Part 3. Wired for Possibility
What would a human redesign for modern life look like
While many of us like to believe we’re rational beings who sometimes feel, in my last post, I talked about how the truth is more primal: we are more accurately feeling beings with an overlay of logic. And the way we feel—anxious, reactive, prone to worst-case scenarios—isn’t just a product of modern stress. It’s biology doing exactly what it was designed to do.
Unfortunately, what it was designed for is long gone.
So, let’s entertain a radical idea.
What if, instead of being shaped by millennia of survival pressures, we were designed—intentionally, intelligently—for the world we live in now?
Imagine a Different Kind of Human
Start with the nervous system. What if our default state was calm? Not the calm of meditation apps and scented candles, but the kind that’s hardwired. A baseline of ease that doesn’t need coaxing. In this version of humanity, the fight-or-flight system would activate only when truly necessary. Not for inboxes or headlines, but for actual emergencies.
This calm foundation would support clarity, presence, and health. We'd make better decisions—not because we're smarter, but because we’re not constantly managing imaginary lions.
Now consider emotions. What if they served more as data points than dictators? Anger, fear, and sadness would still arise—but quickly be evaluated, contextualized, and folded into thoughtful responses. Imagine: conflict handled with curiosity. Disagreement processed without panic. Communication stripped of defensiveness and distortion.
A lot less arguments, and a lot more peace, no?
Even our perception could shift. Instead of scanning for threat and scarcity, our minds might naturally gravitate toward what’s working. A quiet positivity, rooted in reality but oriented toward possibility. Gratitude would feel less like a habit and more like a reflex.
The Social Upgrades
Our evolution also wired us to be tribal—to guard “us” and fear “them.” It made sense in small groups competing for limited resources. But what if that wiring, too, got an update?
In this redesign, cooperation would come before competition. Differences would provoke wonder, not war. We’d still care about belonging, but not at the cost of empathy. The drive to connect would outpace the drive to compare.
How would that impact our interactions with each other, from our neighborhood to our politics, or even our national identity?
This new human—calm, rational, positive, collaborative—might not win reality shows or dominate boardrooms. But they’d likely be happier, more connected, and productive. And, given the scale of challenges we now face—climate change, inequality, the sheer complexity of global life—maybe more fit for the future than any alpha ever was.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could live more like that?
This post is part of the “Unwiring” series on Substack, exploring how our nervous system shapes modern life—and how we can shift from reactivity to choice. Catch up on the previous posts here.