Stargazers in a Sandbox

Human consciousness and its capacity to reason is the only thing that has produced this level of civilization and technological advancement. That allowed us to reach the moon and back, send a message halfway around the world instantly, and is now on the path to creating artificial intelligence. These achievements are exceptional to any previous civilization that has ever lived.

An Irony

But the same consciousness still struggles to differentiate between logic and emotion. We keep owning borrowed pride, believe in threats that don’t exist, and fixate on facts that are exaggerated and exploited by power-hungry politicians. They keep grievances alive through actions committed by some people hundreds of years ago that no longer matter.

Yet when the same people are motivated by a charismatic leader like President John F. Kennedy, they become capable of sending rockets to the Moon. The same human potential also shook the great power of its time, Great Britain, through the independence movements led by Indian and South African revolutionaries.

The Problem

Escaping the work of thinking is easy and comforting, especially now, when half the population wants to influence and the other half wants to be influenced. Hiding behind a belief is simple because it pretends to answer the unknown, but does it? Answers without explanations are beliefs, not facts. For most of human history, we have shed blood for subjective beliefs like borders, ideologies, and manufactured threats. So why question now? Because we don’t live in a forest, and there is no constant physical danger anymore.

Origins of the Problem

In ancient times, we lived in tribes. There was a genuine threat from other tribes or wild animals which justified our sense of security for borders. Agreed. But today we have shaped the world around us to be more aware, and we are not the same bipeds who stood up millions of years ago.

The same ancient mechanism is exploited by politicians and modern leaders to make us believe that “they” are the threat. On both sides, the same lie is sold. Today we have the capabilities to think, reason, argue, and come to agreements. In fact, the very thing that made our civilization capable was cooperation in the first place, so why not cooperate anymore?

The Solution

Think and Reason. That’s it. Try to abolish every assumption, and then think and reason carefully without getting washed away by emotions. You’ll reach a place where right is right and wrong is wrong, which is the sweet spot for cooperation and solves communal problems in a civilized manner.

Logical thinking and reasoning should be implemented since childhood, so from a very young age, this habit becomes the default setting for future civilians. For adults, reading this will definitely trigger that ancient defense system and raise the egoistic shield. Stop. Independent thinking won't hurt you. Lower the shield, discard everything you assume, and think based on facts.

End Note

You need to realize the other side is also human and is as vulnerable. "They are doing it" is a pathetic lie, sold by master manipulators to divide us by triggering ancient mechanisms on both sides. We are stargazers, but we let them convince us to keep fighting in the sandbox. At the end of the day, I don't believe any sound human being on Earth wants more than a peaceful home, a delicious meal, and a secure future for their family. But the responsibility to change is in our hands. We can either use those hands to destroy or to build.