Category Archives: Human Nature

All About Social Constructs And Examples Of What They Are

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pedestrian blur

Photo by Paweł L.

Social constructs stem from a collective belief that came to be after a particular group accepted it. By learning what social constructs are and their examples, you might have a grasp on what needs to change.

Certain societies or groups form a uniform mindset on what everyone else must follow according to their standards. Sometimes, they’re not often based on objective realities but more on the idea of being acceptable personally. Social constructs do not hold any meaning.

It is usually up to the people to give context to the rules and systems they’re trying to implement. One of the most concrete examples is how pink pertains to girls, and blue is to boys, which applies to clothing or any other item. This idea shaped society’s perception for a long time until it was unlearned recently. Rather than being a form of truth from an objective standpoint, that belief came from being given meaning within a social context.

Books like “Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature” by Chet Shupe are good references that talk about humanity’s potential to live happily, if not for the ridiculous artificial order imposed by institutions. Chet Shupe wants readers to know that we can still uncover the wisdom that serves as a roadmap to regain our natural sense of purpose; despite how civilization destroys happiness.

Examples of social constructs

Many social constructs were formed and became a norm after a long period of teaching them to succeeding generations. Such standard practices were widely accepted since people of authority deemed them to be. When those concepts were formed, those responsible for the widespread ideals were seen as role models – people with all the right to impose rules and regulations for everyone to follow.

Here are some examples of common social constructs that we are following and living by, subconsciously or not:

Adulthood – the age at which a person is considered an “adult” is subjective and will depend on every individual’s situation. For example, the United States and European Union see that people aged 18 are grown, adults. In other parts of the world, however, adulthood begins at age 16. But don’t mistake it as the legal age for drinking. Certain countries legalize drinking for young people at the age of 21.

Gender norms – there are behaviors that people perceive as something that belongs to a specific gender. A good example would be how men are not allowed to be emotional, while it’s normal for women to be. A man can react, but a woman can only overreact. Another is the notion that boys should stick to playing with trucks and video games while girls should dress in pretty skirts and play with dolls.

Gender norms alone are a complex issue that’s currently being broken down. Society has seen gradual changes over time, although there’s still a long way to go, with a lot to work on. For example, the belief is that women are built for marriage and being wives while men go to work. Specific industries that used to be exclusive for men (medicine, construction work, entrepreneurship, etc.) have been taken over by women, breaking the old cycle of jobs that belong to a particular gender.

Governments – governing bodies are social constructs where models of leadership and authority are formed to implement order in society. However, not everyone operates the same way. Different communities function under various governing bodies rooted in their history and culture. Hence, the diverse types of governments worldwide.

Family – usually, people think of “family” as a basic unit that forms the community. The traditional setup of a mother, father, and children usually defines a family. A married couple is legally bound together under a sacred institution of marriage, and they subsequently produce children. Today, a family being biologically related to one another has been slowly blurred and redefined. Family can be a friend, a pet, or even a group of strangers platonically caring for each other.

Marriage – not all groups agree on a universal form of marriage. Religious beliefs picture it as a divine sacrament that can never be broken except by death. Some groups view it as a political and economic alliance for personal gain. Arranged marriages, where groups from both parties set up a man and woman together without the necessary emotional attachments, are also part of typical social constructs.

However, with the change of tides in gender roles, many people are working towards shifting what must be considered normal within the context of marriage. For example, the idea is that marriage is a personal choice and doesn’t have to be necessarily a show of proof that people love each other.

Religion – religious practices were born from a desire to seek guidance from a higher being. Humans were wired to look up to somebody, be it another person or a divine individual. Religion is also a highly regarded social construct that influences culture and history. They are one of the primary reasons that society operates a certain way, and in some cases, the laws of the land are rooted in religion.

In conclusion

One thing you should know about social constructs is this: you don’t have to conform to every one of them, even if it means earning the ire of many people around you. People who go against the flow may have been treated like an outcast, excluded in many social interactions, etc. But looking at them closely, they seem happier, more accessible, and relieved that they are not bound to those social constructs.

Learning the Origins of Our Misery | A Class with Chet Shupe

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The origins of our misery lie in civilization itself

Photo by Alexandre P. Junior

Join author Chet Shupe as he talks about the pitfalls of civilization and the urgent need for humanity to rediscover the wisdom of human nature.

Despite the evident advancements in society and technology, a good chunk of the human population still lives miserable and unhappy lives. Have you ever wondered why that is? Why is it that in an age of unprecedented wealth and resources, people still remain poor? Why is it that when medical solutions are at their most accessible, plenty of people still die of sickness? Why is it that when there is more than enough food to feed the world, people still die of hunger? 

Why, in this time of instant communication, are people still as lonely as ever?

It’s because there is a fundamental divide inherent in human civilization. It is a contradiction that stems from the fact that civilization is antithetical to our original human nature, a nature rooted in the emotional core we call the soul.

The Pitfalls of Civilization

The basis for a natural human community is the intimacy of interdependent relationships. But modern society, with its pervasive authorities and arcane rules, has caused even family relationships, like the one between parent and child, to take on a transactional and reactive nature. Values and virtues such as altruism and selflessness have been replaced with self-interest and opportunism. This twisting of traditional perspectives further isolates individuals, and promotes egotism as the only means of survival and success.

Modern people still believe that civilization has been quite beneficial to the human species. Yet its rapid growth and expansion reveal that there are unwieldy seams in its fabric–and they are very close to tearing apart and dragging everyone down.

Everywhere, humanity is chafing under the oppressiveness of an ever-growing body of laws, while also becoming extremely vulnerable, without them. This is the intrinsically paradoxical nature of the current paradigm. Humanity is akin to an animal in a cage. Though there is a freedom of movement, inside the cage, it’s obvious that there is very little food for the soul. 

The Origins of Our Misery

While the advent of civilization provided humanity with more and more opportunities, the continuation of civilization, itself, has become its primary goal, not human contentment. This might not look terrible, at first glance, because we grow up accepting our suffering as normal, even as we live “lives of quiet desperation.”

As it strives to maintain the appearance of order, civilization creates iron-clad conditions that keep people alienated from each other. There is no room, in modern society, for the intimate and trusting engagement that all human souls once took for granted. The alienation of modern society eliminates the potential for self-knowledge, as well as deeper relationships among individuals and groups. In other words, modern society long ago ceased to be beneficial for the human soul. It exists only to maintain the appearance of order, an order that seems, relentlessly, to be breaking down.

Though it largely remains hidden, the mindlessness of the overarching framework of civilization cannot be unseen, once seen, as it utterly ignores and represses the elemental wisdom that each individual is born with. Thus, we are denied access to our inner knowledge, the wisdom of our souls—evolution’s most precious gift.

Humanity’s reliance and dependence on artificially constructed hierarchies has resulted in widespread, insidious social isolation that most can’t even tell is happening. People are increasingly cheated out of experiencing life’s meaning, and the contentment that results from participating in its process. 

Want to Learn More About the Origins of Our Misery?

Chet Shupe speaks authentically of the urgency for people to reconnect with their inner natures, and with humanity’s natural heritage—the freedom to be ourselves that is available only in the presence of true community. As an author and philosopher, he provides a unique perspective that reveals the incompatibility between civil and natural order.

Join him in a once-in-a-lifetime interactive space, as he engages with listeners and readers. In this class, he discusses how living a fulfilling life requires relying on our instinctive wisdom for purpose and direction, and not the contrived systems of modern society.

Using passages from his book, Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature—How Civilization Destroys Happiness, as the basis for discussion, Shupe builds upon his ideas, and expands them, further. Through engaging discussions, he explains what humanity has lost, since the establishment of civilization.

Plenty of people are looking for concrete solutions, but the liberation of the human soul isn’t possible, given our present circumstances.  Hence, Shupe does not endeavor to provide a framework for living a better life, within the current paradigm. Rather, Shupe seeks to reveal the true nature of the natural human way of life. He wants to share with others his view about what life would be like, if humans were to shed the pretenses of civilization, and emotionally engage with one another, through interdependent relationships, as Nature intended.

This class by Chet Shupe offers a new view that defines the natural human way of life that brings human beings inner peace, by satisfying the needs of our souls—a way of life that, to realize, requires a very new, yet ancient and soul-felt perspective on what life is about:

From the perspective of the human soul, life is not about your or my survival. It’s about the survival of life, itself. Spiritual fulfillment is Nature’s reward for serving life. All rewards for serving self are superficial, thus temporal—their source is our imaginations, not the human soul. 

Tips To Be Aware Of Following Social Conformity

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How everyone behaves might be a product of society. Every individual is given the right to decide, be sure that you practice and exercise it so as not to fall on the cons of social conventionality.

Conformity is a social influence that changes a person’s behavior or beliefs to fit in with a distinct group. This change happens as a counter to either imagined or real pressure and expectations from the group. It may involve the force of societal norms, the physical presence of other people, or a general aspiration to gain a specific level of success.

Social norms are the behaviors that are expected from people as a community. They play a prominent role in everyday life that people do not realize. Social norms give people an expected behavior of how to act in a specific situation and what is appropriate and inappropriate in different settings.

Moreover, people’s behavior changes as the individual become more attracted to a group they need to belong to; this is known as conformity. Consequently, this can make an individual feel pressured to change their beliefs to the groups, even if they do not believe in them themselves. However, not everyone is attracted to the same group or is as easily persuaded. Fulfilling the needs of someone in authority can portray an individual as submissive and obedient. This power can influence specific behavior as those in charge are seen as more intelligent and therefore are listened to. In more particular behaviors like drug use or alcohol consumption, group peer pressures can be responsible for this behavior. Family and friends are essential when considering the social norms one would follow and the decisions one makes. Conformity is a change in a person’s beliefs and behavior which can affect human behavior.

 

These are the cons of social conformity that are essential to review.

1. It hampers personal progress. The company, a person, chooses to keep becomes a direct reflection of the success they’re able to achieve. If you surround yourself with positive influences, your desire for conformity will create favorable outcomes for you. The opposite occurs if you allow yourself to be covered with negative people. Dire consequences can ruin your chances at success in a variety of ways. 

2. Increases the chances of depression. The fear of being rejected is something that most individuals face at least once in their lives. It builds a feeling that compels you to follow the people you want to have, like you blindly. If you succumb to this pressure, the emotional response in either direction increases the chances of depression forming later in life.

3. Causes one to lose their identity. The actions that groups play some people to make them conform creates a problematic issue because it forces a loss of their identity. Each individual is distinctly different from every other. 

4. It often leads to apathy. The desire for conformity on a personal level often builds a group apathy that becomes prevalent in society. The individuals who try to conform often feel like they can do the same things the groups they observe do now. When they can gain that success, they look to a higher power to handle whatever concerns they feel are impacting their efforts. Blind trust always creates problems in society. It also generates feelings where people decide that issues are not their problems. They agreed that everyone else should handle the situation and pressure others just as their preferred groups placed it on them.

Chet Shupe, an author of the book, “Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature—How Civilization Destroys Happiness,” hopes it will inspire a reawakening to one’s inborn wisdom; this is Nature’s map of life, which civilized life ignores, to one’s grave detriment. Regaining humanity’s natural sense of order, purpose, and belonging cannot be forced. It will result from one’s recognition that the only access to the wisdom of one’s soul is the feelings everyone experiences in light of one’s present circumstances. Feelings inspired by one’s concerns about the imagined future, on the other hand, dissociate everyone from the wisdom of one’s soul, the souls of those around us, and, most ominously, from the experience of being alive to the moment. When forced by externally imposed laws that repress our feelings of the moment out of concern for our future well-being, we are not living. We are marking time.

  • As you live, you must remember that there are other people, organisms, and Nature. Humanity should consider that everyone is affecting every individual and everything. So when you interact, think of how you affect everyone and everything that surrounds you. 

Book Feature: Chet Shupe On The Wisdom Of Human Nature

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Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi

Did humanity make a colossal mistake when it decided to evolve from how it once was? Chet Shupe takes on how human nature has changed and developed over time in his book “Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature.”

No one can pinpoint the exact turnaround that led to humanity’s road to evolution. From primitive beings who only lived by instinct and discovered the simple joys of igniting a fire for the first time. Old folks would say, “Life was way simpler back then.”

What would life be like if humans had not created and imposed the intricacies of communication called language? How would we go on about our day if we weren’t required to be functional members of society, working our backs off capitalism?

Chet Shupe’s book emphasizes living in the present, erasing all traces of anxiety. The book also describes how language changed everything and manifested into a monotonous lifestyle we cannot escape.

The price of evolution

As history depicted, early primitive humans didn’t have specific rules and systems to follow. They go along with whatever life in nature has to offer. Food and shelter were the only basic needs that even we modern-day people prioritize.

There needs to be proof of when the interest in the future began. Still, after humans gained knowledge and used it to their advantage, that’s where civilization rose at the cost of blood and several other tragedies.

Human transformation collectively manifested in several ways – from the carvings of cave dwellers to the early civilization in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. These civilizations became a catastrophe to the once carefree way of life, creating law and order. Along with that concept comes the price of disregarding such rules, such as the concept of “punishment.”

Literature and language were gifts that enabled man to walk the Earth and become intellectually superior to all other creations of the Earth. However, it came with various negative attributes like exploitation and greed. Those things led humanity into a series of disasters, whether natural, economic, or psychosocial.

How humans led themselves to the road of worry

Ever since man learned to read and write, we’ve had an unpleasant relationship with the future as we tend to look down on people who don’t have a clear and decided lot; and people who choose to live in the moment are often viewed with disdain.

The idea of not being able to plan for what’s to come and not guaranteeing tomorrow became one of the worst fears known to humans.

Untangling the thread of worrying about the future

It will take a lifetime for some people to unlearn the rigid structures set by society. The abilities we gained after being gifted with language may have given us ways to safeguard ourselves for the long term.

However, that’s not what we were primarily designed to live. Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature by Chet Shupe shows us how the rise of civilization over time destroys happiness. It delves deep into detail about how the covert idea of future stability and security makes life lose all its meaning.

With progress came destruction, and it doesn’t have to pertain to the inevitable “end of the world .” It can mean the constant weight of anxiety, loneliness, and desperation. These things can make people search for endless ways to be happy.

The human evolution from learning the basics of language may have increased our capacity to do many things. At the same time, it degraded our emotional intelligence and ability to have empathy. Living in the moment induces anxiety for many of us since we were groomed to think that if we don’t prepare now, we’ll be sorry later.

Chet Shupe: author and whistle-blower

Chet Shupe, out of the urgency to look into people’s connection and true nature, was born out of unity. The author goes on a journey to rediscover the wisdom of beauty and the knowledge of humanity. After suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder, Shupe lived a life of hardship and went through treatments.

Despite what happened to him, Chet Shupe thought that life made sense somehow. Due to his extraordinary experience, he began writing about medical treatments for the brain. Chet Shupe realized while writing about brain dysfunction, and he discovered that there’s also a long-running cultural dysfunction.

As a result, he tackled the intellectual, emotional, spiritual, and psychosocial aspects of how humans used their intelligence to their advantage, but at the expense of simple joys. The constant pursuit of happiness became the author’s main objective in this book.