(As I currently understand it.)<\/p>\n
The universe exploded into being and some billions of years later the Sun and Earth formed. Through a series of highly improbable events, molecules coalesced into simple replicating life forms, which later\u00a0coalesced into a mitochondria-powered cell and began to evolve in many directions.\u00a0Asteroid impacts, global climate fluctuations, and the yearly and daily cycles of Earth influenced evolution by repeatedly creating and destroying ecological niches, thereby\u00a0creating selective\u00a0pressure for evolutionary inventiveness and adaptivity. The resulting\u00a0inventiveness mechanisms such as DNA and sexual\u00a0reproduction and the increasing competition between species colluded\u00a0to speed up the evolution process exponentially over time.<\/p>\n
Eventually, tool-building emerged as an inventiveness method that could evolve more rapidly than biological traits. Projectile weapons and fire were discovered as\u00a0particularly effective tools for obtaining food energy. That extra energy\u00a0made it possible to power much larger brains. Those brains were capable of keeping track of ever larger social networks so that ever larger groups\u00a0could coordinate mutually beneficial activities such as large-game hunting and reciprocally helping others\u00a0during times of scarcity. As humans exercised their skills in cooperation and creativity, they began to harness new forms of energy such as wind and oil and\u00a0to tackle\u00a0ever more complex activities such as industrial manufacturing and global trade.<\/p>\n
As human\u00a0communities reached\u00a0billions of members, they began to grapple for the first time with the problems of excess rather than scarcity. The small planet’s climate and ecosystems\u00a0began straining\u00a0to support the ever-expanding human species. A\u00a0few people held\u00a0inordinate power over many. Obesity became a\u00a0leading disease. Amid all this\u00a0wealth, the\u00a0continuing\u00a0existence of\u00a0poverty and inequality became increasingly uncomfortable. And those\u00a0whose basic needs had now been met\u00a0began\u00a0to search for\u00a0their purpose and calling in life.<\/p>\n
Some found that the\u00a0meaning in their lives was increasingly at odds with cultural habits that originated in times of scarcity, such as physical and emotional violence, race and gender stereotyping, and striving for career advancement. They began to believe\u00a0that right and wrong are simplistic concepts and they began to practice new ways of living that are driven by the quest for\u00a0authenticity and compassion\u00a0rather than the avoidance of blame and judgement. Some\u00a0of these practices, such as meditation, gratitude, and forgiveness, had ancient roots but experienced a resurgence as their efficacy was demonstrated separate from\u00a0mythology and religion.<\/p>\n
As more people engaged in such\u00a0practices and collaborated with ever wider social circles via global information technologies, communities began to find new ways\u00a0to tackle\u00a0the extremely complex problems\u00a0facing the human race. Using\u00a0techniques such as self-management and a focus on deeper purpose, some organizations began to reach\u00a0unprecedented levels of\u00a0effectiveness and adaptivity, evolving in much the same way (but orders of magnitude faster) as tool technology and biological organisms\u00a0evolved before them.<\/p>\n
At that\u00a0point, one such person engaged in some such pursuits read some books and\u00a0decided that\u00a0it might bring joy to write a blog post about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(As I currently understand it.) The universe exploded into being and some billions of years later the Sun and Earth formed. Through a series of highly improbable events, molecules coalesced into simple replicating life forms, which later\u00a0coalesced into a mitochondria-powered cell and began to evolve in many directions.\u00a0Asteroid impacts, global climate fluctuations, and the yearly … <\/p>\n