The Shock of Change that understanding the human condition brings

by Jeremy Griffith

As biologist Jeremy Griffith explains in THE Interview (which psychiatrist Professor Harry Prosen described as “the most important interview of all time”), while we humans lacked the explanation for our 2-million-year corrupted human condition we had no choice but to deny that our distant ape ancestors lived in a state of cooperative and loving innocence. But with the good reason for our corrupted condition now finally found, our species' original state of innocence can at last be admitted - and, as Griffith makes clear in his essay The Great Guilt, what that honesty finally allows us to see is the immense guilt and shame we humans have been carrying for corrupting our original instinctive self or soul.

Finding the redeeming understanding of our corrupted condition also means we no longer need to employ the artificial reinforcements we have been depending on to sustain our sense of self-worth of attacking, defying, and denying the implication that we are guilty, bad people. What this essay, The Shock Of Change that understanding the human condition brings, addresses is how to manage the great shock of change that inevitably occurs in this fabulous transformation from having to depend on our now obsoleted, artificial, angry, egocentric and alienating forms of reinforcement, to living free of them.

This booklet is supported by a very informative website.

50 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2023

About the author

Jeremy Griffith (1945-) is an Australian biologist who has dedicated his life to bringing fully accountable, biological understanding to the dilemma of the human condition–the underlying issue in all human life of our species’ extraordinary capacity for what has been called ‘good’ and ‘evil’.

Born on December 1, 1945, and raised on a sheep station in rural New South Wales, Australia, Jeremy was educated at Geelong Grammar School in Victoria, a school whose visionary approach to education has produced such notable alumni as Rupert Murdoch and HRH The Prince of Wales. He matriculated with first class honors in biology and in 1965 began a science degree at the University of New England in northern New South Wales. While there, Jeremy played representative rugby union football, making the 1966 trials for the national team, the Wallabies. Deferring his studies in 1967, Jeremy undertook the most thorough investigation ever into the plight of the Tasmanian Tiger (thylacine) — a search that was to last more than six years, before concluding the ‘Tiger’ was indeed extinct. His findings were internationally reported, with articles appearing in the American Museum of Natural History’s journal, Natural History, and Australian Geographic. His search also featured in an episode of the national television series A Big Country.

In 1971 Jeremy completed his Bachelor of Science degree in zoology at the University of Sydney and the following year, in the same self-sufficient spirit with which he had undertaken the ‘Tiger’ search, he established Griffith Tablecraft, a highly successful furniture manufacturing business based on his own simple and natural designs, which pioneered the use of bark-to-bark slabs of timber. It was during this time that, at age 27, Jeremy realised that trying to save animals from extinction or trying to build ideal furniture wasn’t addressing the real issue behind the extraordinary imperfection in human life, which is our behaviour, and that what was really needed in the world was a deeper understanding of ourselves — so it was to this issue of our species’ less-than-ideal behaviour that Jeremy turned his attention.

Since 1975 Jeremy has spent the first, often pre-dawn, hours of each day thinking and writing about the human condition, and in 1983 he established the non-profit organisation FIX THE WORLD, which is dedicated to the study and amelioration of the human condition. The result of that dedication are his many articles and over 20 books about the human condition: including A Species In Denial (2003), which was a bestseller in Australia and New Zealand, and in 2016, his summa masterpiece book, FREEDOM: The End of the Human Condition. In 2020 he presented the one-hour video explanation of the human condition, the transcript of which is provided in the booklet, THE Interview; and in 2021 Jeremy wrote Death by Dogma to explain the extreme danger Marxist Critical Theory presents. 2025 brought The Human Condition, which is one of Jeremy Griffith’s three most important presentations, serving as a powerful short-in-length bridge between THE Interview and FREEDOM. It takes his human-race-saving insights to a new depth of clarity, so is a MUST READ!

You can learn more about Jeremy Griffith's work on the Fix The World website at www.humancondition.com.

Reviews

[Nick Rule]

This is a fantastic book to accompany Jeremy Griffiths other books on the topic of the human condition. It gives great guidance on the paradigm shift to the individual and the human race now faced with the understanding of the human condition as we come to terms with and adjust to a new fabulous future that awaits us.

[Nicoletta]

If you've read and understand Jeremy Griffith’s critical explanation of our human condition, then this Shock of Change booklet explaining the difficulty of adjusting to living with this incredible understanding, whilst still having to manage living in our well established life. What Jeremy presents in this material, and talking us readers through our necessary journey as humans over the past 2 million years, and our individual progress with adjusting to this new paradigm of living with understanding over previously denying any of these Triths is HUGE and therefore not only do we need to be compassionate with ourselves, but we can ground ourselves in the FACT that humans are fundamentally good heroes and we are gifted with a way to transform from living in the upset affliction and madness the world is in now. By seeing a path out of the chaos through having the real underlying explanations of our psychological condition, it is now legitimate to move on to living free from the human condition and help free the whole of humanity. And this Shock of Change booklet and subsequent video is immensely helpful to show us humans the way forward now; to be gifted with this immense meaning and purpose is truly life changing and so precious.

[Jason Nelson]

The Shock of Change by Jeremy Griffith is a thought provoking work. Griffith presents a deeply optimistic perspective, offering a unifying explanation for human behavior and conflict. His writing encourages readers to reconsider long held assumptions and inspires hope for a more understanding and harmonious future. While complex at times, the book’s core message is powerful.

[Zlantan Griezmann]

This is a wonderful read but I suggest reading 'Freedom' or 'The Human Condition' by Jeremy Griffith before reading 'The shock of change' as one needs an appreciation of just how confronting the issue of the human condition is. The 'The shock of change' makes so much sense in terms of negotiating the next phase humanity faces after revealing the truth of upset caused by the human condition.

[Natalie Jordan]

'The Shock of Change that understanding the human condition brings' by Jeremy Griffith explains the journey we naturally go through now that the truth about the human condition is revealed. A wonderful read!

[Anna Kennedy]

Interesting as all Griffith's books are. This one I particularly found very helpful.

[Susan Armstrong]

History tells us of how difficult it is for humans to adjust to change, and there’s no more profound or greater change to adjust to than understanding of our human condition, which takes us from ignorance to enlightenement about this whole underlying source issue in our lives. As Professor Karen Riley, a clinical pharmacist, says of Jeremy Griffith’s biological treatise, ‘Living without this understanding is like living back in the stone age, that’s how massive the change it brings is!’ So this book is a wonderful, comforting guide to managing this paradigm-shifting shock of change and the predictable stages to expect along our digestion journey. Once we allow ourselves to adjust, our destination is a whole new fabulous world of liberating knowledge, free of the agony, pain and suffering that our species has endured for milennia. Unbelievable joy and excitement awaits us all, to quote Jeremy from paragraph 55, “humanity is coming back home to peace, happiness, soundness and sanity.”

[Evan Kelly]

The Shock of Change by Jeremy Griffith is a thought provoking perspective on human nature, combining biology and other disciplines into a stunning narrative. He explains human conflict in a way that encourages reflection and optimism in a grand narrative about humanity’s future. With the endorsement of many leading thinkers and scientists, Griffith's work is gaining wider acceptance as a genuine path forward without the dogmatic restraints of religion or philosophy, simply using biological understanding and thoroughly evidenced research. The implications for humanity of Griffith's work can't be over stated.

[Sue Osborn]

Heavy on ideas, but in the best way.

This is a real thinker, pulling from psychology, history, and philosophy to explain why we resist change and uncomfortable truths. The 'shock of change' and 'deaf effect' concepts resonated with me. If you've read Jeremy Griffiths other books and the big questions about humanity, this book is for you.

[Larry Jackson]

If you're after superficial, feel good answers then Jeremy Griffith's work isn't for you. However if you're after real solutions to all the problems then Jeremy Griffith is your man. In 'The shock of change' Griffith walks us through the source of our upset and the answer to it.

[Alex Rosewall]

This is one of Griffith's later works and it makes some sense, but I was a bit lost because I hadn't read the core principle's that his work is founded on. So I'm going back to investigate that and would suggest others do as well before reading 'The Shock of Change'

[Andrew Young]

The Shock of Change by Jeremy Griffith explains the inevitable difficulty of changing the deeply entrenched reactive behavior we had to adopt prior to understanding the human condition. A valuable read for anyone intrigued by Griffith's work as I am.

[Craig Mcdougal]

I've read some of Griffith's other work and this is the most succinct and impressive yet. We all say that children are our future and priority, if you really believe that and want a better world for them read this.

[Michael]

Griffith hasn't left a stone unturned in tackling the most important issue of all, the seemingly incurable madness in the world, this is another example. It's an excellent presentation discussing the change that we must adjust to, now that we have understanding of the human condition.

[John]

An important explanation of the adjustment phase humanity faces once we understand how we move on from the destructive state of the human condition.

[Patrick Wheeler]

Great guide to the adjustment phase humanity must negotiate as understanding of the human condition is revealed by Jeremy Griffith's seminal work.

[Alf Mortimore]

Griffith's work attempts to explain such a vast subject that it does take some time to absorb, but deserves the attention of anyone interested in the deeper questions of humanity.

[Paul Cocker]

Jeremy Griffith offers a valuable guide to negotiating the psychological impact of have the blinds lifted on our destructive behavior.

[Neil]

A monumental read!

In it, Griffith explains the predicament and opportunity that now awaits given we can now understand the human condition. The blinkers are off and with that comes a paradigm shift like no other!!

Read this as an important accompaniment to Griffith's main work Freedom: The End of the Human Condition.

[Will Lee]

'The Shock of Change that understanding the human condition brings' by Jeremy Griffith is a great guide as we negotiate our way out of the suffering caused by the human condition in to the freedom available with this scientifically based understanding.

[Emma Johnson]

'The Shock of Change' is the perfect title. I've felt awkward at times working through Griffith's writing, but once I sit with what he's saying for a little time and let it sink in, it feels like I'm shedding layers of the defenses I know I've built up over the years. Such an important subject, we need to be open to it, this book helps dispel the natural fear of looking in the mirror.