Brain, Mind and Soul
Long ago our ancestors lived in caves, gathering nuts and fruits, and fishing in order to eat. They were the real nature men. (First Nature) They struggled to overcome hot summers and severe winters as well as many kinds of disease. They continually wondered if a more comfortable life was possible. Human history is a record of appreciation of and challenge to Mother Nature. The challenging weapons they used were the forbidden fruits of the Garden of Eden: Wisdom and Intellect. Yes, that’s the brain.
Today we live in air-conditioned homes, eating farm-raised foods, moving by cars on paved roads or with jetliners. Social order, culture, language, etc., are the products of the brain.
We are locked into the brain society. (Second Nature) And now we have nuclear weapons which can annihilate all creatures of the earth many times over.
It seems that we’ve gotten over nature’s world and are building up brain’s world. We’ve achieved control on earth, but scientists are raising their voices against the destruction of the natural environment, the limitations and drying up of natural resources. Medicine battles sickness endlessly. Conflict prevails among different religions, different ethnic groups, different nations. And many of these nations use nuclear deterrence as an excuse to plan or extend their own nuclear development programs. The Non-Proliferation Treaty has become hollow and ignored. Who knows when terrorists will obtain their own destructive weapons. If that becomes reality, it will be hundreds of times worse than September 11th.
What will happen to our future? (Third Nature). No one can answer this.
