### Q: Are we more safe than Caveman? If so can we adapt to the security society provide us? We are 100% `safer than cavemen`. And it drives us a bit nutty. lol. Think about Professional Sports. I'm sure you know some people who lose their shit over something silly like Football. They are truly emotionally invested in their team's performance having met no one on the team. This is because of Tribalism. We don't have tribes in modern society, so we create `artificial tribes` to "combat" each other to fulfill that `itch to fight for your group` #doubt. We don't need tribes in modern society. We choose to preserve them. We most certainly can adapt. Humans have been working on it for thousands of years. However adaptation to society requires a trans human intent. We must cease to truly be the animal that is human and mold ourselves through cultivation into a higher frame or being. Religions call this state Enlightenment or Godliness. But it universally represents the `conquest of the inner animal` achieve a higher truth. Cultivation is absolutely achievable on the personal level. But on the societal level, that is much harder to achieve. Not to mention you will always have skeptics who will say that to pursue transhumanism is immoral and "not what nature intended." - tribal bonding instinct from cavemen - it's like how religion enabled society through shared beliefs and rituals that created built in trust between strangers - narrative is a tool that religion uses to bond society - #microSociety trying to solve problems that tribalism tried to solve. [[what problems is tribalism trying to solve - question]] - sports allegiance is built on some of the identity and trust rituals of tribalism. Sports also seems like an #outletForAgression for the player and catharsis for the spectator ### Q: What is the optimal size of a community for human flourishing. I am almost certain we both agree it is the Tribe. Roughly 100 - 200 people. Smaller scale societies do not suffer the Dark Forest effect nearly as bad as larger ones. - you can really go pretty small as long as a the environment outside your tribe is peaceful. I question what artifacts of modernity you sacrifice when you go less than 1000 people ### Q: What is the difference between a natural fear and an artificial one? That is a very hard question. If I had to guess, a natural fear is rooted in your biochemical reactions to stimuli. Loud noise = accolades heart rate. That is natural fear. I would say "artificial fear" should be called "learned fear" which is created by the patterns we have rolled into our thinking. This creates anticipatory feelings which elicit fear. Think my neighbors dog bit me. I am now anxious around dogs. You were not afraid of dogs until you had a negative experience. You now have a learned fear constructed by your mind to keep you safe. These Learned Fears are what can truly incapacitate people. - in this context learned fears seems like the majority of fear. I would add fear disproportionate to the severity and likelihood of outcome is damaging. ### Q: When was the last time you had to run, fight, or hide. I feel myself fall into these strategies frequently. For me it was the last time I had conflict. Joseph and I had a pretty tense conversation about our sexualities on our way home from the trail that definitely `triggered a fight response` in me. I eventually had to withdraw from the conversation entirely to prevent myself from reacting in an emotionally destructive manner. These feelings are completely natural, but it is important that I do not lose control over them and allow them to make me act in a way I don't want too. Many people however do not have the level of control that I have which will cause them to have outbursts. That makes your monkey brain happy but hurts your social standing. - you are stoic as hell! - I do not have that level of control, but am working on it. ### Q: Does being self critical sabotage your interactions with women and children? Absolutely to an extent. Women can be `deeply disturbed` by how nice I am. Not all women interpret my gentleness as a positive thing. Some of them assume I am a sociopath while others get the impression I am a weak and pleading man in search of their pity. With children it is harder to say. They are `famously poor judges of character`. lol. I'm more limited in how I can interact with them at first. I am terrified to initial physical contact unless I am very close to the child in question. Gweyn might crawl on me like a Jungle Gym but it took me years to get comfortable enough to be that rough with her. I was shocked and `overjoyed` when your kids climbed right on top of me during story time. It is important to me that `they initiate and lead all physical contact`. This is something I am actively working on. - what are you actively working on? - I commend you on your ability to interact socially with that sense of terror. - you have high inhibition. I'd like your perspective on whether you'd flourish if more uninhibited. - I am coming around to the importance of being more considerate before initiating contact in a lot of different situations. ### Q: How do you rationalize your internal terror? I view my terror like a `suit of armor` or a wicked sharp blade. I have used this armor and this blade to slay my enemies and protect my body my entire life. I am surrounded by the bloodied bodies of my enemies. They wounded me, but I never fell. However my bloody visage has made me terrifying to behold. I am now systematically dismantling my armor and casting aside my weapons. Because I am more afraid of staying at war than I am of facing the enemy naked. My only chance of survival is fully removing this armor to see with my naked eyes if I still stand upon the battlefield or I have somehow made my way home. Worst case scenario, I am slain searching for a way out rather than by my own blade. - I interpret terror as overwhelming and something that would make me a hermit. I could also see me weaponizing it and lashing out. I would like to further discuss our differences here #johnStarkel/conversation - I do not see you as terrifying to behold - It seems you dismantling your armor would require to change this belief [[john starkel conversation 24-10-18#I believe the world is inherently terrifying by nature]]