All Systems Are Broken!

The distance between nature and humanity is increasing, with most of humanity living in a separate existence to nature. We seem to have forgotten that we are a part of nature but have gradually become more and more distant from it. We have a mutual relationship with it. We are nature, and nature is us..

Introduction.

The context of the word group in this article refers to groups of people. What are groups? It's not something people tend to to think about, but every aspect of living involves some type of group.

Groups involve every aspect of our lives: family, friends, work, education, worship, sport, and so on. Humans, like many other species in the animal kingdom, are social creatures, and being in groups gives us a sense of belonging. Related article: What is the need to belong

Some content of this article leads into the next article, about Organizations.

What is a group?

Groups are a part of nature; most animals form groups, and human beings are no different. Early humans lived in groups, which provided safety, enabled information sharing, and made hunting and mating easier.

In modern times, almost everything is a group. The human race has been divided into groups of one kind or another: family groups, neighborhoods, communities, businesses, and organizations; groups for people with various illnesses; sports groups, fitness groups, hobby groups; groups in religion; groups of ethnicity; groups for International Day of "something or other"; a group of people from the same town or city; people from the same country (a nation); and a group of countries (e.g., NATO, USAN, EU, BRICS+, etc.).

There are some common reasons for being in any group, large or small. Security, strength, cooperation, prosperity, and inclusion—e.g., people with common illnesses have groups to discuss and share knowledge; receiving emotional support; feeling included; feeling secure that others are there to help—all these things improve self-esteem. One group of nations feels safe knowing that they are part of a treaty against another group of nations, having security in numbers and knowing that each nation will support the other in the same treaty. "Group of nations" is in fact a group of governments, because "nation" would imply the entire nation (all the citizens of one country) are united as one in all their government's endeavors, which is rarely the case.

What's wrong within groups?

When power or status get in the way of progress.

Group discussion is good; for example, help groups on various health issues. This kind of group benefits the people within it by sharing experiences and providing advice and information. Group authority is not good, and for groups that function through some type of authority, problems are not far behind. For example, if people are jostling to become the leader of a group, If there is a conflict over authority in a group, then usually someone will end up leaving to possibly form another group with a similar purpose. This kind of situation ends up in competition for status between the groups, and this takes away the focus from group objectives. This type of situation applies to any size group.

Groups that are in conflict about who is making the decisions and who has authority instead of focusing on the purpose do not work.

Decisions made on behalf of others will always create conflicts. We only need to observe a group of people known as Government to see this.

Problems can arise if people in a group want their ideas to be heard, but those ideas are continually rejected by group authority. The issues of status and authority are one reason why we see a difference of opinion in many music bands, and they end up forming or joining another group. The same could be said for movements or any group, small or large.

Groups with a similar purpose compete for superiority, and conflicts arise between groups with different ideologies and beliefs; this can be observed throughout history.

The behavior of individuals within groups is different from that of individuals acting alone. This is referred to as the herd mentality and normally applies to larger groups of people. The group could be of any type: groups of businesses, a group of nations, supporters of a sports team, a group that supports a bully, and so on. In some groups, there are some positives to herd mentality, for instance, groupthink, but the negative side of herd mentality (the hatred) fully displays all the worst traits of humanity. The negatives far outweigh the positives. Hatred in a herd mentality is extremely dangerous, both physically and mentally. These traits are deeply rooted in humanity and have been since civilizations began.

Herd mentality is a direct factor in bullying, both digital (cyber) and physical. Individuals fearing being ostracized themselves in such groups do not want to appear as opposing the herd's beliefs and instead tend to join in any aggression the group has against other individuals or entities. Related articles: Bullying

If we observe other mammals in groups, particularly primates, we can see easily identifiable similarities to human behavior. Here are some of them:

• Cautious behavior when a new member joins a group.
• Group rivalry, neighboring groups will show aggressive behavior.
• Information sharing within a group.
• Showing empathy within a group.
• Aggressive behavior within a group for dominance.

What sets us apart from other species is our intelligence?? the group concept has gone far beyond early humans living in small settlements comprised of family groups. Our species is now several billion strong, and we have divided ourselves into thousands of different groups.

How do groups interact with each other? Unless there are close relationships with other groups, people unwillingly adapt to other groups interactions. Interactions with unfamiliar groups are usually pretentious and courteous. This is to try and gain acceptance, and the encounter is usually met with a mixed reception. If we observe behavior in human groups, then it's plain to see how closely related we are to the animal kingdom. As mentioned in previous articles, the animal mind has never left us, and judging by how people (groups) behave with each other, there are no signs humanity is moving towards enlightenment; on the contrary, it is heading in the opposite direction. Related article: How do animals form groups

Why do some people want to become the leader of a group? It's for status, and with status comes power and control, and possibly, but not always, there may be some element of money associated with it.Related article: Why would anyone want be a leader?

Any form of group, large or small: social groups, movements, organizations, cities or towns, countries. People obtain their status as leaders in groups in various ways, either through a selection process, a level of experience or knowledge, or simply by assuming some kind of leadership through arrogance. In almost all instances, regardless of whether a leader role is assumed or assigned, egotism is the number one cause of problems within groups.

Definition of ego: the "I" or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.

It cannot be denied that the more groups we have in society, the more divisions we are creating in the human race. Groups that are formed to help other people without any hierarchy of authority are the only ones that should exist.

Next Time: Organizations...

The emotions you feel when looking at these pictures are what a mind without human-created systems feels like. As nature intended.

Main Page: Systems.