On being a system

I want to take this opportunity to review the situation as we know it. It is always good to distinguish what we know from what we believe.

We know that humans are generally dissatisfied with the global conditions, but reality is not based on general belief. General dissatisfaction with global conditions is not an indication that these conditions are not normative, or need to be changed.

We also know human interference with the natural scheme of things usually results in unintended negative consequences. So, it is important for us to be certain that our efforts to change these global conditions are warranted.

It appears that these global conditions are the result of human influence, leading to the conclusion that humans are just being human. On the other hand, if humans were just being human they would not be making any attempt to change those global conditions. Herein lies a contradiction that needs to be resolved before we can solve the problem of the human condition.

As "realitycheck" noted earlier, humans have no other equivalent species with which to compare themselves. We also have not been informed by another superior species our condition need to be adjusted. It also appears that in our search for world peace we are attempting what our knowledge tells us is impossible: to heal ourselves.

I can only conclude that the identity functions differently in humans than it does in the rest of the species on earth. Humans are the only species that seem to be capable of identify a threat to their own existence as a species as well as the existence of other species. We have made several unilateral attempts to rescue endangered species and we are engaged in an ongoing effort on several fronts to rescue our species from the danger it faces. The lack of success suggests that we may not have correctly assessed the situation.

Since the human race is part of the larger system we call the Universe, a closer more focused look at Systems Theory is warranted. Instead of the utilitarian approach to which we are accustomed we will take a more fundamental approach.