I hope you are well. Will the human race ever stop fighting wars? Will we ever stop invading each other’s countries, trying to steal each other’s resources and land, and attacking and killing each other? 

            The obvious answer is no. Any book on world history seems to indicate that it’s impossible for human beings to live in peace with one another. Books on world history usually begin with the civilisations of Sumer and Egypt, which arose around 3,000 BC. From that point until the present day, history is little more than a catalogue of endless wars. 

            But we haven’t always fought wars. Until roughly 6000 years ago, peaceful egalitarianism was entirely normal for human groups. This might sound controversial, because many people still accept the grand colonial myth that human history has been a story of gradual progression from a savage state. But it’s generally accepted now by anthropologists and archaeologists now that there was a long period of prehistoric peace, prior to an eruption of warfare in relatively recent times. This eruption started in the Middle East and Central Asia – and over the next few thousands years, spread over the whole of the ‘Eurasian’ landmass. 

            This was one of the points of my book The Fall, which was originally published in 2005. Some reviewers accused of romanticising indigenous and prehistoric peoples, partly by claiming that warfare was a recent development. I remember a review by a follower of Ken Wilber, who accused me of ‘retro-romanticism.’ But since the book’s publication the evidence for prehistoric peace has accumulated, so that it’s now pretty much the mainstream view. 

            In fact, until about 6000 years ago, social conditions were harmonious all over the world. Societies were egalitarian and non-patriarchal, as well as peaceful, living with a sense of the sacredness of the world, and a sense of connection with nature. In fact, our species has spent the vast majority of our time on this planet in this state. We lived in a state of harmony once before – in fact for the vast majority of our time on this planet. 

            To me this suggests that there is hope. War is not inevitable. It is not innate to us. It may take a long time, but I can conceive of a future in which we evolve beyond war. 

            Part of our problem now is ‘pathocracy’ (which I was one of the main concepts of my recent book DisConnected.) War is inevitable when we have psychologically disordered people in positions of power. War is basically a conflict between one pathocratic regime and another. The present US and Israeli governments are essentially cohorts of narcissists and psychopaths, as is the Iranian theocracy. If they could just vent their madness on each other it would be fine, but there are always countless ordinary innocent people who are murdered and injured, while pathocrats themselves stay safe and unharmed. So a transition to a peaceful state would obviously a transition to a new form of politics too, which tries to ensure that these people don’t become elected as leaders (again, this is one of my arguments in DisConnected). 

'Awaken through Poetry' Online Event 

Later this month I’m hosting a course through the Shift Network, on ‘Awakening through Poetry.’ To precede and introduce the course, I’m holding a free online event with Shift, entitled ‘Awaken Through Poetry: How Spiritual Presence Cultivates Creative Flow and a More Vivid Life Experience.’ 

The event will explore the intersection of spiritual awakening, creativity, and poetry. I’ll offer some of my own spiritual poetry and guide you through a meditation designed to quiet the mental commentary. I’ll introduce the ancient poetic form of haiku and invite you to write one yourself, if you choose — not as a technical exercise, but as a simple way of expressing the absolute essence of what you’re actually sensing in the moment.

You can find all the details and register or Awaken Through Poetry here:

https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/atpST/a23561/  

Survey on Time Expansion Experiences

Following on from my recent book Time Expansion Experiences, I recently received some funding to conduct further research in this area. I’m doing a survey to find out how common time expansion experiences are and when they occur. It would be wonderful if you could help my research by filling in the questionnaire. It should take just a few minutes. The link to the survey is here. 

Poem

In relation to the beginning of this newsletter, I would like to share a poem I wrote over a decade ago, and which appears at the book of my book The Leap. It seems to become more ever more resonant and relevant with every year. 

The Human Race Will Rise Again

The human race will rise again. 

This chaos is not inevitable. This discord won’t last forever.

Our disorders are distortions, not permanent conditions,

symptoms of a disease that will one day be cured.

We weren’t born for constant conflict

to spend our lives fighting for survival, competing for recognition 

defending ourselves against oppression 

with our minds infected with anxiety

and souls corrupted with bitterness.

We were born for joy, and one day joy will return to us

as spring always returns, bursting with life and light, after the freezing winter.

The human race will rise again

as the cold hard masculine mind opens 

to the soft warm spirit of the feminine 

as selfishness gives way to empathy 

and hierarchy to equality, and the impulse to connect 

transcends the desire to dominate. 

The human race will rise again

as the boundaries of our egos melt 

and we feel our oneness with nature again

and perceive the world’s pristine beauty again

and sense the meaning of life again

as a radiance that pervades the air 

and shines through every object and being. 

The human race will rise again, and is slowly rising now. 

Balance is returning, new structures are emerging

with an order that’s stronger because it incorporates chaos

and a sanity that’s deeper because it arose out of madness.

The human race will rise again

and life will no longer be a frenzied struggle 

full of stress and fear, but a glorious adventure 

full of grace and ease

no longer a punishment to be endured 

but a privilege to be savoured.

We were born for wholeness 

and we will be whole again. 

We were born for joy 

and we will return to joy.

The human race will rise again.

 All best wishes and blessings, Steve