The Garden of Eden

Our genes are basically the same now, as they were a hundred thousand years ago, as evidenced from the accepted theory that the more distant surviving twigs of our family tree branched off at about that time. Thus, however much concrete or how many people I am surrounded by, in my heart and in my brain I am still a Stone Age person. And as such, I do not need a crowd — I should be with my tribe. But in today‘sworld, the crowd is all I have. —Bjørn Grinde —The Garden of Eden (Entelechy Journal)

I’m always leery of the instinct to sentimentalize and idealize life in union with nature. This brief essay examines some underlying cultural tension in the modern world:

Deep inside we yearn for the Garden of Eden, for a life in tune with our genes: a life in the tribe and close to nature. But we may not be aware of the gloom taking root in its absence, like we never sensed the allergy coming.