Chapter 1: The Human Condition

Humans do not stand out as an impressive species in terms of physical attributes. Unlike many animals, we lack strong jaws and robust muscles; our running speed is subpar, and we struggle to climb trees to evade predators. Our skin offers little protection, and we possess minimal body hair to shield us from the cold. While our vision is reasonably good, our sense of smell is weak, making it hard to find prey or detect danger. Our hearing, though adequate, pales in comparison to many other creatures that consider us potential prey.

The reason we have survived for hundreds of thousands of years is our nature as social beings. A lone human struggles to endure, but as part of a group, survival becomes feasible. This social dynamic remains true today, more than it was fifty millennia ago. However, being part of a group requires us to adopt and reflect the beliefs of our peers. Whether in the simple lives of hunter-gatherers or in modern office environments, we quickly learn that those who resist conformity often face challenges. Thus, evolution has wired us to accept the prevailing views within our communities.

Another critical aspect to consider is our historical position on the brink of survival, where food sources were scarce and unpredictable. In such environments, it makes evolutionary sense to conserve energy, leading to a tendency toward both physical and mental inactivity. Anthropologists studying less developed societies note that much of their day is spent in relative stillness. More significantly, mental inactivity tends to be even more pronounced, as the human brain can consume up to 30% of available glucose, which would often be better utilized for physical survival tasks.

Fast forward to today, thanks to countless innovations over the past few millennia, our lives differ drastically from those of our ancestors. However, the evolution of complex structures like the human brain takes a considerable amount of time—potentially tens of thousands of years. Thus, our brain's wiring remains largely unchanged since long before the last ice age and the subsequent agricultural revolution that led to our modern technological civilizations. Essentially, we are still primitive beings navigating a world filled with advanced technology.

This disconnect explains why the Internet has not resulted in a surge of genuine knowledge and understanding. Instead, it often manifests as digital distractions—think social media and platforms like TikTok, reminiscent of primitive humans staring at a campfire. Most people drift through their daily lives without ever generating an original thought, a tendency that, historically, has proven beneficial.

For those who might disagree with this assessment, I suggest eavesdropping on conversations in everyday settings, such as coffee shops or supermarkets. Commonly, discussions revolve around other individuals or events—lacking intellectual depth—and consist mainly of trendy soundbites derived from mass media. The mass media, in turn, exists primarily to generate attention-grabbing content rather than to inform. Those who believe they are receiving genuine news are often misled; the news functions as an entertainment sector with the primary goal of maximizing profits for its executives. As a result, media often reinforce transient societal norms.

This inclination to conform to group norms, combined with a tendency to avoid deep thinking, leads to a bias toward preferring lies over complex truths. Lies are generally straightforward, providing a comforting sense of clarity, while reality is nuanced and often difficult to grasp. We crave understanding, and because confusion can provoke discomfort, we readily accept the simplicity of falsehoods.

It's important to clarify that not everyone is constantly lying. While some individuals and organizations do engage in deliberate deceit, many lies are simply distortions or omissions rather than outright falsehoods. News organizations often simplify complex stories into digestible narratives, resulting in oversimplified accounts that fit within the limited cognitive framework of the average person.

Consequently, our narratives are often reduced to overly simplistic tales, akin to fairytales that fail to capture the intricacies of reality. This is a key reason why conspiracy theories and religious myths, which share a similar structure, remain so captivating. Our brains favor simplicity, and lies provide that simplicity.

However, the inherent issue with lies is that they do not align with reality. While lies can effectively foster conformity, actions based on them can lead to numerous negative consequences. Thankfully, those who manipulate lies for personal gain often escape repercussions, as humans struggle to learn from experiences when the effects are temporally distant. We may quickly learn to avoid stubbing our toes, but we find it challenging to connect actions with outcomes that occur much later. It's not a matter of desire to learn; rather, it is a limitation of our cognitive evolution.

Imagine if our eyes could see heat at night; unfortunately, our vision is adapted for daylight, and no amount of wishing can change that. Similarly, while we may long to grasp reality and adjust our thoughts and behaviors accordingly, our cognitive limitations prevent us from doing so.

Thus, we find ourselves in a precarious situation: despite the remarkable inventions that surround us, our reasoning abilities remain rudimentary. Our minds are cluttered with false beliefs, and we actively choose to ignore reality to stay within the comforting confines of these beliefs, regardless of how irrational they may be.

This predicament would be troubling but not catastrophic if not for our capacity for violence. Across the globe, we witness conditions reminiscent of those that preceded the Second World War: tyrants harboring delusions of grandeur, complacent Westerners engrossed in mindless entertainment, a media landscape saturated with sensationalism, and a volatile mix of circumstances leading to potential large-scale conflict.

However, unlike the industrial wars of the twentieth century, today's conflicts involve players equipped with weapons of mass destruction that dwarf the bombs used in World War II. We have developed extraordinary technologies, yet our brains remain those of primitive beings, suited for life as hunter-gatherers on the fringes of survival.

It's not difficult to predict the outcome of this situation. The dominance of deception is heralding our demise.

Chapter 2: The Power of Lies

In this chapter, we delve into how lies have been woven into the fabric of our existence and how they continue to shape our societies.

The first video, "All You Need to Know About Preferred Lies," explores how the concept of lies applies in various contexts, shedding light on our natural inclination to accept simpler narratives.

The second video, "Rules of Golf - Rule 9 - Ball Played As It Lies," uses the rules of golf as a metaphor for understanding how we navigate the complexities of truth and deception in our lives.