Every living thing is assembled by its genes. This is a crucial starting point for exploring a fundamental human dilemma. As stated so starkly by Richard Dawkins, a human is "a lumbering machine, created for the task of safeguarding and propagating the all-important genes within." I would add that since the machine's behavior is driven by brain circuits pre-wired by those genes, sometimes we are prone to doing things which work against our individual best interest in order to advance the cause of the genes. In other words, some of our genes are our enemies ("outlaw genes") because they jeopardize individual well¬being as they work to assure themselves genetic immortality.Every thinking person must face the following dilemma: "How can I achieve liberation from genetic pitfalls when my values and thinking are so profoundly influenced by the very same genes that have created those pitfalls?" The more one tries to answer this question the harder it is to imagine that an answer is possible. Nevertheless, this is a challenge that can become irresistibly fascinating. This book is an attempt to bravely explore one of Humanity's most profound existential dilemmas. The fate of a civilization is also affected by the "outlaw genes," especially those responsible for a feeling of discontent with civilization and a vague preference for a simpler society, which I would describe as resembling those found in the human ancestral environment. This book explores how a flawed human nature undermines every civilization, starting a decline and eventual fall. Those of us born during the 20th Century are lucky for having seen the best of times for our civilization, and as a questionable bonus we may now witness from close-up the forces that have condemned every past civilization to ruin.