All of human history in seven paragraphs

Once upon a time humans lived in tribes: of 150 people at most. Everyone would have known and felt some responsibility for everyone in that tribe. There would have been a balance of evolved traits so some people were more adventurous than others (which was good for hunting and finding new foods) and some more neurotic than others (which was good for the tribe because someone was always on high alert for any danger that might arrive). Emotions evolved for us to live like this: to optimise chances of survival and as part of that survival, to make us socially palatable to others so that we were not kicked out of the tribe. The tribe lived to serve each other and of all was well, would survive to reproduce.

Then we learnt how to farm. This changed things and introduced the capacity for inequality as some people could accumulate more than others, and they did. Thousands of years later, for example, a miller had accrued enough wealth to build a mill. This meant he could work less by charging to mill the wheat of those who had worked all year to grow it. This inequality was accepted as necessary but it was resented. Everyone could see first-hand how much the miller’s life was easier than those who spent all year growing crops.

Several hundred years later, inequality had grown considerably. Religion told the poor to be humble, hardworking and never covet their neighbour's stuff in order to to get the promised superb afterlife (an excellent trick). This served the rich well. The poor were also told, despite being humble, hardworking etc... that their poverty was their fault. There was shame in being poor and that helped keep them from speaking out. Social structure was also held rigid. You were born into your lot and told you had to accept it. Landed gentry truly believed in their superiority and right to own more.

Decades on, inequality was still held rigidly. What’s more the drive to accumulate wealth by a powerful few, meant exploitation was rife, but much of the time, you didn’t even see your exploiter. You were mostly busy trying to survive. Barely surviving, meant you had little capacity to fight your oppressors. A fight did break out here and there, but after systems were overturned, it usually took a few years to replace the original oppressors with a new set of them.

By now, the human ‘tribe’ had become unwieldy and needed to be kept in place by being told a large number of ‘stories’ of how things are and should be. Most humans accepted these stories as the truth. The acceptance of your lot was a story still being told. Money and law were other stories that generally worked well - although money became a far more complex tool than a simple exchange mechanism for goods which also meant inequality could increase. Another story was patriotism. It meant millions of people died because a few powerful people had messed up. This story is still rattling around.

Then in recent decades, another story came along. The one that told us that class was no longer a restraint, that we could all succeed, that we were first and foremost individuals and that competition was healthy. This looked like we were being offered a level playing field but there was no acknowledgement of advantage or privilege so although it looked like we had been given opportunity, it was a way to legitimise further inequality. What’s more, the set of values this story promoted, along with so much unaddressed generational trauma and overwhelm at the speed of this existence arriving, meant it encouraged the darker components of human nature: competitiveness over compassion, individual importance over connection and distraction and stress over centred-ness and calm. The emotions that had served us well as a tribe were now being triggered inappropriately and causing a lot of suffering. 

And the tribe had become even more unwieldy and with the historically enforced social hierarchy removed, people needed to be controlled in other ways so they accepted their lot. Social media divided people fiercely, reduced their mental stability and absorbed a lot of energy and anger without anything much actually happening. People became very happy to shout their opinions and stopped listening to each other. The media told people what to think in such clever ways they didn't realise this was happening. Bombarding everyone with fear not only helped keep people distracted and accepting of greater inequality, it also brought out the more cut-throat aspects of human nature. 'Each to their own', 'point the finger and judge', 'no room for empathy', and 'assume a position of superiority'. It became harder for people to stay true to kinder values. And so humans continue to thrash their ability to bark up the wrong tree in full force......

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Not sure I want to speculate about the next paragraph.

The world really doesn’t need to be like this but the forces keeping it this way - because it is in their interests to - are too powerful to challenge. With trauma addressed, different values promoted, connection enabled and more manageable, less stressed living – imagine how different human qualities would dominate and how a more equal and fair existence would prevail. I dream!