Moods: An Opportunity for Human Evolution. Part I

 By Alan Sieler

This article offers an interpretation about what could be a silent and hidden aspect of how humans function, that is at the heart of our combined global challenge to (i) live well together and (ii) interact with the biosphere (natural environment) to sustain our very existence as a species. This is a big topic to tackle and while definitive answers and solutions are not offered, an ontological perspective in understanding how we function as a species may be helpful.

The thesis to be explored

The essential thesis of this article is twofold. Firstly, that our current global and national historical circumstances, that are variously being described as tumultuous and increasingly volatile as a result of continual ruptures, present an opportunity for human evolution. Secondly, that a little-appreciated aspect of human existence in the form of moods is an integral part of this opportunity. 

In order to explore this thesis, perspectives of the words “human evolution”, “the world”, and “moods” will be outlined. The theme for this article may seem overly ambitious and unrealistic. However, you are invited to read these thoughts in the spirit of a key aspect of the thinking of German philosopher Martin Heidegger, whose fundamental characterisation of human beings is that each of us is always a possibility.  We are a possibility for ourselves, others and the world at large.

Some important biological and historical considerations

There is a biological basis for Heidegger’s perspective, which is the human nervous system. Consisting of approximately 34 billion neurons (nerve cells) and tens of millions of interconnections between nerve cells, the nervous system is where learning and change occurs. With 34 billion nerve cells, there are literally billions of possible different connections that can be developed, with each interconnection between neurons being a form of learning that has occurred. Because of what is called the plasticity of the nervous system, which is its continual ability to change itself, humans have almost endless potential for learning and therefore the creation of new possibilities in how to behave and live.

Throughout human history, men and women have continually faced major challenges when confronted with the occurrence of significantly different environmental circumstances. “Environment” refers the natural and human environment, the latter including economic, social, cultural, political and geo-political aspects of human life. Significantly different circumstances have meant that habitual ways of perceiving, behaving and communicating lose their effectiveness in the face of different requirements for functioning effectively in a changed world. New ways of thinking, being, perceiving and behaving are required in order to live well – mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

The centrality of moods

The existence of emotions as an integral aspect of the human system is now well-established. Indeed, the emotional component of human existence is an integral part of the functioning of the nervous system. Amongst Heidegger’s many outstanding contributions to developing a deeper understanding of the nature being human was his emphasis on the centrality of moods. These are emotions that “stick around”. They can be regarded as long-term, deep and pervasive emotional spaces that are experienced individually and collectively. Moods which can persist for days, months, years, decades and, in some instances, centuries. 

Moods are everything – we are “mooded” and always in a mood. Moods have accompanying judgments and stories and are subtly embodied in how we have arranged our physiology, how we move and how we breathe. And moods are not only individual - they are also collective or social Also, moods function for better or for worse in how we perceive and engage with daily life.

We are born into the moods of our families, communities and societies at large. We grow up in environments of social moods that became the norm, shaping what we regard as being possible and not possible. And moods can be regarded as contagious – through our engagement with particular environments and changes in our wider social and cultural circumstances we can be unaware of the moods we absorb. 

The moods we live from can become invisible emotional habits, affecting us, as previously stated, for better and also for worse. It can be useful to think of moods as being energy systems that have power, with power being the ability to take effective action (i.e. power to influence and get things done that improve the human condition, not just power over others). A crucial feature of the power of moods is that they significantly shape how we perceive, behave and function in general. This is captured in the expression of moods being “predispositions for action”, with action including perceiving, thinking, deciding, along with speaking, writing and physical action. Although they are an inescapable part of our existence, moods can be “invisible”, living in the background of our awareness, yet operating like small and enduring motors in the background of our awareness. And we are never not in a mood.

Human evolution

Let’s now consider the notion of human evolution. Our typical understanding of evolution is that it is physiological, for example as humans evolved from chimpanzees to be upright on two legs, developed greater manual dexterity, a larger brain, etc. Our current form of being human – homo sapiens – has been on the planet for almost three hundred thousand years. While we have become taller and can live longer, our actual physiology has not changed very much. However, human evolution is more than physiological – it is also an intertwining of linguistic, social, emotional and cultural evolution; as previously stated, very different ways of living, especially interacting with each other and the natural environment, which have been defined as historical eras.

The essence of non-physiological evolution is that it is the evolution of meaning. In other words, a change in the form of meaning that accompanies the transformation of our being. How the world is for us – individually and collectively – is a world of meaning. Humans are inevitably meaning-makers. As one philosopher wrote, we are “condemned to meaning”.

The meaning we have of the world in general and specific aspects of the world is not just a world of actuality about what exists and what happens, it is also a world of interpretation and possibility. Humans are interpretive beings that continually create or generate their world of actuality, interpretation and possibility. And the meaning we live in and live from informs us how things are and how things could be. 

Extensive exploration by many highly regarded thinkers in different cultures at different times in history has resulted in human evolution being conceptualised as a major shift in level or stage of consciousness. A level of consciousness is the fundamental ground we stand on that reflects the deep meaning of our existence. It is well established that children move through different stages of consciousness in their progression towards adulthood. There are many different frameworks of different levels of consciousness, each being useful in their own right. One example is Robert Kegan’s model that highlights the importance of adults moving towards what he calls a self-authoring mind, or manner of being, which is especially relevant to Ontological Coaching. (Kegan’s framework is outlined in detail in chapters 2 and 3 of Volume II of Coaching to the Human Soul, as is the ontological approach to moods and emotions.) 

Biologically, meaning lives in the nervous system, and given the plasticity of this aspect of our biology, we have the capacity to both perpetuate existing meaning and generate new meaning. When we are existentially stuck, not happy with ourselves, our life situation, others and the state of the world, we are living inside a meaning that does not work for us. When this occurs, we are faced with the challenge to generate more helpful meaning, which occurs through learning. And this is where the notion of non-physiological human evolution comes in. 

How moods can enable us to evolve

The quality of our lives is correlated with the meaning we have of ourselves and life in general, with the essential question being, “Does the meaning we live from enable us to create the life we desire?” Through the plasticity of the nervous system, we have the capacity to create new worlds of meaning in which we can constructively participate. 

At this point in human history, it can be argued that our distinctive evolutionary challenge as a species is to evolve to a more powerful way of creating meaning. It would seem that creating significantly new meaning is essential if we are to live more effectively in a world that can be continually experienced as being intensely disruptive and destructive. A key part of engaging in this challenge is moving from moods that position us as victims of circumstances to moods that position us to be constructive actors taking responsibility for the meaning we live from.

Because they shape our perceptions, thinking and behaviour, moods are indispensable in the creation of new meaning. As predispositions for action, moods play a pivotal role in creating our own joy, suffering and other forms of existence in between. To live from different moods is to live in different worlds of possibility. 

Moods can also be regarded as “spaces of possibility” – not physical spaces but existential spaces or our manner of existing/living.  Therefore, it makes sense to develop awareness of the moods we are currently living from in our current historical circumstances and how helpful they are in creating constructive meaning, or in other words, worlds of possibility we can participate in.

Developing capability with moods

One key expression of Ontological Coaching is that we are highly unlikely to change what do not observe, or are aware of, in our Way of Being. One way of understanding the nature of an ontological approach is that it specialises in being able to observe the intangible world of Way of Being; this especially includes being able to observe and shift moods. In Part II, which will be the next issue of Observing Differently, we will share with you a set of important of moods, along with ways of transitioning to moods that will enable the creation of very different meaning and an enhanced form of consciousness to live from. 

In the meantime, you may want to use the following questions to reflect on the role of moods in the meaning you currently live from.

• What are the predominant moods you habitually live from?

• How helpful are these moods for the quality of life you would like to have?

• What moods will better serve you in the creation of more helpful meaning?

• What are some things you can begin to do to transition to more helpful moods?

Perhaps a useful starting point to expand your awareness of the range of moods and emotions is to Google the Emotional Wheel.

In the next issue of Observing Differently we look forward to sharing the potential of specific moods for generating new meaning and enabling transition to a self-authoring level of consciousness.

Alan Sieler is the Director of Ontological Coaching Institute. He has been running Ontological Coach Training programs since 1996, initially in Australia and gradually spreading to Asia, South Africa, Europe & UK and the USA. Alan is the author of the globally renowned four volume series of Coaching to the Human Soul: Ontological Coaching and Deep Change. https://www.ontologicalcoaching.com.au/booksbyalan