We don't know why Neanderthals went extinct except for a few traces of DNA. They may have been too non-violent or just unlucky. Or they may have been less conscious, less adaptive. In any case -- prejudice (which we all as humans have) is truly a sign of undeveloped consciousness.

As a species "consciousness" as we know it happened once -- we are experiencing it. We don't know if it was like a lightning bolt or a series of small steps or something in between. From all the evidence we can gather it seems nature is harsh with regression or even stagnation. The general pattern is evolve or go extinct. As the psychoanalysts say, "It ain't about what it is about". We will either evolve to Consciousness 2.0 or devolve to our own destruction and extinction -- "parking" in a place of closed minded and discourteous rejection of aspiration, no matter how determined the choice is not sustainable. We will see what we do.