Human Layers
Written by Dena Tabatabaeian
September 26, 2022
How often do you think to yourself, “What makes me different? ” or “What qualities do people see in me that I am not aware of?”. It is like these questions massage your brain and allow you to dive into places where some never knew existed— the great unknown. It is almost like falling down a rabbit hole, transferring yourself into a wonderfully surreal state, into your own crafted world. If you have already done so, great, but let us take you even further– and if you have not yet fallen, well let me push you.
Hold up, but why?
Our regular everyday activities are usually done in auto pilot. Rarely do we question the things we do and–more importantly– why we do them. Let us first turn back time to the start of human civilization, where the framework of our genes, known as Homosapians roamed the terrains of the Earth roughly 200,000 to 300,000 years ago. They came up with ways to make a wide range of tools, controlled fires, developed communication via early language, engaged in rituals and so much more. Genetically, they were just like any other species, yet the complexity and rapid development of humanity grew exponentially. Many of the other various animal species have a distinct biological makeup and have evolved in ways, but there is no room– or way– to change or go against their biological clocks. Humans however, do. Our capacity to become complex beings is truly fascinating, and while it took many evolutionary stages to reach our modern day civilization, many of our unique qualities and traits can be thanks to our early ancestors.
But wait, there is research on this!
The awareness of ourselves is a beautiful and unique quality. It can teach us why we like certain things, why we do certain things and also why we do not like certain things. A conscious awareness of this can lead to magnificent realizations within yourself and the world around you. Take it from Psychologist’s Leary and Buttermore (2003), where they studied the capacity of one’s awareness and how this was the main drivers of rapid growth in human civilization. Human culture and technological advancements during this time were sparked by symbolically being aware of oneself and to understanding the changes required to move forward to a better future.
Ok, so now what?
Our unique identities shaped humanity and will continue to for as long as the Sun shines. We share the same genes as earlier generations, but each time our generation goes on, a new strand of DNA is added. That is why understanding the uniqueness of yourself is so important to you, and to your future generations, and for future civilizations; it is like a never ending domino. Take time to get to know your traits, utilize them, and see just what amazing things you can do.
The next time you find yourself doing something you enjoy (whether that is partaking in crafts, or engaging in sports, whatever this may be for you), stop and think about what it is about the activity that sparks your interest. What is it that motivates you to engage fully in this moment? Ponder on this for a while, because once you turn off your auto pilot and turn on your conscious awareness, you are finally awake.
References
Leary, M. R., & Buttermore, N. R. (2003). The Evolution of the Human Self: Tracing the Natural History of Self-Awareness. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 33(4), 365–404.
