Humanity is encoded with two instinctive desires for survival – the desire for survival of the species and desire for survival of the self. We share this in common with every other Life form. These are found in the instincts of every form of Life, no matter how sentient. These desires define Life as Living. From the smallest least complex single celled being, to the most complex. You see these in the struggle for survival, in the drive to procreate, in the willingness to risk death to save another, in the chemical messages of plants warning other plants of danger. Life is only sustainable when these two desires, these drives are in balance.
What we think of as “feminine” could just as easily be understood as the instinctual desire for the survival of “others”. Whether those others are humans, animals, trees, flowers or Life in general. The maternal, the nurturing, the healing, the giving, the nourishing, the birthing, the raising, the caregiving, the drive to support the continuation of other Life.
What we think of as the “masculine” could just as easily be understood as the instinctual desire for the survival of “Self”. Whether in physical, emotional, psychological, social, economic, political or identity of the importance of sustaining the “Self-ness”.
Both are necessary. Both are vital to the continuation of Life. Both have intrinsic value.
But they Must be in Balance. When they are not in balance, Harm is the result. When they are pathologically out of balance, with one significantly dominant over the other all manner of created suffering can and Does manifest.
When the desire for survival of “Self” is dominant, the results are Greed, selfishness, oppression, exploitation, control, cruelty, and degenerative social collapse with widespread suffering of Life and loss of Life become the dominant paradigm.
When the desire for the survival of others is dominant, if taken to unhealthy extreme victimhood, martyrdom, sacrifice of self, loss of self worth, lack of self-care and devaluing of the Life that you are can lead to self harm and subjugation.
We are all made out of both desires. Our society is driven by those drives collectively through shared and expressed values, beliefs, systems, choices and actions that show the imbalance and the consequences.
Our species has for too long been pathologically unbalanced in Desire for survival of Self over desire for survival and continuation of Life. The consequences of this imbalance, the suffering caused by the desire for survival of Self regardless of the cost of suffering and the loss of the survival of others.
For our species to survive, for as much of the Life currently here to survive as possible, we humans must regain our balance between the “feminine” and “masculine”. We must come to value our individual survival, while also celebrating and Supporting the survival of the Many. Because the truth is, without the many forms of Life, all in harmony, the individual cannot survive. And what makes Humanity a unique and Beautiful form of Life is our ability to appreciate Life in all forms, and to take conscious benevolent action for the survival of others.
~ Aurora Victoria WindDancer
11/7/18 11:11 pm
Words Dancing On The Wind 