I mean...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolithic_Revolution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_revolution
We suckers are hackers and gamers upon Nature and everything around us, aren't we?
Okay-- I'm not saying that we should hate our species or anything like that, but I do feel that ultimately we live in the field of Nature, and the more we lose sight of that, the more we lose the plot. Eh, or something like that...
(classically underwritten by toxic billionaires, of course)
This might be an annoying quote on the surface, but I find that it hits at a lot of things.
For example, in various cultures the emphasis on individual achievement as an end to itself can be HUGE, and it's arguably one of the founding tenets of some nations, like the USA. And probably traditional Britain, in many ways. And then, in other cultures it's still very much encouraged to personally excel, but specifically as a part of family & culture, at least in terms of lip-service. But all that's just one way of looking at Individuality.
Another completely different way of looking at it relates to Jung's basic idea of 'who the heck are we as a discrete person, anyway?' Are we really so utterly unique as individuals, and if so, where does that uniqueness lie, exactly?
Along those lines, I must confess I'm rather fascinated with the idea of higher meditation, which allegedly can lift one up in to states in which the ego starts to fade... which can possibly help one feel connected to life, the universe, and everything. A bloody-brilliant feeling, from what I understand. All the way up to the famous "ego death," allegedly.
Too bad I'm a pretty sucky meditator, but oh well. Maybe in my next life? 😅
I also understand that 'shrooms can be a pretty good way of opening up to the cosmos... perhaps helping one escape from this crazy-competitive, complex world of 'civilisation,' which interestingly only dates back 12Kyrs at best. In fact, for the vast expanse of sapiens history (~300Kyrs), we lived a very different kind of life.
"Anyway, that's all I got to say about that."
--Forrest Gump
I know, most news seems to be about the USA these days, and yeah, it's embarrassing at times. Hahaha... yeah, a maybe a lot of the times. Sorry, world.
BUT... NYC is also the same place an arguable fraud and grifter (mayor Giuliani) took credit for the 9/11 response not so long ago, even as he completely betrayed the first responders... which is a whole book in itself.
NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani is an Indian guy born in Uganda. I don't know much more than that frankly, but to me it's like adding on to the landslide of all the greatness that came from creative immigrants to the USA. Without them, this whole nation would have completely stalled in the 18th century, FWIW.
As for Nika Kovač:
Nika (born 1993) is a Slovenian anthropologist, sociologist, activist, and lecturer. She is the founding director of the 8th of March Institute, a prominent movement-building and advocacy organization in Slovenia recognized for its campaigns on gender equality, social justice, and democratic participation. --WP
James A. Baldwin (1924 – 1987) was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems. His 1953 novel Go Tell It on the Mountain has been ranked by Time magazine as one of the top 100 English-language novels. His 1955 essay collection Notes of a Native Son helped establish his reputation as a voice for human equality. His 1965 debate with (right-winger) William Buckley is regarded as one of the most influential debates on race in the United States. Baldwin was an influential public figure and orator, especially during the civil rights movement in the United States.
Baldwin's fiction posed fundamental personal questions and dilemmas amid complex social and psychological pressures. Themes of masculinity, sexuality, race, and class intertwine to create intricate narratives that influenced both the civil rights movement and the gay liberation movement in mid-20th-century America. His protagonists are often, but not exclusively, African-American, and gay and bisexual men feature prominently in his work. His characters typically face internal and external obstacles in their search for self, and social acceptance. --WP, abridged
