Prime Path 75:
Survivalism: Bad And Wrong?
OK, I've made an assumption in the foregoing analysis that I need to re-examine, and even retract, to a degree.
The assumption I have made is that adopting survival as a primordial, fundamental purpose results in a diminished quality of life.
Now, this is true for me, and I think it is true for most people, but what I think is irrelevant.
The question is what is true for you.
The way into this conversation is to recognize that adopting the purpose of survival, and all that goes along with it, results in a certain kind of quality of life. The survivalist "quality of life" has a particular mood, a particular nature, a particular feel, a particular sense, a particular texture, a particular flavor, if you will.
Now, look: for some people, survivalism seems to be working out great. Living your life with the purpose, for example, of acquiring as much material wealth as you can, seems to work out well for some people. Like Gordon Gekko said in the movie "Wall Street", "greed is good." Well, for some people, maybe it is.
But here's the thing: our world is set up for people who welcome and feel most comfortable having adopted survival-based values. Our economy, our culture, and our political system is set up to validate and reward folks who value, seek and pursue acquisition, prestige, and domination. It's a "survival of the fittest" system. It's "every man for himself." It's "dog eat dog." It's "winner take all." It's "law of the jungle." So, if that works for you, then you've found the right world in which to dwell. Go to it, and God bless you.
In fact, I value people who value gratification, acquisition, prestige, and domination. A while back, I needed some dental surgery, so I engaged a dental surgeon. He was a guy with a great reputation who made a lot of money. I paid him well, and he did an outstanding job. I'm pretty sure he operates in accord with survival-based values. Good! I paid him, I paid him well, and he did an outstanding job.
It would be off-base to make people wrong who have adopted survival-based values. For one thing, making people wrong is itself a survival-based value. I mean, I still think that those people are assholes. I still think that the adoption of survival-based values diminishes the quality of life. But that's distinct from making those people wrong, as tough as that can be to see. I mean, the guy did a hell of a job on my teeth, no kidding. He wasn't an asshole to me.
But a problem can arise for many folks due to the fact that we all have a default "purpose of survival" imposed upon us as a result of evolutionary biology, which is further reinforced by the overwhelming survival-based tendencies permeating our economy, culture, and political system. That doesn't result in what many people think of as "quality of life." That's not working for a lot of us. Maybe not even for most of us. Maybe not even for you.
If you, like me, find that the life that results from the adoption of survival-based values is of diminished quality, and you find yourself aiming for something that you consider to be better, then this coaching is designed for you.
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