Higher Consciousness

Humans are programmed to survive, yet our survival looks doubtful because the very aggressive traits that have made us successful seem likely to cause us to destroy each other.  Perhaps there are two schools of human survival:

• The moral school-- We need to move to a higher level of consciousness, where concern for the species overrides concern for individuals.  This has perhaps happened evolutionarily as humans consist of trillions of individual cells (and bacteria), yet we consciously value the human more than the component cells.
• The survival of the fittest school-- Individuals need to kill off the competition from other individuals.  This doesn't seem practical to me as humans are social animals and no one can do much by him or herself.  The best that can be done in this regard is to be part of a group that is victorious over competing groups.  However, winning groups tend to be composed of individuals committed to the group, and so we are back to the need for a higher level of consciousness.

What is "God", if not a higher level of consciousness?  Religion may be irrational, but on the other hand there is an evolutionary imperative to get beyond individual consciousness.