Survival Techniques

Observations about Human Nature – A Talk

Question: How did you come to the subject ‘Human Nature’ and what is the
importance to know about ‘Survival Techniques’?
BeiYin: During thirty years of trying to form an ‘Intentional Community’ I have
learned a lot about survival techniques and in connection with this about human
nature. After so many years being involved in it, I’m still often surprised about
the many ways people are adapting themselves to different survival techniques,
that are mostly quite primitive and not so different than used from plants and
animals.
Plants have developed beautiful flowers with the purpose to attract insects, then
giving some honey as reward for being fertilized. So in this exchange one is
serving the other. Then there are plants that pretend to offer honey with a
flower, but if the insect enters the promising fountain, then get eaten by the
plant. With animals it is even clearer: One is eating the other, which is called
‘alimentation chain’. Animals have developed sophisticated techniques to trap
other animals and not only using mostly their strength. They are pretending and
promising with the only purpose to get what they want. Are humans different?
Obviously not, humans are pretending and lying whenever this serves to get what
they want. Like animals, they are not conscious about it and the phenomena is that
people mostly believe in their own lies and that makes them so convincing. A
salesman who doesn’t believe in the usefulness of the thing he wants to sell,
because he knows that it is rubbish, will not sell much even he might be a good
actor; people feel that he is not convincing even if he is using all kind of
psychological tricks and so they will reject his offer.
Humans like all alive beings have the inbuilt urge to survive and so they use the
same techniques as from the beginning of their appearance: they lie and pretend to
get what they want or they use just plain strength, because they are convinced
that they need certain conditions or things to survive, then using the same basic
ways of all more or less primitive creatures.
Meanwhile during evolution of mankind there were established rules and moral
codes, but these doesn’t disturb too much as the survival techniques are mostly
unconscious, although developed with sophisticated strategies. Modern salesmen
don’t care about moral and they are using the same primitive techniques, being
aware of their fake promises and techniques, pushing the right buttons to trigger
desire, so that their articles will be bought. Or in a private surrounding similar
manipulations are used to get what one wants.
People like sheep follow the false pastor, because they are without direction and
don’t know what they really want and they let themselves be manipulated by others,
then not needing to decide out of their own responsibility. There are so many
games are going on like individuals and one supports the other…
Question: So how can one get out of all those games? And why?
BeiYin: One can’t get out. Even trying hard, one only will turn around oneself.
This is the present state of evolution of consciousness of humanity and to go
beyond this condition is extremely difficult. You seriously want to know how to
get out? Then study ‘human nature’ and be aware of your conditioning. Find out
from where your conditionings are coming from and how much this is motivating and
provoking your reactions in your daily life situations. Become aware that you are
programmed and identified with all those influences that you have made to your
properties, being well established due to your identification with them. Become
aware that you are still acting and reacting out of primitive survival needs, even
though you have upgraded those with sophisticated new philosophies. Do you have
the need to get out of your games? You are so used to it and it gives you the
feeling of existence. It doesn’t really matter if you enjoy something or if you
are suffering, - important is for you that you exist. The tragically aspect is
that you need all kind of media, you are not capable to just be aware of your
‘existence’, between a possible experience of your pure existence stands your
‘personality’. And as you are totally identified with it, there is no real need to
get beyond it, otherwise you would need to go beyond and this goes against nature
that in the first place is defending the established, even if it is a trap or
straightjacket.
Question: You mean my personality is influenced by all what I have received from
my surrounding during my life?
BeiYin: Not only your personality is influenced, - your personality exist mainly
because you are identified with those concepts and your self image that has built
up through all those influences. The personality is reacting like a mirror that
consists in those stored pictures. The world and every thing in it are seen
through the glasses of these pictures and reality is filtered and interpreted
through this filter. There is no ‘freedom’; people are stuck in a straight jacket
made out of their picture-world-personality. Humans are conceptual beings, they
are not capable to relate and respond directly to reality how it shows up in daily
life.
Question: Where is the need to survive is coming from?
BeiYin: Once a system is built up and this is valid for all kind of systems:
Plants, animals, humans, organizations, groups, corporations, countries and even
planets and solar systems. All systems have the inbuilt tendency to defend
themselves to hold the form and the technique depends on the position and
condition of the system. Mostly the strength and flexibility determinates the
defense method. They all have one thing in common: They turn around themselves!
Plants defend themselves mostly in a passive way by developing poison, sharp
thorns or a bitter taste. Animals defend themselves with aggression or the ability
to camouflage and hide or escape faster than an attacker can. Humans as more
sophisticated beings are using all these abilities and further developed methods.
As their mental and emotional abilities have grown, so they use these to defend
themselves in their established personality. So they are perfect in using their
intellect to manipulate others, lying and pretending is part of it and as well
provocation to trigger certain emotions to use these for once purpose.
Question: You are talking about modern business methods?
BeiYin: Not only business methods, this is also the way normal people try to
handle daily life and get what they want, although these methods are mostly
unconscious as these are a heritage from the beginning in human evolution and
before…
Question: Well, that’s how life functions and indeed daily life shows that there
is a lot of fake going on and people are manipulated in a very tricky way.
Probably this has to do with ‘selection’. The strongest and most clever individual
survives, using or eating the others… This is nature, what’s wrong with it?
BeiYin: Yes, this is probably the way evolution works. Wrong is just the result,
as the strongest are growing to such an extend that they are swallowing all and
every thing, what might guide to total destruction of humanity.
Question: The serious problem seems to be that we are not conscious about all
these. We are struggling and suffering to find happiness but are getting deeper
into misery, desperation, stress and disease. Modern medicine doesn’t help except
cutting some symptoms and all philosophies and psychological techniques seem to
add just more games to keep people busy and turning around oneself as you say, but
not really bringing them out of their vicious cycle. Is there no effective way to
get out of ones personality trap?
BeiYin: Yes there is and always has been. The key is ‘self knowledge’, although
this is mostly misunderstood and just interpreted as ‘self confirmation’, that
means confirming ones established concepts and self-image. If one wants to get to
know oneself one needs to be critical and question oneself and anything that shows
up and that’s then like questioning ones own existence. That would weaken ones
position and that is against the holding of ones system.
Question: But to grow one needs to leave the old behind and even go into unknown
fields, right?
BeiYin: Indeed, to grow one needs to die, at least in parts that are worn out. The
dilemma is that even things are worn out, people hold on to these and don’t want
to let go. They only willing to put new layers on top of the old, like being open
to receive new more sophisticated concepts to integrate them into old ones, but
always reinforcing ones self image, that what you belief your are.
Question: So then what are we really?
BeiYin: If I would tell you, then you would reject it or if it fits into your
already established concepts, then you would welcome it and make a new concept out
of it. So I will not tell you, just that you need to find out yourself by
questioning yourself, being critical about anything that comes to you from inside
and outside, getting to know about human nature and so understanding yourself and
the way you act and react. Becoming aware of your dependencies by observing your
behavior in daily life when being confronted with all kind of situations and
people.
Question: This seems to be another key to get out of ones stuck condition.
BeiYin: Yes, ones reactions are the key to find out about ones unconscious
background on that one is reacting in a certain way. This background structure is
invisible and so called ‘unconscious’, but it becomes visible through ones
reactions. Once visible, one can realize their existence and also see where these
come from and then decide if one wants to hold on – or let go of them. So clearing
up ones background and getting rid of worn out parts of ones personality.
Question: That means ‘life’ is the best teacher if we can have the trust that
whatever comes to us, is the best and necessary in this moment for ones growing.
Right?
BeiYin: Exactly, once this step is made and there is trust into what shows up,
then we can relate to it and respond without fear or the need to defend oneself
and then there can start a ‘relationship’ with life that can be creative and –
joyful. One will get out of the vicious cycle that is causing so much stress with
disease and suffering as a follow up.
By the way: There is a simple exercise that is very beneficial if one is ready and
wants to get out of ones limiting structure, it is called ‘StressReleaseExercise’,
that indeed is a helpful key!
Question: One thing more: Why stress is accumulating and then causing so much
suffering like depressions and all kind of disease?
BeiYin: Stress is caused because of the discrepancy between the established self-
image and the reality that shows up in our daily life. Things are not like they
should be and are wanted when they are encountered. There is no relating and
responding, reality is not recognized, it is suppressed by not looking at it,
ignoring it or reacting in a defensive way like with anger. All this is causing
stress that could be released by accepting what is there, but acceptance is only
possible when ones self-image becomes more flexible and there is self trust
growing… But look around: Every thing is growing and even a weak little plant will
break the pot in which it is growing when the pressure of not having enough space
becomes too strong. So if your precious lousy personality becomes to small, the
growing force, that is inbuilt in all being, will eventually break your
limitations up and let you out of your straightjacket. All in its time and when
you have enough motivation accumulated – beside the stress…