What Is The Duality Of Human Nature? – (Beast and Spirit)

What is the duality of human nature?

We are of the beast and spirit.

Lower primal desires vs. higher actualization.

Think about the devil and angel on your shoulders.

Id, Ego, Superego

The Id and superego fight for control over your decisions.

And your ego is the bridge between them.

This concept has been interpreted in many different ways.

Humans have created anthropomorphic entities out of abstract concepts to better understand them.

Devil   =   beast   =  id
God     =   spirit   =  superego

The beast is a part of you.

It dwells deep within the depths of your being.

You’ll never entirely escape its pull.

Carnal pleasures feel good.

They stimulate your inner animal with visceral satisfaction.

Why do people rubberneck when passing the aftermath of a severe car crash?

Tear others apart with verbal abuse?

WE WANT TO SEE BLOOD.

Ancient Romans had gladiatorial battles for the purpose of satisfying their bloodlust.

Modern spectacles have become much more toned down, but the concept remains the same.

SEX.

DRUGS.

VIOLENCE.

On the other hand we have spirituality, religion, morality.

Things that try to push us towards a higher purpose.

Religions advocate moving away from the beast.

They shame you for what you are.

They say engaging in primal pleasures in sinful.

As contradictory as religions are, I agree with embracing the good in yourself.

At the same time, don’t act all high and mighty about it.

You may lull your inner beast to a slumber, but it’s still there – You never know when it might awaken.

Choose What Side You Want To Move Towards

If everyone embraced their primal side to the fullest, we’d regress back to the chaos of the jungle.

Take a look at:

• Inner cities
• Failed nation-states (Somalia/Syria)
• Third world slums / shantytowns / favelas

Dog eat dog.

Live by the gun, die by the gun.

Might makes right.

No laws, just force.

Morality doesn’t exist in an environment where survival is the only concern.

A Society Overly Concerned With Enforcing Moral Values Is Equally Primitive

Authoritarian societies of the middle east force their women to stay completely covered at all times.

They engage in genital mutilation to reduce/extinguish sexual pleasure.

Drug users and adulterers are publicly executed.

Obsession with controlling the id unleashes a different kind of monster.

The jungle still exists even in “civilized” society, we just like to pretend that it doesn’t.

It permeates deep within the social matrix.

Beneath your socially created identity:

• Fancy job title
• Monetary assets
• Educational degree

you’re still an animal.

The Chaos Of The Modern Jungle
(Appears To Be) More Contained

Street crime is demonized while white collar crime runs amok.

Is this because corporate criminals operate under a veil of civility?

Fucking with numbers instead of physically harming people?

I digress.

We naturally form hierarchies where people push and shove their way to the top.

The meek get left behind.

People control their instincts to a degree in order to keep society stable, yet will still stab others in the back to elevate themselves up the ladder.

We often act in completely irrational ways just because our inner animal told us to.

As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, we’re still a bunch of dumb fucking apes.

Apes who have achieved a lot, but a bunch of dumb apes nonetheless.

How Much Do We Really Know About The Nature Of Reality?

Our collective knowledge is constantly proven wrong and built upon.

Don’t be so arrogant as to believe you know all the answers.

The only thing you can know with certainty is that you know nothing.

It’s easy to lose yourself in fuck…

In drugs…

In crime…

However, you’ll eventually find they’re all dead ends.

You won’t find happiness by pursuing these things.

They may feel good in the moment, but you’ll only dig yourself deeper and deeper.

Chasing that next rush.

Upping the ante until you end up dead or in prison.

I advocate rational hedonism.

Enjoy your life but don’t lose sight of your higher purpose (whatever actualization means to you).

There’s no church in the wild.

Want access to more powerful insights?

Read “Twitter Meditations“.

It’s a collection of golden maxims proven to help increase income, develop better relationships, attain greater freedom, and live a better life!

Enjoy.
-M.I.

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