A million years of evolution brought us to the wrong place. This is to blame most of our modern problems
Let's take a short journey a million years ago.
Our ancestors, hunter hunters, were concerned with themselves three things-food, protection (from elements and from not eating) and making infants. Our daily life looks like this -you wake up, go to foraging or hunting, eat (if successful), attend young people or make new youths (if successful). You improve your hiding and cover, talk to your day – where you find food, what doesn't go through your stomach properly and how to make a tool. Hugs, kiss good night, sleep.
To be successful in this kind of life – your span span needs to be short. There is no point in thinking longer than days. Food, shelter, some time for making a tool, getting a cuddle. The rest is self -care. Infants grow, many foods appear, wounds heal.
Evolution chooses for what it takes to be successful in the environment. Someone may have been born with a mutation that causes him to take his sweet time looking for food and developing a shelter-but he may be hungry or eat before making similar slow babies.
People with silence – agriculture (and thus planning longer in the future), experts and cooperation in more complex ways only appeared 10,000 years ago. Complex patient planning appeared even later. Thousands of years are an eye glance in terms of evolution. For any change to actually stick to – you need a thousand blinks (a million years). Genetically – we are our ancestors. Our brains are focused, focused and already -optimizing that the short time prefers. To misunderstand long -term planning and results. It's like asking us to see in the dark or fly. We are not just built this way.
So what?
Oh. That is a major disadvantage to the things we want for our modern self.
Want to be well in physical shape, successful and rich? Do you want to avoid junk food and spend less time scrolling on Instagram? Too bad. Your brain is already -optimize to prevent it.
All of these preferences require constant long-term action (or inaction towards our sweet asi-to-gily genetic cravings). Slow development and non-offensive results until long in the future. Different to catching a bird, choosing a fruit and running back into the cave. Success appears immediately or not. All problems have a simple solution. This is how the world seems to be in our quick-minded mindset.
Wanna be a better physical shape? That's a modern “remembering”. In the past we kept running and it was hard to get the food. Plus – fewer of us are impressed (a world population of 100,000 will not work properly on Tinder). You need to reduce your calorie intake, train regularly, sleep well and repeat. Repeat for a loooong time without seeing any results. That is not something we are genetically developed for.
Do you want to be professionally successful? Do minor improvements, constantly, for a long time. With minimal results. Just after years – if the professional environment and other factors you have no control will not change – you will probably see fruits.
Wanna be financially independent? Do not take loans to satisfy the immediate desire, spend as little as possible and save as much as possible with variety, non-managed and dangerous financial tools. You reach your goal for 30 years. And by the way – if this number is 60 years it will be ok too. That's why we have children, right? To expand our future genes. We can create financial freedom a little where they can benefit.
Cookie, chips and ice cream at night, when are you tired and closer to your “man” primary self? Scrolling the story and playing the next stage on Netflix? Feeling good now? That's natural. For a caveman.
We know “the facts but our Gens told us to act differently. There should be a faster way. Fruits in a hidden tree. A new method that gets a bird. We cheat ourselves and let others take advantage of our inappropriate Gen and so cheat us. Sell us the magic shortcuts we want to believe.
But don't lose hope. There is still hope.
First – If you recognize and consider the above as “problems” – you live in a part of the world where you have the choice. This part is growing – but many are not included. It is worth appreciating our problems.
Second – You can “enjoy” a personality on the side. Have a combination of rare genes and a lucky environment (which may not feel “lucky” as it has happened …) that makes you suitable for long -term goals. Finding which one may not be obvious because being good to certain purposes may require a different setup than others.
Third – You can be a part of or participate in a society that uses cultural genes to change its members and be better suited for the modern world (Richard Dawkins named these cultural cultures “Memes” in 1976 and we haven't used the term ever since). There are societies that are worth being frugality, investing for the future, body form, food quality, education, strategic changes. The only problem is that they are usually not the same society, there are falls (personal freedom anyone?) And also influenced by outside factors. Plus – changing a society is not an easy task.
Fourth – Technology. It can increase (oi -block) our genes and be looking for glasses and prosthetic wings that we need to be more than the world we create for ourselves. We are psychological differently from one another and this type of technology is new (the one that does not look like a hammer that fits anyone with a thumb). So finding what suits us may require a little experiment.
Alternatively – We can wait for a solution to be invented.
Yes, let's do that. The new fast and angry film is on Netflix. I'll take the beer and chips.
