The Decline of Natural Being

The infant arrives in a flurry of chaos; cries, hurried

motion, pain, the joy of new life, the sudden experience of something new. However, despite the seemingly chaotic fray of change, things work flawlessly. The mother knows instinctively to push. The baby knows to breathe.

Moment one in the life of any mortal being is experienced

in a similar way - an organic way. We are parts of an ancient whole that goes beyond filial ties, and beyond social constructs. We are Natural Beings.

Why then is it common in today's world to reject the very

essence of who we are and accept a limiting and narow view of reality and our place in it? This is what I aim to dissect below.

Evidence of mortals as natural beings can be found in more

than the reproductive process. Every individual is born with a muscle memory, or instinct. Your insatiable desire for food when hungry, for air if denied it, for fire if cold. All of these are examples of us as beings of Gaia's embrace. All of our sustenance, in turn, is provided by Her.

Why, then, forgoe our lineage for a life spent cultivating

the gifts that are provided naturally outside of our stone havens? Several reasons exist, and we shall examine two of them; the Society of Security, and the Illusions of Power.

Society of Security:

Perhaps the greatest and most widely admitted reason for

this phenomenon of societal congregation is fear. A great and mighty fear of the world exists in the hearts of modern mortality. What lies behind those great stone gates? The dark and the unknown. It wasn't always thus, however.

It is natural for creatures to travel in tribes, or groups. They do this for general safety against predators which may cross their path. The first cities - a term I use here loosely - were probably made for this reason. It was then mortality discovered a great and life-changing invention: Agriculture.

Now these groups not only had enough food to sustain themselves, but for the first time had a surplus. And so with basic needs met they turned their attention to other means of recreation. Populations soared.

The cycle continued from there, with populations growing to meet their surplus, only to surpass it and then desire to produce more, taking over land to meet the need. Soon there were too many people for the herds that once provided them sustenance to do so. The herds left. People became sedentary to tend to their crops, the only means left of feeding their vast numbers. The fear then took hold, a fear of loss and a doubt that they could survive outside. It has led to the pandemic we witness today.

Illusions of Power:

One cannot deny the desire of any creature to seek power. And why not? The powerful are given the choice of the herd; more and better food, the most desireable mates, as well as safety through fear and respect. This is a desire not even the wisest members of society have been able to extinguish from their cities.

And therein lies the issue. The introduction of society in to the life of mortals provided an infinite opportunity for power. Political, economic and social power came to replace physical power as the dominant trait. This was far easier to accept and support for the vast majority of tribal mortals.

Of course there needed to be assurances that their pivotal focus of power - the cities - would remain. Here, too, do we find the injection of fear in to society. If citizens are too afraid to leave their homes and experience the wild, their cities would not be threatened. For if that were the case, the powerful would soon find themselves without their illusion of control, subject to the same rules as anyone in the level playing field of nature.

However the cities, misguided as they are, do not constitute the bulk of blame for the decline of mortals as natural beings. It is our own sins that have caused it. Though it is more difficult, mortality can still live within the organic fold while still participating in their confused desire for societal comfort.

Examples of such peoples are the Werebeasts, whome in Ralardia have shown that 'civilization' can coexist with the natural way. The Faerie's home of Gualorium and the ancient cty of Anduin are further proof.

This concludes volume one of The Natural Being. It's companion text - The Natural Being; A Guide - will provide a definition, responsibilities of and suggestions for the aspiring Natural Being.