I'm sorry, but that just isn't true. All my family are basically eating/fucking machines, they have no self awareness and act on their own basic impulses only. Growing up I could see that they weren't 'aware' in the same way I was.

My awareness wasn't encouraged, it was ridiculed and I was made to feel stupid and paranoid, but somehow I knew I was right and persisted in learning and keeping an open mind.

It isn't easy, for sure, but it is by no means a foregone conclusion. It does require courage and patience (something I have to learn, it certainly wasn't something that came easy to me).

I think the root cause of almost all of the shit we are seeing is fear. People allow the selves to be swayed by fear, they strike out in anger because they are afraid, they don't want to think about difficult things because they are frightened of what they might learn (and have to deal with). Some people get as far as learning things and then shut down because they can't cope, out of fear.

Learn to deal with fear and you become the master of your own life.