. The problem is that we already had everything that we needed in this reality we just didn’t want it. Humans wanted more, and more, and more… Humans gave into greed, gave into fear, and gave into selfishness.  We as a species need to give into spirituality. It is, as I see it, the only way we will survive ourselves.    

-WR  08-21-2017