Now is the Time to End Tribalism

 When I was a small boy, my father took me to see a few football matches at Selhurst Park, and ever since I have supported Crystal Palace football Club. I have never lived in or near south London and they are not a particularly successful club, so why I still follow them 45 years later is hard to explain, but to switch my allegiance to another club would be difficult and unnatural. Once you have stood in a crowd and cheered your team to victory, shared the highs and lows, lived success and failure with the fans and players for a season or two, bonds are formed that are hard to break.

Like all good Palace fans, I keep following them as they struggle on and, because it's what loyal Palace fans do, I dislike Brighton Football Club with a passion that equals my love of Palace. I have no idea why Palace fans loath Brighton so much and having lived in Brighton for three years I know that the people of Brighton are lovely kind people just the same as anywhere else. It’s just a learnt behaviour that comes from being a dedicated Palace supporter.

I’m not alone in this irrational football tribalism, as I recently met a man who, as evidenced by his broad Scotch accent, had lived in Scotland for many years. He is a keen supporter of Scottish independence, but still supported his childhood team - Sheffield United. There is also similar loyalty in other sports as demonstrated by John Majors gripe, that people coming to live in Britain from aboard, continue to support the cricket team from their original country, rather than England. the team of their new home.

This may be all harmless rivalry, but on a more serious level, my youth spent in Kent means I grew up in an atmosphere of prejudice against the French. Being just over the Channel, ie near, but  separate, and having (allegedly) not performed in the Second World War as well as they could have, being enemies in the Napoleonic wars and (unbelievably) not using soap as much as they should, moaning and demeaning the French  was common as I  grew up. Echoes of this behaviour continue to this day especially since Brexit. Having now grown up and taken several vacations to France, I see this as complete nonsense, but as a youth I knew no better, so I went along with it. Like road rage, if the other driver cant hear it, what’s the harm in having a rant about other people, it relieves a bit of stress and makes you feel better. The problem is the French are real people and as the world gets smaller and better connected, do hear what we say, just like the other driver when I forget I have my car window down..Such ignorant sentiments are also exploited by the right wing and nationalists which threaten us all.

Similarly, I was raised as an Anglican Christian, so there was an unspoken but ever present undercurrent that Catholics, Muslims, Jews etc where inferior as they didn’t worship as we did, and so were wrong in their beliefs. To acknowledge that they were just different, but equality valid in their religion and style of worship, would undermine our own world view as having the correct way to think and act or,  would undermine our own obviously higher importance and correct superior thinking. It was easier to avoid the complexity of the world and just assume others were simply wrong and ignorant. Now I’m an atheist, I hold the view that all of the religions are contemptible, and based on primitive, backward views  so although in this instance I have switched teams, have I personally developed into a better person or am I still stuck in a tribal rut?

It appears to me that it Is a universal human trait to always “adopt a them and us” attitude, to always divide ourselves into people like ourselves and other people we don’t know or interact with. Labeling and pigeon holing others makes it easy for us to avoid the complexities of the world and is probably deep rooted in our past history. When populations increased, land and resources became more valued and people started to  compete ie kill each other for gain rather than work together for increased overall gain. Ever since. we have been  forever dividing our selves up, maligning the others, promoting our tribe as superior so we can increase our own status and justify stealing, exploitation and  killing of other people. Or, in modern terminology, promoting  propaganda, spreading fake news, being nationalist, racist, sexist, anti Semitic, anti Muslim, homophobic etc etc so our group can get or stay in power. Slagging off the others makes you and people like you appear superior, it also allows you to scapegoat and blame others for your failings  and avoids the issue of saying how your group should address its own problems. Simply get rid of the others and all will be well. No wonder it is a favourite tactic of all politicians around the world. From Boris Johnson and Brexit, Nicola Surgeon and Scottish independence, to Putin and Xi Jinping, tribalism can explain a lot..

So is Tribalism, the dividing of peoples into groups, the root of many of the problems of today. Well if there are no national tribes, why go to war? If there are no ethnic tribes, why be racist? If there are no tribal religious sects, why hate other believers in God or Gods?  Acknowledging we are all part of one global humanity, and face similar problems such as poverty and wealth distribution, climate change, war, disease, water and food shortages, education, birth control, human and female rights, racism, sexism, biodiversity loss etc etc wouldn’t these problems start to drastically reduce? I hope you can agree that it would.

But is this all a dream? Is changing a basic human behaviour possible? Are be doomed to be for ever tribal, just looking after our own kind, those like us?

Well, when young children play, they play  happily together, whoever their parents are. It is only when  they get older and “learn”  from their “wiser(!)” elders  to differentiate themselves from others. that the divisions begin. Perhaps it starts when they sense fearful mums or hear negative talk of others, that the divisions set in or perhaps when they start at a different play group, church or school. It happens generation after generation as there is no reason for it to stop if the tribal group think remains separate from challenge. So I conclude that Tribalism is a learn behaviour and not fundamental to human nature. And If it is a learnt behaviour, it can be unlearnt or better still never taught at all.*

This does happen. I recall a TV documentary that investigated the poor relationship between some travellers and the residents of an unfriendly village who wanted them moved on. After showing the bad feelings both groups had against each other, the programme producers organised a meeting and sat individuals from both sides down for a cup of tea together. After a frosty start tensions eased and a more normal conversation developed and understanding of each others problems and worries ensued. By the end of the programme friendship, respect and tolerance started to emerge. Tribal barriers had been broken,   and they started to see the others as people with different life styles but similar problems and desires.

I also recall the tale of the vicar, who during the second world war, organised German prisoners of war to spend Christmas diner with  local families. This wonderful story resulted in many life time friendships developing between people who had been told to kill each other but by actually meeting realised the truth that they were no different from each other.  Tribalism unlearnt. It is possible if people meet and talk together.

On  a larger scale, the tribalism in Northern Ireland is slowly being unlearnt, but it is still a work in progress. Deep rooted divides are being eroded, but unfortunately have recently increased due to the tribalism of Brexit, and the need for borders, barriers and division to satisfy an idea that working alone is better than cooperating together. The Good Friday Agreement and Brexit are totally incompatible, but which is the better deal? The one that promotes peace or the one that creates divisions?

There is a lot of talk today that social media is promoting tribalism by detecting what you view online and sending you more of the same. This simple algorithm, which is designed to get more clicks and so earn the social media company more advertising revenue, results in you never seeing other persons differing likes and thoughts. So it  promotes your initial views leading to a more polarised and extreme views. The Social media companies deny all this probably because, when they wrote the algorithms they didn’t know how political social media would become. Initially it was set up to keep in touch with your friends rather than tribe and the lack of  interaction with other ways of thinking leads to a distorted virtual world view of your own creation, rather than a truer picture of the world with all its differences variety and complexity. The result is that Tribalism in America has got so bad that there is talk of a possible civil war after the next presidential election.

Theresa May once said that a citizen of the world is a citizen of no where. Whilst I admire her for her  endeavours to do an impossible job after the Brexit vote, I totally disagree with this statement. I say that a citizen of the world is a person of hope, one who has abandoned tribalism, has a global world view, that accepts people have different cultures, political views, religion and life style but that all people deserve respect, tolerance and understanding. A citizen of the world rejects the labeling of people as black, white, republican, democrat, Labour, Tory: etc etc and accepts they are people just like you and I, but with minor differences that in the big scheme of things are not as important as we like to think they are. A Citizen of the world embraces the variety and complexity of people and endeavours to care for all so the world is a better place for all.

So I say Down with Tribalism, Up with Humanitarianism.

That is, until kickoff. Come on you Eagles!!!!

*Psychologists experiments highlighted in Sapolsky's book Behave appear to indicate this is wrong and that Us/Them thinking is hard wired into our brains. This may be so, but is it hard wired who the "Thems" are? Why do we discriminate against people of a different skin colour and not hair colour, which is an equally striking visual characteristic? When humans evolved and started migrating from Africa we were all black, so if racism is hard wired, it can only be a very recent brain re-wiring which commenced when skin colour changed due to living in less sunny northern climes ie 40,000 years ago. And at what point in time did it become a frequent occurrence for white people to meet dark coloured people, so that all brains become hard wired by evolution? This frequent long range mixing requires transport technology ie domestic horses or ships, so only 6,000 years at a stretch.  I can accept that we are hard wired to be afraid and cautious of  other tribes, which clearly has evolutionary advantages, but it is a learnt behaviour, based on a geographic location, as to which tribes to avoid and which to co operate / trade with, which is equally advantageous. 

Update June 24 A book on this subject has now been published. Inheritance - The Evolutionary origin of the modern world by Oxford Professor of Anthropology Harvey Whitehouse. He says we all have a Tribal bias but should think of humanity as one tribe in order to solve our many problems ie base our Tribalism on the geographic location of the whole planet Earth rather than end tribalism. 

A Gift from Mr Putin

 Dear Mr Russian Ambassador to the UK

A Gift From Mr Putin

Last night I had a dream. A package from Russia arrived which turned out to be a gift from Mr Putin. The package, which was a bit battered from its travels, contained 6, dusty old Chateau Lafite wine bottles with half used candles stuck into their necks. They reminded me of candle stick holders from a gothic Victorian film and would not look out of place in Miss Haversham’s house of decay. The accompanying note explained that Mr Putin enjoyed the Raspberry jam I sent to his ambassador and in return for my gift, though I might appreciate a means of lighting my house during this winters power cuts, due to Europe’s lack of gas.   
 
What a brilliant gift! It not only highlights Europe’s dependence on Russian gas, but the empty vintage wine bottles demonstrate what a rich and powerful man Mr Putin is, how he enjoys his great parties and what a contemptible  poor peasant I am, having no means to buy expensive wines and having to light my house with candles. After laughing at the irony of the world, I chucked the lot in the shed, suspecting that if I lit the candles they would give off novachock, or explode or some other deniable way of bringing about my demise,  which Mr Putin wanted for no other reason than to demonstrate he could do it.. However, all was not lost, as I did rip off the fine high value Russian stamps on the package for my collection.

What a wonderful dream, how I wish it was true. Mr Putin sending me a gift, (thus boosting my ego) and also living up to his reputation as the cunning and fiendish bad boy of Europe. How the UK press and media love to pump out the anti Russian stories  We in the West just love it. However could you tell me if Russia wants to play this role or does Mr Putin just want to stay in power (by what ever means), sell some gas, and have a normal relationship with the West? Well I don’t know, but I can’t believe the Russian police are so incompetent, or Russian agents so out of control, that murderers are never brought to trial or anyone can poisoning who ever they like without repercussions. I don’t believe Mr Putin would allow such anarchy in his Country. I also don't believe Mr Putin would be such a very bad sales man with "buy my gas or I will cut you off" tactics, especially when the world is talking about switching away from fossil fuels and seriously investing in renewables.

Did you see my letter to the Chinese Ambassador to the UK? I copied it to you (the Russian Ambassador to the UK), because I get the impression that in order to stay in power, Mr Putin is copying the way of the Chinese Communist Party ruthlessly stamps down on everyone and everything that could be judged as a threat to those in power. I explained that ultimately this will fail as they are always working against human nature. The same resulting failure applies to Russia, but even more so, as Russia has no Confucian culture which for 2000 years has drummed into the Chinese that they should be satisfied with their place in society and not challenge the wise rulers. The Russian people are not the Chinese, which probably explains why the Soviet Union collapsed and the Chinese Communist Party is still in power.

Going against human nature is a totally inefficient way to organise  a society. Not allowing people to express their differing views means a large expensive state organisation to suppress it with fear and force and a smaller pool of people to come up with good decisions. Not allowing individuals to use their talents to gain status and wealth is a waste and will make the country poorer in the long run. This is why I believe democracy and capitalism are the best systems for societies..

Does Mr Putin think he has come up with a better system of Government? If he is just playing the tyrant, I suggest he reads a few history books and reads what happened to them and their countries. In his actions, I see no long term strategy that will be of benefit to anyone, least of all Russia, a country which has such potential.


Yours

Why the West is Best and the Evidence to Prove It

 Why the West is Best and the Evidence to Prove it

The leadership of China often says that their method of Government is superior to Western democracies and that ignorant people like me should shut up and stop criticising China’s way of doing things.

Well they may have a point, as I have never been to China, but based on the fact that all the people of the world I have met, seen or read about, have similar goals and drives in their lives, I assume that the Chinese people have similar ambitions ie to live their lives peacefully, strive for happiness, acceptance and wealth and continually improve their lives for the benefit of not only themselves but their family, friends and the society and environment they live in.   

So why do I not agree with and admire the Chinese authoritarian style of Government? Well it is because the method it uses is not aligned to the reality of basic human nature and to overcome this fundamental nature it needs to use force in order to get people to comply to its methods and goals.

Because  human genes are constantly shuffled and mutated at birth, every human being on the planet is biologically slightly different. Also, as each person grows up, what they experience and learn is also unique, No two people can live exactly the same lives at exactly the same place, time and circumstances. (Even one identical twin will leave the womb before the other and so have a very small circumstantial difference to its twin ). Therefore as each persons brain develops, the synapses connect in different ways and the memories and learning stored internally are uniquely personal and given different value and importance by the thought processes (Evolution of the Sensitive Soul. Ginsburg, Jablonka 2021).

It is because of these biological and neurological differences, that every single person will think in a different way, have a different personality, different skills, interests, values, motivations, creativity, and ideas on how they should live their lives and what’s best for the future. It’s what makes people so special and wonderful, we should celebrate and enjoy all the marvelous variety of humanity and its different cultures. “Vive le difference” as the French would say.

As everyone is unique and thinks in a slightly different way, any system of organising society, which aims to increase the happiness of the society it manages should acknowledge and accommodate human nature,  accept different ways of thinking and provide an outlet for these views and resulting behaviours. It should allow people to express themselves,  to  be heard, tolerated' It should then  debate and judge if their ideas are of any value. If these ideas are widely accepted they can be implemented sensible policy or rejected as folly. Obviously negative behaviours that affect other peoples happiness must be enforced by the law, but the law is a human construct and should also be discussed and changed as and when required by the society to which it is relevant.

In my society in the UK, freedom to think and express your own views is accepted, and after debating and deliberating, a consensus is eventually reached and this usually arrives at a good decision. Even if a bad decision is made this is highlighted ,challenged , reviewed and altered if necessary. Although to people in China this may look like chaos and disorder. everyone can have their say and so feels valued and a part of the whole. The differences of human personalities are acknowledged and accommodated as the unstoppable, changing world, increasing human knowledge and new technologies of humanity demands.

However in China, the expression and debate about different views only appears to take place out of sight at the highest level of Government, and very recently only seems to take place (if at all) by a very select few at the very top level . How these few can know everything that is best for the other 1.4 billion people is beyond me. Assuming they are just people and not all knowing gods (which seems a safe bet ) they will not have perfect knowledge, wisdom and predictive powers and so not all their decisions will be perfect or correct. Like every one else they will make mistakes and lessons will have to be learnt, as we often say in Britain. The current Chinese system of government is based on  fallacy, It assumes the leader(s) know best, will make the correct decisions and that people can’t and don’t think  differently and if they do are automatically wrong.   So as the Chinese system of Government dose not accommodate people being who they really are and goes against human nature the system has to be kept in place by constant surveillance, policing, imprisonment, and force. This method may bring order, harmony and peace, but does it bring happiness? The evidence suggests not.

As China has no free and fair elections,  the views of the Chinese people are unknown. However there is a way of judging what ordinary people think of how the Chinese Communist Party runs China, and these are the net migration figures. These are as follows (from macrotrends.net)

UK        1986 - 2021 always positive and currently +2.9 per 1000 ( i.e.  more arriving than leaving)
USA      1950 - 2021 always positive and currently +2.8 per 1000 ( i.e. .more arriving than leaving)
Russia   1975 - 2021 always positive and currently + 0.9 per 1000 (i.e.  more arriving than leaving).
China    1950 - 2021 always negative and currently -0.25 per 1000 (ie   more leaving than arriving).

Therefore, even with the recent Chinese (capitalist) economic boom, for the last 71 years more people have voted with their feet and decided that they would be happier out side of China than within it. If the Chinese way of doing things is so great, why are not people  flocking to your shores asking to live under the Chinese system? If  it is the best way to Govern why isn’t China's migration figures well into the positives numbers? From the statistics, it would appear that people would rather move to Russia than China!

I would suggest that the vast majority of Chinese people are good hard working people (all those I have met are), who, because of their Confucian culture of knowing your place in a society and being ruled by wise leaders, they keep their heads down and do not challenge the status quo for fear of their “heads being bashed against the iron wall“. The Chinese communist party takes advantage of this culture, and also China past history of massive tragic civil wars, as an excuse to rule using lies and extreme force whilst living a life of luxury, as has been done so many times in the past by other tyrants, dictators and despots.

If Mr Desmond Shum (Red Roulette 2021) is to believed, Xi Jinping is president not because he has been elected by the people or is a competent politician  but because he is the most ruthless, and he is using the Chinese State for his own benefit rather than for the good of the Chinese people. Well, I don’t know if this is exactly true and I sincerely hope it isn’t, but from what I see reported in the West, the Chinese leadership is trying to justify it’s position by talking tough and “Making China Great” as fundamentally they have no legitimacy. They are only sons of the original revolutionaries, (just like the European Medieval kings who claimed divine right to rule) and are using old 20th Century outdated ideology well into the 21st Century. No wonder they hate the internet so much and have seized on the pandemic as a way of shutting China off from the world.

How long can the Chinese Communist Party keep their system going? How long can they keep fighting against human nature, the modern world, the internet, global trade and travel? Well no one can know that but such a  system is ultimately doomed to failure, it’s just a question of how may millions of lives will be destroyed when it breaks down. However there is hope, Russia’s Communist System fell apart with few casualties, because the leadership controlling the guns faced up to the reality of the day. Hopefully China’s leaders  will act wisely too.

Letter to Chinese Ambassador to the UK - Super Hero Xi

 Dear Ambassador Zheng Zeguang

Super Hero President Xi Jinping

What a Great and Superior man President Xi Jinping is. Not only is he the Wisest, most Knowledgeable and magnificent man on the planet,  but he is also the funniest.

I loved his pronouncement that the internet and media should be controlled and censored as he didn’t want Western ideas polluting Chinese culture and ideology. Well, as Communism and Marxism are ideologies that both  originated in the West, and only took hold of China in 1912, I assume his next pronouncement will be to abolish the Chinese Communist Party, as it is a result of Western pollution. A return to good old Confucian values of wise leadership, not stepping out of line etc would be much better for everyone (but mostly him)!

I was also very much impressed by his decree that children should only play on their computers for a maximum of 3 hours at the weekend. What a master stroke and massive demonstration of intellect it is to stop children playing, because it is, after all,  for their own benefit. I’m sure they are all very grateful for being saved from them selves and will grow up thanking and loving their glorious leader even more for turning  them all into non thinking, working automatons, serving the good of the communal ant hill that will be the Chinese State of the future.

May I ask how this enlightened decree will be enforced? If children who spend a minute or more over 3 hours  playing a computer game go unpunished, they will grow up knowing that they can defy and disrespect the decrees of their Supreme and Glorious Leader who knows what’s best for them. A failure to clamp down immediately on such outrageous behaviour, will lead to disharmony, chaos, barourism and the end of 2000 years of Civilisation. Therefore, I assume that such evil children will be swiftly declared enemies of the state and that their heads will be dashed hard against the iron wall forged by the blood and sweat of 1.4 Billion Chinese.  .  

However, If Mr Xi Jinping perhaps sees the folly of this decree, but doesn’t want to lose face and admit that such a wise, perfect and superior President such as he has made a mistake, may I be so bold as to suggest a solution.

This would be to copy the west (as China has done with communism, industrialisation, capitalism, internet, sky scrapers, moon shots, universities, Olympics, CO2 emissions  etc) and invent a superhero computer game with President Xi Jinping as the main character. Why should all the super heroes be American?. Isn’t it time for a Chinese Super hero? Superman Xi could not only have super powers of infinite wisdom, heroic strength and all the usual super hero attributes, but he could also have the power to paste the image of his face all over the place, (so people constantly see how great and good looking he is), the power to brain wash everyone so they all think as he does, and the ability to see everything on the internet and control the media so only his perfect ideology is seen. Obviously the goal of the game is to kill and destroy everyone who has a brain and decides to use it and disagrees with him on any subject whatsoever, which is probably every one else on the planet. How the kids will love it and I’m sure they will be allowed to play it all day if they want.    

If the game is a great success, as I sure you agree it will be, then you could bring out a comic book too.
That would also be very funny!

Yours Sincerely




Trevor Prew  

PS If you wonder why I write to you and think I should mind my own business, then do not worry you are not alone, I also write to the Russian Ambassador and the British Prime minister whose Governments I also hold in complete contempt. I think Putin and Johnson are also hypocrites of the first degree and I, unlike  yourself and 1.4 Billion Chinese people, I’m completely free to tell them precisely that.

Fear

Fear is the subjective mental state of anticipating a negative or bad future, usually based upon, (because humans are particularly anxious and neurotic), a highly exaggerated assumption of what will actually happen.

Part 1 Lessons from Rock Climbing

I first learnt about fear when I had finished all my studies, passed my exams and needed something  to do with my newly acquired spare time. Realising my predicament, Dad invited me to join him on his most recent adventure into the world of rock climbing. Notwithstanding an adolescents ambivalence to anything their parents suggest, and being a bored, I agreed to tag along.

Being fortunate in possessing an athletic body, I easily managed to do the first few problems. As a cocky young youth, I wasn’t surprised,  after all I was the Thanet Pentathlon Champion and had a cup to prove it. There wasn’t anything I couldn‘t do, or so I thought. Next came Bow Shaped Buttress. I tried as hard as I could but this was just too difficult for my strength and novice skill level. I kept on throwing myself at the rock, but all this did was sap my  strength as arms and legs flailed around in desperation. I was annoyed, really annoyed. For the first time in my life I had failed, and I didn’t understand why, and that dented my pride. However, It also fired my resolve to come back next week and try again.

And that’s how I became hooked on Rock Climbing, because I couldn’t do it! I came back the next weekend and with fresh arms and a clear head, I managed to cruise up Bow Shaped Buttress, However by the end of the day, I was falling off another climb, this time called Long Layback. From then on I devoted most of my spare time to climbing, slowly improving, but forever failing as I attempted yet harder and more challenging routes that were always just around the corner. I was driven on by an intense curiosity of what I could achieve, the subtle effects of balance, the nature of the rock, its friction, its holds, and the amazing scenery. But most fascinating of all was what went on in my head whilst clinging on, especially when above a large drop with the strong possibility of my own extinction in the next few minutes. And it was these mind games that interested me the most.

At Bowles Rocks, there is a route called sapper, which ascends a fine wall up to a the underside of a large overhang. In order to make the route a similar standard all the way up, in the dim and distant past someone, perhaps a military engineer, had carved a vertical hole through the roof so you can squeeze through and avoid the upside down, sloth like, manoeuvres which would be need to reach the top via the overhang, which is obviously far more difficult and for climbing rock stars only.  

After mastering the wall and squeeze through the hole in the roof, one day I reached out tentatively  exploring what it felt like to be a sloth.  Even though I was attached to a rope, the sensation of suddenly having most of my weight, not on my feet, but on my feeble arms above a thirty foot drop, was very alarming.  I swiftly scuttled back to the hole and shot up through the man made hole to the safety of the top and waited for my heart rate to drop..

For about a year, every time we went to Bowes, this little saga repeated itself. Up the wall to the underside of the roof, a reach out to the solid jams, a few moments with my body hanging upside down in space, my mind racing with doubt and fear, followed by a swift retreat. There was no way I could do it and a fall at the lip would mean at least a bone braking drop and swing into the rock face below.

However, one fine still autumn evening after a great, but not challenging, days climbing, I was contented and relaxed and thought I would finish off the day with a swift ascent of sapper before it went dark. I made easy work of the wall and arrived at the roof. Without thinking I leaned out and started jamming with my fists and then also with my feet, so I was doing the sloth like upside down manoeuvres. It all felt natural and easy, so with out thinking I kept going right out to the lip of the roof. Here the crack started to turn into the vertical and widen,  I found some  good holds and. not thinking about the consequences of falling and slamming onto the wall below, I just hung right out and automatically brought one leg from under the roof up and into the wider crack that was just above my head. With my leg jammed in the crack above me, it was now impossible to fall out and so with a few more pulls, pushes and grunts I arrived at the top immensely satisfied my efforts. . .    

After a year of dithering and messing about I’d finally cracked it, my first 5c roof. I don’t believe I had become particularly stronger, so why had I succeeded this time and failed so many times before?. Well  what made the difference was I was relaxed and totally lacking in fear. Without the worry of the consequences of failure, I’d cruised the route in fine style. Without emotions, worries, or aggression I’d just got on with the task in front of me, solved the problem efficiently and managed the climb with ease, With no fear, I just climbed and succeeded.

From those early days my rock climbing became a passion and dominated my life. I moved to Sheffield so I could climb in the evenings and meet lots of other like minded climbers for trips away. I loved the beautiful surroundings and the extreme situations you could put yourself in.

When climbing harder routes at the limit of my capabilities I often found myself expecting to take a  long fall that would result in seriously bodily damage. However, in these moments mysterious and fascinating things, that to this day I can’t explain. started to happened.. In moments of extreme fear and stress, feelings and thoughts would shut down, I would become calm,  emotionally .empty and  I would begin to climb at an entirely different level, on instinct without thought, as if guided by something outside of me. “If I’m going to fall, I may as well pull on something” was my attitude and so resigned to my fate, I would arrive at the top and not really knowing what I’d done, how I had remained on the rock face or understanding how I’d got up the route. Thinking and memory had not been involved.

Eventually, I learnt to turn off the stress and fear completely. If these negative subjective feelings only existed in my mind, then I could control my thoughts and eliminate them. And so after years of experience, I learnt to attempt climbs at the extreme limit of my physical strength with out any thought of the consequences of failure. However I wasn’t the strongest climber by a long way and after several very fast trips head first towards the ground, I decided I had reach the pinnacle of my climbing career and it was time to back off before the rope didn’t save me and  something life changing happened. Also eliminating fear had made climbing less exciting, and climbing in an emotional void had made it almost boring and less interesting. It was intense but dull. It was time to move on in life.

(I also learnt that you can love the rock, but I doesn’t love you back, only another person can do that, But that is a different story altogether).

Part 2 If fear holds us back, why do we possess it as a basic emotion?

One of the current theories of how the brain works, is that we all have a working model of the world inside our heads based upon past memories and what the senses are detecting. This model is continually being updated  as the senses detect errors in the model. The emotions, (which are external expressions of inner subjective feelings that signal our internal mental state to other people),  are hard wired into us and together with the lessons we’ve learn from past experiences, the hormones, (that tell the brain about the state of the body), then interact with the working model to make a prediction of the future which guides our choice of action, so we can achieve outcomes beneficial to ourselves and our goals.

For example, you are walking into a town, with your senses detecting all the sights, sounds and smells that fit your previous experiences of a high street. Say that hormones in your bodies send signals to the brains that tell that the body is lacking energy, so we experience a feeling of hunger. However, across the street we see a sign bearing the symbols C, A, F, E, over a door and through  past experience you have learnt to associate these symbols with buying fine bacon butties which gives rise to the internal subjective feeling of pleasure which is expressed to others by the signalling emotion of delight. So we cross over, but unfortunately the door is locked as the café is closed on a Tuesday and today is a Tuesday. From this set back we feel of frustration, anxiety and stress, externally expressed as agitation, which reinforces the feeling of hunger, which makes finding a café more of a priority and you decide to pace off  down the street in search of food whilst worrying that all the cafes in town are shut on a Tuesday. Such an emotional  fear based model of  the world is discovered to be unfounded  because the café owner down the road knows his main competitor is shut on a Tuesday, and he can have good trade by remaining open all week.  

Stress and Fear are a good thing overall for alerting us and others close by to danger (in this case the prospect of no food) so we can deal with hazards (the closed café) in the appropriate way by devising a  plan (try further down the street) and survive for another day. But fear that is so great that it paralyses us into inaction, or muddled thinking, (ie giving up on the idea of eating in town because you think all the cafes are closed) becomes a hindrance. So we have to learn where to strike the balance.

We all have fear for  the obvious reason that it helps to keep us and others around us alive. If our ancestors hadn’t run from that sabre tooth tiger, or avoided the loose cliff edge or treated those potentially violent strangers with extreme caution, we probably wouldn’t be alive today. Fear gives us a better chance of survival and an evolutionary advantage over those who sense no danger. But so too does excessive fear and natural selection is unable to distinguish between the two. Those with no fear get eaten by the tiger but both the wary and the  absolutely petrified, who wouldn’t leave the safety of home, would both survive to pass their genes on to the next generation.  Only those with no fear of tigers become tiger lunch.  Over reacting to danger gives a survival advantage just as a sensible but cautious reaction does.

We are the most complex product of evolution and natural selection on the planet, (with society, technology, language and art) and this implies that our species has undergone the most evolutionary change driven by our being constantly under pressure to survive ie our species has always been on  the edge of extinction.. To have become so complex we must have faced and overcome more environmental challenges than any other species, If we would have faced less challenges we would  be less complex as less novel characteristics would have been sufficient to survive. (One day we will probably face one too many challenges and we will go extinct like most of the other species recorded in the fossil record.)  However as a by product of all this environmental stress, is it any  surprise that we aret the most anxious, fearful, stressed out animal on the planet? Did we survive and thrive on the edge of extinction  because we are extremely neurotic as well as intelligent?

When I was growing up every one was scared of a thermonuclear war. If the bombs started dropping it was the end of the world. However, despite a few hairy moments it hasn’t happened and even though the bombs still exist, we learnt that if such a war was to happen, no one wins and we do all love our children what ever political system they grow up in. . Our excessive  fears were unfounded and today thermonuclear war is rarely mentioned unless it concerns a new country getting the bomb which upsets the current power balance between nations. (which basically means a nuclear power can no longer invade what was a non nuclear power). So irrational fear kept us alive but at the time it was over the top.

Before my childhood, was not the dominant fear of the Nazi’s? before him the Hun?, before then Napoleon?, before then Catholics?, next then plague?, Vikings?, Anglo Saxons?, Romans etc etc? Was it fear all down the ages?

Today’s fears in the UK have been a lack of Toilet rolls and petrol! These are prime examples of excessive fear causing more problems than they solve, They are hardly life treating issues but fear stoked up in the media with the resultant mass panic leads to a break down in the thought processes as people see what others are doing and with out question do the same. Alternative means of cleaning ones behind and getting from A to B and back to A again (and if it is really necessary to go to B in the first place) never entered the public discussion.

More serious fears are climate change, covid, terrorism, gene editing, China etc These matters all need addressing but do we not over react to all of them? Geologically the earth has been hotter than current predictions,  historically covid is a mild disease, that only kills the old, unhealthy or genetically unlucky, terrorism is carried out by very few people, the human genome undergoes many naturally occurring changes  and the rise of Chine economically will not lead to world war three, their wealth is too dependent on world trade and capitalism. .

So in summary, my opinion is that to have become as complex as we are, our species must have lived constantly with environmental challenges. A heighten sense of  fear of the world would have kept us aware of risks and dangers of the world but this advantage to our survival resulted in us being overly neurotic, anxious and fearful because natural selection has little power to select between performance enhancing caution and extreme risk aversion at all costs. In today’s world we need to recognise and be aware to the dangers but not to   let our fears get the better of us.

We need to learn to use our fear to alert us to the dangers but also when it’s time to stop dwelling on the negative modes of thinking and  when we should just get on with the job, when its time to just pull on the holds in front of us and reach our goals successfully, so we can continue to survive and thrive..
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As martial arts expert Bruce Lee said "Don't think -do"

Fun and High Jinks at the Chinese Communist Party's birthday Bash

 

Dear Ambassador Zheng Zeguang

What an ordinary Man in Sheffield thinks of the Chinese Communist Party

How I laughed at Xi Jinping’s pronouncement that he will “dash enemies heads against a great wall of steel forged from the flesh and blood of 1.4 billion Chinese”. Having just read Don Quixote by Cervantes, I see such rantings as coming from a madman living in a bygone world created by his own delusion. Who does Mr Jinping think is really threatening China?. America may be annoyed about trade and adjusting to China’s increasing power, but does he really think American windmills will need such an attack? Surely they have enough internal problems of their own than to start trouble abroad.

As far as I understand, the only threat to Mr Xi Jinping and his dinosaur of a party, comes from his own people, which is why he stamps on the internet (presumably with his iron foot of a million tons, ha ha!!!), locks up those that criticise the party (presumably with the mighty lance made of the sweat of the Chinese people, tee hee!!!) and has concentration camps for minorities (presumably whilst wielding the invincible sword of Chinese justice guffor guffor!!!). Doesn’t the Party realise that taking away peoples freedom of speech and liberty are acts of weakness and cowardliness, not strength.. If the Party can’t take on and defeat it’s critics and political opponents with sound arguments, correct policies and beneficial actions for the majority then it should seriously think about what it is doing and where it is heading.  And don’t try to justify the parties actions by saying that if there is unrest in China then millions will die as they did in previous civil wars, because that was then and this is now. Civil wars start because entrenched inflexible views don’t change with the times and so force is the only way to make those in power face up to the new reality. So the Chinese Communist Party must change with the times rather than retreat back to Maoist mid 20th century thinking. If it wants the world to respect China, then it should start acting in a manner that makes the world a better place, not only for the Chinese people but also for all peoples of the world. Wouldn’t that be better than using outdated military might, that just shows how backward China is, not modern and progressive?

Following this disrespectful letter from a foreigner, which is obviously a major threat to the Chinese state, I await my head to be dashed to pieces. Such an act will no doubt enhance the might, prestige and glory of the Chinese Communist Party which is all conquering and invincible. Especially when taking on the defenseless but outspoken.

So happy 100th birthday Chinese Communist Party. Long may you be tolerated by the Chinese people. But will you ever be loved by them?


Yours Faithfully






Trevor Prew  

CC Various Newspapers, Organisations.

PS If you find this letter offensive, I make no apology. I am most offended that fellow human beings continue to act in such an horrific and appalling way towards other fellow human beings in the 21st Century. Everybody is genetically and environmentally different (by their nature and nurture) and everyone has differing thoughts and views on the matters that concern them. To  deign this simple truth and to attempt to make 1.4 billion  people all think the same way by fear and persecution tactics is shear folly and doomed to failure in the long run.

Concerning Religion

 On Religion

Recently, I had a great idea to sort out the world’s problems. When a Government or National leader starts a war or commits serious crimes, every one on the planet should use the power of the internet to tell them exactly what they think of them and their appalling actions. Under such global pressure, they would be forced to change their ways, thus making the world a better place for all.

This idea could be a bit naïve, but it’s never been tried before and didn’t Apartheid South Africa  eventually change after sustained global pressure? Well, for the prize of world peace, I think it’s worth a go. But who will listen to a nobody from Sheffield? So in order to get some high profile backing, I wrote to UK heads of the Church of England, Roman Catholic Church, Islam and Judaism.

No response was forthcoming from last two, but I did get an email back from the Good Cardinal. He thought the matter was best left to Governments. He does have a point, but it all smacked of buck passing to me, and what have Governments achieved in the last 20 years anyway?

However, the most thoughtful response came from a very kind lady working for the Archbishop of  Canterbury, who, not knowing the state of my mental health, let me down gently, explaining that the Archbishop was a very busy man and she would not be passing on my idea to save the world  for his attention.

Oh dear. The Archbishop is too busy for world peace!. You couldn’t make it up, could you?


And that’s the problem with Religion. When you start asking questions of it, it all gets disappointing.

Take the current panic over Covid. Why did God create the virus and other diseases  that kill people? Murder is against Gods will isn’t it? And if it’s all part of his plan, why does he allow humans to create vaccines and treatments that thwart his will? Are humans as clever as God? How is that possible?

And if the all powerful, intelligent, creator Gods exists, is he sitting up in heaven wondering  how he was created? Does he worship his creator god and if he does, why don’t we worship Gods God? And what about Gods, Gods God………?

As for heaven and life after death, it’s the ultimate con trick. “Do this, don’t do that, give us some money and we promise entry to paradise when you can’t come back and complain“. And how does anyone know that something happens after your biochemistry has packed up anyway?. There is no proof, only blind faith.
If you think I’m a lost soul damned for eternity, please don’t bother praying for me. Prayer may make you feel  better as you think you have done something constructive, but that will be all that you will have achieved. Thousands of years of prayer by billions of people and the world  has not been improved one jot as far as I can see.  

However, Religions and Gods are present in all cultures and have been worshiped as long as our records allow us to know, so what is it about religion that makes it universal? Why do humans appear to need it? I have several possible explanations..

Firstly, we all like to know what’s going on and why. We don’t like a lack of knowledge and also love a good story.. Why are we here? Well if you make up a good story to answer this question, and you  tell it round the fire side you can earn your evening meal entertaining the tribe. Better still, scare the bear skin  off them, but then convince them everything will be all right if they look after you in the right way and you have it made. You can then, providing they give you the bulk of the takings,  begin training underlings to do the same and you can have a life of luxury and status. So religion starts. And believing in a life after death, is a great story, and very comforting.

The other reason is that Religion gives humans an evolutionary advantage in times of stress, because humans function better when they are less scared or worried about death. Take times of famine. Rather than worry all day about were your next meal is coming from, why not put your faith in your god, relax and get on with your daily routine without expending energy on wasteful fretting. Chances are, that you will come across some food which is of course all down to God looking after you, not that you fully focused on the task in hand.  Or when in danger, pray for Gods safe keeping, so its his responsibility not yours. This will take the pressure off, reduce your fear levels and allow you to fight more effectively rather than stand there jibbering. Because you will be less stressed you will probably perform better and indeed survive to sing Gods praises . If you don‘t, you will more likely die and not be around to moan about what a rotten concept God is. So the after danger sample is highly bias in favour of God and so religion persists.

Finally,  religion does contain masses of wisdom which if embraced will give everyone a much happier and enjoyable life. Promoting the benefits of  co operation, peace, harmony , altruism, community and mutual support are essential, we all know this, it’s obvious and some of the kindest, selfless people I have met and read about have been deeply religious. There’s also  all  the good work done by religious charities that  do much to help others and make the world a better place for everyone.

So after 2000 years or so,  isn’t it time for a review of the worlds religions, so we can keep the wisdom and ditch the fabricated superstitious nonsense? Because the joyous reality is, we are all stuck on this planet alone and no one is here to help us. There is no after life. It’s up to us while we are alive. We have to learn how to make it work, together, right now.

And we need all the wisdom we can get.

The importance of International Travel

 The Importance of International Travel

Because of Covid, we currently can’t go abroad and with the subsequent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions this is viewed by many as good thing. However, having been lucky enough to have lived at a time when for the first time in history it was cheap and easy to travel to all parts of the globe when ever I wanted, I think it is important that international travel be resumed as soon as possible. The principal reason is that it opens your mind to new ideas and perspectives, that when experienced personally, become unshakably embedded into your character and world view.

The first personal experience to tell of, is an encounter with a young Dutchman, who I got chatting to when we were both backpacking the Cornish Coastal path. Talking of his experiences in England he said he had tried fish and chips and found the meal to be disgusting. “A soggy, greasy mess” was his description! I was taken aback, offended even, that our national dish had not been eaten with relish and delight, followed only by the eager anticipation of a future portion to be eaten on the next seafront with the wind, waves and hungry seagulls for company. Well, perhaps he had been to the wrong chippy and got a bad meal, or perhaps, on reflection he has a point. It not exactly a healthy meal is it? Maybe I should eat more salads……

The second tale takes place whilst back packing in one of the drier parts of the world during a period of drought. I had run out of water but my next watering point was due that day so I wasn’t concerned. However when I arrived at what was supposed to be a  spring, I found only a damp patch and the odd drip. Not having drunk that day, I set up my cup to catch the valuable drops. After 3 hours of waiting in the sun, I had enough for one swallow, but I’d probably sweated out more than that waiting. I had to press on. The next day I awoke to sky full of dark clouds. Great it was going to rain, so my water bottle would soon be full.

Well it did rain, it poured down in sheets. The thunder roared and the lightning cracked closer than I would have liked. There was water, too much water actually and just opening my mouth skywards gave relief to my thirst and immediate concerns. My map showed a stream ahead, one that flowed off the nearby mountain. I imaged it to be in full flow now, gushing with clear, cool pure water. Ah heaven. I pressed on.

Well it was in full flow, and gushing and cool,  but it wasn’t clear. It was a brown, thick with muddy sediment and broken vegetation and who knows what else. Despite my thirst, there was no way I was going to drink that and so I pushed on. It was the only option.

Later that day I diverted off my planned route to a farmstead and at the gate the occupants had left out containers of drinking water for travelers. What nice people. What kind people. I looked for them so I could thank them but no one was about, perhaps they were a bit shy. But now every day I turn on a tap at home I’m thankful and remember that farm that taught me the true value of water to life. Now I avoid flushing the toilet with drinking water, and use bath water, washing up water or rain water when possible.  
 
There are other many other stories I could tell, about being picked up and carried by Sherpa's over a Himalayan pass and being humbled by their effort for me: about being shocked when invited to diner by a man in Kathmandu only to find he and his family of 4 lived in a room the size of my spare bed room; about the young hitch hikers I’d picked up and got me out of a jam with Police in Patagonia. But these would distract from my point. And that is that I think it is very important that others should experience the world and obtain their own stories to tell, so they too wont be fooled when politicians or religious leaders tell that the other people, the foreigners, the non believers, the people across the boarder, the people of different appearance or customs or outlooks are any different, or inferior, or dangerous, from any group of people you may happen to meet in your own country or city.

Because that’s the most important thing I have learnt from international travel. We are all basically the same, kind, trustful and peaceful. We just live in different places with different ideas and we are all working daily to improve our situations for the better.

Hopefully we will soon have a way of traveling carbon free as well as cheaply. Until then “tread lightly on the earth“, but don‘t stop treading entirely. I wonder if the chippy’s open yet?

Time For a Universal Declaration of Human Obligations?

 Part 1 On the “Rights of Man” by Thomas Paine 1791

Just over 200 years ago Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man was published which sets out his views on governments, economics, revolutionary war, natural and civil rights. Upon reading this historic book one paragraph in particular leaped off the page and struck me as highly relevant, but troublesome, in this modern world.

He describes “Natural Rights as those which appertain to man in right of his existence. Of this kind are all the intellectual rights, or rights of the mind, and also all those rights of acting as an individual for his own comfort and happiness, which are not injurious to the natural rights of others”. Fine words indeed, which form the basis of many western constitutions, and they tell us we have a right from birth to be free, to do and think as we choose, as long as it causes no harm to others. But it’s that caveat  “no harm to others” that needs careful though and definition. Who exactly are “others”

Back in the 19th Century “others” was chosen to include only a select few, those of your own tribe, sex, power, wealth and creed. But slowly the definition has expanded. Women, those of different skin, the poor, the less able bodied, those in other countries and  those of different political views, religion or sexual orientation have all now been included by many legal systems around the world. However, with the environmental crisis plainly evident to all, shouldn’t the definition of others be expanded further to also include future others? What right have we to mess up this planet, in one big fossil fuel driven party, if it means future generations wont be able to enjoy it just as we have? With this updated definition of others, that includes future others, we currently have no right at all to drive a car, get on a plane, use our gas boilers, as all of these actions are changing the planet and will cause harm to people in the future by  continuing the process of climate change.  

Should “others” also include animals that also live on this planet? We share most of our genes with primates and If you trace back evolutionary processes all life originates from a single source and so are we not related to all life forms on earth and equally precious? Well nature is cruel and we have to eat something, but I would argue that animals have a right to exist as much as we do, if not as individuals, then at least as a species. We should not do harm to animals or plants and allow them to thrive along side us. We have no right to cause extinctions or wantonly destroy habitat.

You could also use the same argument for Governments to pursue sound economic policy. Governments can and are borrowing money as if there’s no tomorrow, only for others to suffer higher taxes in the future. Is this acceptable? I suppose it depends on what the money is spent on,  but due to my lack of  knowledge of economics, I will have to leave that issue to others.

Having said all this, I’m still not happy with Thomas Paine’s Natural rights. If we live our lives not causing harm to others, future others, animals or the planet is this enough? Well may be, but I think it should be the minimum. It still all seems a bit selfish to me. Couldn’t we do a lot better? Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all pursued our own comfort and happiness, with out harming our newly defined others, but also acted to help all others to increase their comfort and happiness too? If we all acted in this way, wouldn’t this create a viscous, or more correctly, virtuous circle of ever increasing comfort and happiness for everyone?

We can never know the future, we can only choose how to act today. Perhaps if we
acknowledge that we have our Rights of Man, but we also have natural Obligations of Man. then human kind would progress much faster than it is at the moment, and we could leave behind old 20th century modes of thinking. If we all exercise our rights, but also help others and contribute to our global society for the good of all, perhaps then we can all act together to make this world a better place for everyone, now and in the future.


Part 2 Universal Declaration of Human Obligations

Before we go on, lets drop the out of date, sexist, term  “Man” and replace it with “Humans”.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted after the Second world war and sets out the fundamental rights that all should enjoy. But what would a Universal Declaration of Human Obligations contain? Pay taxes and obey the law would be top of the list if Governments were drafting it. However there are unfair taxes and the law is written by those in power and may need to be challenged, so they don’t make it on to my list. Top of my list of obligations comes from the Natural Right namely the obligation to:-

1) Pursue your own personal comfort and happiness. If we have this natural right we should use it to full effect and benefit by making our own choices and not just following the herd. Happiness and contentment doesn’t come from doing what others tell, persuade or force us to do but by acting freely and working towards our own desired goals. After all ,if we haven’t achieved a reasonable level of comfort and happiness ourselves,  we wont be unable to assist others in their pursuit too.

2) Not to cause harm to others. As discussed above, others should include future others and other life on this planet.

3) Help others to also have a life of comfort and happiness too. Promote the virtuous circle of increasing happiness by not acting selfishly or greedily.

4) Not to waste resources including the resource of our own time on earth and our own body. Food, water, money, materials and time are all limited and of value and so should be used  thoughtfully to maximise over all comfort and happiness. I also include our own bodies and mind as a resource. We should keep them both fit and healthy, so we minimise our demands on healthcare services.

5) To volunteer our time, labour and resources for the good of animals and the planet which are not represented in our democracies. Animals don’t get to vote so they need us to represent and protect them in our societies.

6) To continually seek the truth and to question or correct all possible lies and false hoods.  Edward Heath said “never believe the first version of a breaking story“, it will usually be distorted by  those who are most disadvantaged by its likely effects. Socrates questioned everything, assuming he knew nothing. A bit extreme perhaps but I don’t think Trump would have got into power if people remembered these wise principles.

7) To continually endeavour to learn and self improve, help others to do the same and to always correct ignorance and prejudice in ourselves and others.

8) Endeavour to be creative and practical in thought and action. Never fear failure, or fear to take considered risks. Only then will the world improve and not stagnate.

9) Celebrate the differences of our peoples and cultures, but to always think globally.

10) To participate in democratic processes and debates. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance”, so we must all be on guard against extremists and those who tell us that they know best. This is achieved by voting, joining political parties, protecting free speech and free press, debating issues of the day, particularly speaking out against injustice and corruption in society.
 
11) Always act in a way that makes the world a better place, for everyone now and in the future.

These are just my ideas. What would you include in your Universal Declaration of Human Obligations?


Trevor Prew
Sheffield UK
January 2021

PS Since writing this essay I discovered that the United Nations and Unesco have already written their Declaration of Human Obligations and also a Declaration of Responsibilities of the Present Generation to future generations, although these have not been made legal in many countries. (Wales has).