What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies

by Tim Urban

Humans are so complicated because we’re all a mixture of both “high-rung” and “low-rung” psychology. When the Higher Mind is winning the tug-of-war, its staff illuminates our minds with clarity, including awareness of the Primitive Mind and what it’s up to. The Higher Mind understands that primitive pleasures like sex, food, and all-in-good-fun tribalism like sports fandom are enjoyable, and often necessary, parts of a human life. And like a good pet owner, the Higher Mind is more than happy to let the Primitive Mind have its fun. Primitive bliss is great, as long as it’s managed by the Higher Mind, who makes sure it’s done in moderation, it’s done for the right reasons, and no one gets hurt. In short, when we’re up on the high rungs, we act like grown-ups. But when something riles up the Primitive Mind, it gets bigger and stronger. Its torch—which bears the primal fires of our genes’ will for survival—grows as well, filling our minds with smoky fog. This fog dulls our consciousness, so when we’re most under the spell of our Primitive Mind, we don’t even realize it’s happening. The Higher Mind, unable to think clearly, begins directing its efforts toward supporting whatever the Primitive Mind wants to do, whether it makes sense or not. When we slip down to the Ladder’s low rungs, we’re short-sighted and small-minded, thinking and acting with our pettiest emotions. We’re low on self-awareness and high on hypocrisy. We’re our worst selves. We all have our own Ladder struggle...