Afterlife myths enabled early humans to cope with fear of death

Members of a wolf pack who are hunting prey with sharp horns don't stop and think, "Damn, if I keep chasing those animals, I could freaking die!" 

Early humans did. Because we have self-awareness, while animals, almost certainly, simply are aware. 

Meaning, a human can anticipate his or her death, even when the threat of that happening isn't imminent. Other animals also fear death, but only when their lives are immediately threatened.

This is a huge difference. An important difference. A difference that makes all the difference between us and other species.

It also is a central theme of a fascinating book I'm a few chapters into, "The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life" by Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, and Tom Pyszcyynski.

The authors are psychology professors who have engaged in a lot of research involving attitudes toward death and how people cope with knowledge of their own inevitable demise. This makes their book different from purely philosophical discussions of death.

They tie together psychological studies, anthropological findings, evolutionary theories, and other scientific/quasi-scientific information in a thoughtful, readable fashion.

I'm getting fresh insights into familiar ideas.

It seems obvious that myths about the afterlife are one way humans cope with the consequence of our unique ability to anticipate the future. This is a positive when alternative action scenarios are being pondered, but a drawback when a fear of death interferes with normal functioning.

Here's some passages from a chapter I read this morning, Homo Mortalis: From Primate to Human.

Symbolization, self-consciousness, and the capacity to contemplate the future were extremely helpful to our ancestors. But these highly adaptive cognitive abilities also gave rise to an ever-present potential for mortal terror. What happened when a life-form, crafted by billions of years of evolution to strive to survive at almost any cost, recognized that it was destined to lose that war?

...Our ancestors consequently used their imagination and ingenuity to stifle their existential dread. They were already employing their sophisticated intellectual abilities to ask and answer questions about how the world worked. But solving the practical problems of living was of little use or solace to them in the face of death.

...People terrified by the prospect of their own demise would be less likely to take risks in hunting to increase the odds of landing big game, to compete effectively for mates, or to provide good care for their offspring. So our ancestors made a supremely adaptive, ingenious, and imaginative leap: they created a supernatural world, one in which death was not inevitable or irrevocable. 

The groups of early humans who fabricated the most compelling tales could best manage mortal terror. As a result, they would have been the most capable of functioning effectively in their environment and thereby most likely to perpetuate their genes into future generations.

So afterlife myths sprang up. Along with rituals that acted out those myths.

Eventually full-blown religions came to be, sophisticated myths that reassure people afraid of dying and not existing... forever. Interestingly, the authors point out that embracing a supernatural unreality can be a good thing when it enables people to function better in natural reality.

Like ritual, art helped to make the incredible credible by offering concrete signs of a supernatural world. "Without art," mused George Bernard Shaw, "the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable." Art depicting the supernatural, a feature of every known culture, is fundamental to constructing and maintaining supernatural death-transcending conceptions of reality.

...Ritual, art, myth, and religion thus play a much more significant role in human affairs than it is currently fashionable to acknowledge. Many evolutionary theorists view art and religion as superfluous by-products of other cognitive adaptations that have no adaptive significance or enduring value.

This view is simply wrong. These products of human ingenuity and imagination were essential for early humans to cope with a uniquely human problem: the awareness of death. The striving for immortality -- universal to all cultures -- forestalls terror and despair. 

Consequently, humans do not have agriculture, technology, and science despite ritual, art, myth, and religion; rather, humans developed agriculture, technology, and science because of them. 

Although "in their developed forms, phantasy-thinking and reality-thinking are distinct mental processes," wrote psychoanalyst Susan Issacs, "reality-thinking cannot operate without concurrent and supporting... phantasies." We might not have calculus without grave goods, or dentistry without the tooth fairy.

Religious beliefs in an afterlife are false. But these illusions are useful. Or at least, they have been.

I'll be interested to see how, in later chapters, the authors look upon modern myths of eternal life, especially when these are tied to anti-scientific ideas about reality. I can understand how supernatural myths are a positive cultural force when they enable humans to better live their lives.

However, in this 21st century we're seeing the downside of religious myth-making.

Many people in this country, for example, refuse to believe in the reality of global warming because they feel that God is looking out for the Earth and wouldn't do anything to seriously screw the habitability of our planet.

So at this point in my reading of the book, I'm willing to accept the argument that afterlife myths were generally beneficial for early humans. I'm dubious, though, about the benefits religiosity is bringing to modern Homo sapiens. 

Sure, individuals feel better when they think they're going to live on after they die. But if this myth helps contribute to the demise of civilization as we know it, I don't see how this can be a good thing.

Comments

[Doom]

Brian wrote: "Many people in this country, for example, refuse to believe in the reality of global warming because they feel that God is looking out for the Earth and wouldn't do anything to seriously screw the habitability of our planet.

Sure, individuals feel better when they think they're going to live on after they die. But if this myth helps contribute to the demise of civilization as we know it, I don't see how this can be a good thing."

--So, what difference does it make? What difference does anything make?

We're all going to be dead forever along with this civilization, the planet (global warming or not), the sun, the stars and the universe.

The destiny of all we know and love is eternal annihilation.

All concepts of God and God Itself, one day, dead.

It will be soon because a year, a decade, seven decades, a millennium, a trillion years are not even a moment in the face of eternity.

Everything dead for immeasurable time.

Even if there is no time.

So, you say death doesn't scare you because you won't be aware of it once you're dead?

Well, you know it now...

[Jim Sutherland]

Challenge to Intellectual Church of The Way Posters and Radhasoami Studies Forum posters, such as Dr. David Lane, Brian Hines, Mike Williams, i.e. Zakk Zakk, tAo, Manjit, X, Tuscon, and ALL Exers and Believers alike, such as 777:

I challenge all of you that think your skepticism or belief systems are Bullet Proof, to visit any of Allan Chronshaw's various Forums starting with his Blog

http://brotherofyeshua.blogspot.com

and challenge his belief that he is the reincarnated walking, talking, posting, Brother of Jesus ! Please take this personal challenge from me, Jim Sutherland, not forgetting to tell Allan Chronshaw that "Old Man Jim Sutherland who is dumber than dog dodo" sent you to interrogate him and challenge his claims. Now you may all test your debating skills against a 70 year old Mystic who's only Academic education is a High School Diploma. Warning: If you have thin skin and a short stamina, then don't venture out of this little safe place of Church of the Churchless. Stay here and continue back slapping other's acute knowing or unknowing, and avoid Allan Chronshaw, the walking Being of Light ( his Claim) who not only lived as The Brother of Jesus, but as Thomas Payne!

Allan will not read any of the books you reference, nor will he read your Web sites, Dr. Lane and Mike Williams. He stopped reading books 30 plus years ago. He will answer any question you ask him tho, with references from his unending Mega Web sites of his postings.

Again, I challenge you all to engage him. I have, off and on for the last dozen years, and he has rejected every thing I have suggested to him and written me off ( as most of you have) as "dumber than dog dodo".

Don't forget to tell Jim Jim Sutherland sent you to challenge his belief he lived as The Brother of Jesus. Oh, by the way. If you join his closed Forums to engage him, he has a dozen or so Core Members who claim they lived with Chronshaw during some of his many past lives.

So, exercise your Intellectual knowledge by engaging Allan Chronshaw, The Long Island Mystic who now lives in South Carolina to avoid the up coming Apocalypse!

Copied from a couple of Allan's Sites...................

"The Invitation Into TheWay

This is an invitation for you to meet my brother, Yeshua/Jesus
As a man who was known as a true Jewish holy man
I was the very first leader of the sect of Jews that came to be called Christian
Because God has heard your prayers
Because you have desired to know the Truth
I was permitted to re-enter this world at this time in order to help you
For you possess the Truth within yourself
You are the Temple of the Living God
And you need only become your true self

WHO AM I
At the beginning of our Common Era, I lived as Jacob who you call James. At that time I was known as the brother of Yeshua/Jesus, and I was the first and primary leader of the New Covenant Movement known as TheWay (The Way). If you call yourself a Christian, then I am the first leader of your church -- and I was taught the essence of TheWay by Yeshua himself. If you are a Jew, then I can explain to you how Yeshua was not only a Jew among Jews, but the very embodiment of the Torah and Judaism. In this present time the flock of believers have become spiritually disenfranchised by manmade doctrines that rob the people of their indwelling spiritual essence. And as the people in churches and synagogues pray and beseech our Heavenly Father for guidance, mercy and spiritual insight, the Lord has heard you prayers and your petitions for greater knowledge and understanding. So to answer your prayers, I re-entered physical life in order to teach you how to become the Brother of Yeshua/Jesus -- for it is written: "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (Matt 12:50 NKJ). And while you may not initially believe that you too can be a brother or sister of Yeshua, I have been sent to tell you that it is a great and glorious truth that becomes the reality of all genuine and faithful servants of the Lord.

[CCL]

I agree faith becomes an issue when causing individuals to become blinded to reality. However, everyone who is a "global warming" skeptic is not a god believer. Some choose to look at the whole picture and not just buy into what "science" tells us. Sure, the earth may be warming (or not, I still think that's debatable - plus no one is sure exactly why the earth is warming, it could be a natural cycle) but the earth is also billions of years old and has dealt with environmental catastrophes many many times greater than what very recent industry has produced.

Bottom line, I agree that we should be diligent when it comes to keeping the earth clean and reducing pollution, but I'm tired of the same old "global warming!" arguments creeping in to every "liberal's" reasoning for anything and everything. Man's actual effect on the earth is debatable. Stick with something else that science has actually proven - evolution!

[Jen]

Doom says: "The destiny of all we know and love is eternal annihilation."... "It will be soon because a year, a decade, seven decades, a millennium, a trillion years are not even a moment in the face of eternity."

Exactly! And for some strange reason this cheers me up no end. Why? because whats the point of worrying about anything, all our striving, caring about this planet and people, who are just little ants crawling around on this planet thinking they are so important. Pfft

[Jim Sutherland]

All materiality that has been created is Maya, or impermanate. Yet, Kal, or Time has not been revealed or documented in any agreeable understanding by Anami Purush to Kal. All we know as humans, is, we all have been born, this time, in human bodies, and we will will die in about 100 earth years, max, if we live as the Scriptures and Masters advise. Even illusions projected by mind in Meditation, including The Chandian effect, are Kal created Timed events, that are as real as our own human flesh, yet we are not privy to the length of Earth time each manifestation of creation below Anami Purush will survive. My time is limited, ending faster than the last sheet of toilet tissue, but I am still traveling the world enjoying the time "i" have left as Jim. Today has been real, altho now impermanent, same as every meditation illusion I ever had was temporary, yet as real at the time as were my experiences today.

[John Hannon]

What have you got to lose?
You come from nothing, you're going back to nothing.
What have you lost? Nothing!

Always look on the bright side of life
- from (appropriately) The Life of Brian.

[Jim]

Brian I enjoy your search for reality. I must ask though. Why didn't you ask your master why you were getting no results? Wouldn't that be an appropriate
response after just a few months of Sant Mat meditation? Waiting 30 years with no heavenly results seems unbelievable.

[gossip]

Brian
Who will look after your blog after your death ?
Who will cry when you die ?

[Robert Stefanic]

Sorry I'm a bit late to this, but I've been reading your blog on and off for about 4 years. I love to see that you stumbled upon these guys' work and Ernest Becker's work. They always reminded me of your words.

Let us know what you think of it in the end. It's a terrific book.

[june schlebusch]

Hellow all. I has been comfirmed that BabaJi will be visiting Johannesburg SA the 7 and 8th November I can offer limited accommodation if anyone one of the regualar bloggers, would like to come. I can also provide transport, no costs are required. ia