Why Alan Watts and Carl Sagan don’t go far enough…
ChatGPT Summary:
The article delves into the philosophical concept that humans are the universe becoming aware of itself, as popularized by figures like Carl Sagan and Alan Watts. The author expands on this idea, asserting that humans not only possess awareness but also self-awareness, enabling them to grapple with the absurdity of their existence. This self-awareness has led to the creation of narratives, often centered around trauma, which serve as the basis for social bonding. However, these narratives can also lead to societal divisions. The author suggests that transcending self-awareness, understanding the mechanism of narrative trauma, is the next step for humanity. The article emphasizes the need to recognize this pattern as a means to promote healing and unity among cultures.
Why Alan Watts and Carl Sagan don’t go far enough…
There’s a quote I hear attributed to various people, among them the astronomer Carl Sagan and the “philosophical entertainer” Alan Watts. The quote is “We [humans] are the universe becoming aware of itself.”
And I don’t think it goes far enough. As it is, it’s the problem, and requires a further step. We are the universe becoming aware of its self-awareness. In this way we reckon with the absurdity of our condition and ease the trauma of mere self-awareness that flows through our psyches and relational histories. Let me explain.
I agree with the substance of the original statement. My model of 5 Metaphysical Realms essentially states this.
To summarize, long ago, all that is was set into MOTION. Some of it became ALIVE. Some of that LIFE developed cognition and will to take intentional ACTIONs. And some of those ACTION-oriented beings became aware of the STRATEGIES necessary to orient them toward goals. And finally we became aware of the PURPOSE of improving our condition. Controlling PURPOSE and STRATEGY are distinctly human areas of capability.
Thus far I am in agreement with Sagan and Watts.
But here’s where we need to go a bit further.
The human species and our current state of progress reflects the miracle of our self-awareness. And it is a miracle. Don’t forget this. Other creatures are merely aware and, as such, unable to observe, analyze, and change the STRATEGIES that drive them. Human self-awareness is the miracle that allows us to do this, and engineer STRATEGIES to build anything we can envision.
But this was a long, hard-won process. It began with mere MOTION - matter and energy. Violent and cataclysmic. And then a little bit, ALIVE. Disease, injury, pain, predation, intense competition for scarce resources. And then, awareness and ACTION. Cognition and will became fighting. The universe traumatizing itself. And then we became self-aware. We still experienced cataclysmic violence, predation, competition, disease, injury, and pain. And our self-awareness gave us an innovative and highly meaningful capability, which is narrative. The ability to look at the past and tell a story about what brought us here. And since our stories of evolution centered around pain, competition, scarcity and death, our stories sing songs of trauma. And it’s beautiful. All stories worth telling reveal this. Trauma is sublimely meaningful to humans. And so we bond around our stories of trauma. I call this phenomenon Narrative Trauma, and it’s part of the beauty and paradox of being human.
This is the fruit of mere self-awareness, this deeply absurd state of treasuring our trauma and forming social groups around it. While it’s beautiful, most of us agree it is highly limiting and keeps us in old patterns. And yet, this is where Sagan and Watts finish their story. Self-awareness, the domain of Narrative Trauma.
How do we transcend Narrative Trauma? Why, by transcending self-awareness, of course. And to do this we must become aware of self-awareness itself, for it is from this privileged vantage point that we see the mechanism of Narrative Trauma which has yielded the social divisions which currently fracture our species.
I think that’s where we’re going next. It’s the universe becoming aware of its self-awareness with the division and strife it has brought us. And it is beautiful, because we love our stories.
I don’t know what it looks like to transcend this. I only know it must be the next step. I enjoy my stories of suffering and the social bonds they create as well. I don’t know what I would do without them. I merely see the pattern, but this does not grant immunity.
Mystics seems to see past the breaks and fractures of our species. Long ago Jesus is recorded to have said “May they all be one.” But we couldn’t stay that way. And today there are dozens of thousands of religious denominations, each with their own narratives of significance.
Why does this happen? It’s our ancient, even primordial legacy of the universe becoming aware and traumatizing itself.
How do we move past this?
I don’t quite know.
But start to see this pattern and you will become an agent of healing to all the cultures that you touch. So let’s start with that.
Sagan was wise. Watts was wise. The universe becoming aware of itself is a noble and notable observation.
But that’s where we are now. Where we’re going next is to become aware of that very self-awareness. And now you are. Now you can heal, and bring healing.