Head mightier than body

We've become too smart for our own good. I'm certainly not the first to make that observation, and won't be the last, but it recently occurred to me that humans are no longer suited to what we are best at. We became the dominant species by using our brains to create tools that elevated us to to top of the food chain, allowed us to adapt our living spaces to any environment, and promoted creative problem solving in regards to disease. Now that we dominate, we no longer need our large bodies, which break down regularly in a sedentary brain-dominated lifestyle.

I recently arrived home from 2 weeks of backpacking. Backpacking for me involves all elements of life that humans are adapted to pursuing: serious physical exertion, problem solving and navigation, rationing food and cooking, making shelter in the wilderness and social interaction in small tribe-like groups. I find great peace and serenity in nature, a place to clear my mind of the constant distractions of modern life, and get back to my roots.

Upon arriving home, I was driven from a train station to my house. The car isolated me from everything outside, everything natural. Music was playing fairly loudly on the stereo, filling my ears so that I did not try to listen to anything else. Moving at 30 mph or faster, my eyes took in many images, and my brain was highly stimulated, but the body was limp, lifeless, useless. It was amazing to me how easy we have made lives for ourselves. Going from carrying everything I need to live on my back, to being transported in a seated position with music playing to entertain me was a strange contrast. It was so easy. And that is why we continue to do it.

We have made lives easy for ourselves. We have to exert less physical energy to go through our daily lives than ever before in history. Even when we go out to buy food, we can usually do all of our shopping in 1 store. Our instinct to exert less energy (thereby saving it for times of need) has lead us to become a nation of fat, lazy, diseased thinkers, relying on our minds to make a living. Depressing.