Reclaiming our humanity by addressing overcivilization and artificial intelligence (interview with jennifer grayson of unlatched and the uncivilize podcast)
Jennifer Grayson (@jennigrayson) is a Los Angeles-based environmental journalist and the award-winning author of Unlatched: The Evolution of Breastfeeding and the Making of a Controversy.
Illuminating how human civilization may be going overboard and down a path of self-destruction, she's currently exploring the human rewilding movement through her Uncivilize podcast.
On this podcast episode, Jennifer sheds light on what it means that we've entered a state of overcivilization; how automation has and may continue to impact our humanity and collective wellbeing; how to strike a balance between consuming technology and being consumed; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Jennifer and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kaméa Chayne.
“At its core, environmentalism is about how we’ve disconnected from our place in nature and how we can find our way back in this crazy, chaotic modern world we live in today.”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological balance, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and updated on our latest episodes.
On the “truths” of modern society that we need to question:
"We have to question everything, really.
We've become so far removed from the way we lived even one-hundred years ago that we're completely losing sight of things.
Take sunscreen, for example. We've decided that the sun—which has been a part of human evolution for the past 7 million years—is somehow now poisonous and we have to slather ourselves in chemicals to protect ourselves.
Now, there's evidence emerging that the sun and vitamin D are actually essential to human health and prevent us from getting cancer.
We have to second guess everything. We have to question all of the the ‘conventional wisdom,’ because it's not even wisdom!"
On the impact of new societal norms on human behavior:
"We've evolved as human beings to interact in the world in a certain way, to move our bodies, to have real relationships with people, to live deep in human community, and to do manual labor.
Now, we're basically becoming automatons. Not because it benefits us, but because it benefits giant corporations.”
On the deeper purpose of environmentalism:
"Environmentalism isn't just about recycling and saving the planet.
At its core, it's about how we've disconnected from our place in nature and how we can find our way back in this crazy, chaotic modern world we live in today."
Final words of wisdom:
"Think about your calling and try to find your small area of the world that you feel passionate about, where you can feel hopeful and try to make a difference."
