The oldest stories men tell about themselves concern forced relocations of people being driven from their homeland to a new place, whereby their way of life is dramatically changed. These tales are taken to represent an external event, but their impetus was an internal one. The move of man in his nervous system, from the brain stem to the cortex; from a place of silent instinct to one of verbal consciousness; this is the forced relocation that radically changed the life of man.
These myths cum current events were soon adopted as a basis of a particular criticism. (To wit): that man is living an un-natural life, and praise for a previous, simpler way of life will still today find a sympathetic worldwide audience, (albeit momentary).
The move of man’s visible center of gravity, from the jungle brain stem to the city of consciousness, has left in him a lingering sense of loss; a continued longing for his original homeland. Even though life in the city, (a life of conscious awareness and thought), has given him an extended, more comfortable existence, the idea that it is somehow un-natural yet resonates.
When those in the city, (both externally and internally), look at people still living nearer man’s old homeland, (lives little changed by consciousness technology and by civilization in general), they commonly feel envious even homesick. When confronted with their picture, a man living an up to date, sophisticated, successful life in the midst of an exciting metropolis will, for a brief, though quite sincere moment, express a belief that such people are probably closer to living the life that is proper and natural for man, then will, (as he should), blink his eyes, shrug, and be quickly back to his city affairs.
J.