Humanity Hasn't Evolved: We've Only Dressed Ourselves in Technology

Brian Sankarsingh wonders - have we truly evolved?

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Throughout history, humanity has celebrated its so-called “progress.” We marvel at the rise of our civilization. We gaze in awe at the spectacle of our technology, the conquering of disease, and the comforts of our modern life. But these are merely the shiny ornaments on a tree with ancient, deep and gnarled roots. Scratch the surface, and you will find that at our core, we are still driven by the same primal instincts that guided our ancestors who fought over fire, food, and territory. The brutal truth is this: humanity has not truly evolved. We’ve only built better tools to serve the same primitive drives that have always been a part of us.

What we call civilization is no more than a fragile skin stretched over our basic animal nature. In times of peace and abundance, we can maintain the illusion of moral advancement, but the moment resources dwindle, systems fail, or power is threatened, the mask slips. We revert quickly to tribalism, violence, and the law of the jungle. Wars, genocides, racism, hypocrisy, oppression, and greed are not aberrations of human history — they are our defining patterns. We may have traded clubs for drones, arrows for bullets, but the intent remains the same: dominate, conquer, live to fight another day.

We like to believe we are rational beings, yet study after study in psychology and neuroscience reveals otherwise. We are still deeply controlled by fear, desire, ego, and the need for belonging. Our politics, religions, and social structures are often less about enlightened cooperation and more about securing power and tribal identity. Our most instinctual behaviors are “us versus them”, “competition over cooperation” and “emotional reaction over critical thought.” Instincts continue to rule us, despite the appearance of civility. Technology has advanced at a blistering pace, but it is neutral and ultimately it reflects the heart of its creator. Fire can warm a village or burn it to ash. The internet can unite humanity or divide it into echo chambers of hate. Artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, nuclear power, all these tools have unimaginable potential, but they are wielded by the same species that once fought tooth and nail for scraps of meat. The technology is new. The hand that holds it is not.

Even in times of supposed enlightenment, our entertainment is soaked in violence. From gladiatorial arenas to violent video games, from public executions to reality shows that thrive on humiliation and conflict, we are drawn to the spectacle of suffering. The thirst for dominance, the joy in another’s downfall, the thrill of the hunt. These are not vestiges of a forgotten age; they are alive and well, packaged and commodified in the entertainment we seek and the choices we make.

Modern life gives us the illusion that we are far from our primal ancestors, but in reality, we are just feral creatures in tailored suits, pacing in digital cages. Strip away the smartphone, the running water, the antibiotics, and the air conditioning, and see how quickly the civilized collapses into the savage. Our laws and social contracts exist not because we are naturally good, but because we are naturally dangerous.

If there is an evolution to hope for, it will not be technological. For our survival as a species, it must be emotional and moral. But that evolution is slow if it is happening at all. Until then, we remain who we have always been; instinctive, territorial, self-serving, and feral. Our sophistication is skin-deep. Beneath it, we are still the same. Perhaps humanity’s greatest myth is not that we are gods in the making, but that we have ever truly address our malevolence.

The Animal Beneath Us All

We walk on streets of glass and steel
in cities carved by cunning hands
but under silk, beneath the wheel
the ancient, feral creature stands

We speak of peace with warring tongues
we toast to love with fists clenched tight
we dress our wars in anthem songs
constantly hungering for the fight

We build our thrones on circuit boards
invent new gods of code and wire
yet trade our clubs for smarter swords
instincts stained by the same desire

These digital cages cannot hold
the beast that stirs beneath our skin
the primal heart, the hunger cold
the ravenous thirst to take, to win

We feast on violence dressed as play
we cheer as kingdoms fall apart
our rage attired in grand decay
but blood still sings within the heart

The tools have changed the hand has not
our fires burn in sleeker forms
We wear the mask and play the part, but
Innately we are creatures of the storm

So tell me not of how we’ve grown
of how we’ve tamed the savage flame
The house is built its walls are stone, yet 
the ravenous animal remains the same

Bio: Brian Sankarsingh is a poetic firebrand, a sharp, thoughtful storyteller who walks the crossroads where Caribbean folklore, social justice, and the human condition collide. He is a truth-seeker who questions political tribes, challenges lazy platitudes, and writes with a deep pulse of empathy, always pushing for nuance whether you're exploring grief, cultural identity, or the monsters that haunt cane fields and hearts alike. He blends advocacy and art seamlessly. He is part historian, part philosopher, part bard, driven by a hunger to illuminate overlooked stories and empower marginalized voices.

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