Let Me Introduce You to Yourself

The second chapter of Supermorning will delve pretty deep into the human psyche. In particular, we’ll be focusing on the this age-old question:

Why is it so damn hard to do the right things? 

We all want a happy, healthy, wealthy, and productive life. Some even strive for sustainability. And yet, far too many people are over-stressed, overweight, broke, depressed and environmentally destructive. 

Why is this? How do so many people end up so far from where they want to be in this world of great material affluence? It really is rather bizarre if you think about it.  

The reason

Well, this part is actually pretty simple: our world has changed so dramatically over the past 0.1% of human history that many of our instinctive emotional responses are now totally outdated. You’ll hear plenty more about this in the next couple of posts. 

But understanding this is one thing. Translating this understanding into a real day-to-day practical benefit is something totally different. 

An actionable analogy

That’s why I want to start this new Supermorning chapter with an analogy that really helps to put this knowledge into action: the caveman with an evolved consciousness. 

It sounds weird, I know, but it really is very simple. Each of us consists of two entities:

  • A body and mind that evolved over the first 99.9% of human history (the caveman). 
  • An evolved consciousness capable of reasoning beyond these primitive caveman instincts. 

So, let’s try an interesting psychological experiment: 

Monday 1-minute action Give your caveman a name

 

This seems silly at first, but trust me, it’s very powerful.

My caveman’s name is “Homer”, short for Homo erectus (primitive humans that lived a long time ago). The image of the rather primitive Homer Simpson also comes to mind 🙂

Homer is the vessel through which I (the evolved consciousness) interact with the world. Without Homer, I can’t do anything. But if I just give Homer free reigns in today’s affluent society, he’ll destroy himself (and me) in no time. 

This idea may take a while before it really sinks in. But just keep an open mind and start by giving your caveman a name. Then recall this analogy whenever you’re drawn to something you know is bad for you and observe what happens in your mind.

But I’ll leave it there for now. Tune in again tomorrow when we’ll take a brief trip through human history to understand the caveman in each of us.