The world is a dangerous and hostile place. It is filled with people who are different; they act different, talk different, and believe different. This difference has divided the world into two tribes The tribe of ‘us’ and the tribe of ‘them’. In one moment two people are in the same tribe as co-workers and in another, they are in different tribes as sport fans. This is all the work of our animal instincts to survive our hostile world.
Our animal instincts are designed to do one thing, ensure our survival. Using the Reticular Activating System (RAS) it determines if something is a threat or an opportunity. The RAS basically filters out all the noise in the world to help us focus on what is important.
Things that are new are immediately highlighted as a threat first, and then a possible opportunity. This is why we subconsciously choose to dress like our friends or end up wearing the same colors with our significant other. By matching, our animal feels safe and secure. If the new thing is not a threat, then our animal’s second motivator of curiosity kicks in to explore the opportunity.
It is the power of curiosity that is the driving force behind all the advances the human species have made over the millennia. This is a powerful force that has allowed us to conquer the world and, in my opinion, is the bridge between our animal and human minds.
The two main theories of curiosity-drive are based either on moving away from negative experience or towards positive ones. The common element in both theories is the use of stress as the primary trigger. Basically, if you don’t feel stressed you would rather sit on the couch instead of exploring a new area.
In the context of this blog post today, the stress we feel when we encounter something different can be the moment we exert control over our animal and choose to be Human.
The world is a dangerous place because we perceive differences as a threat. The first thing to understand is that it is natural to feel threatened by things that are different. The second thing to understand is in that moment of stress we can overcome our RAS fight or flight response and choose in engage our curiosity.
Due to the events in the world and the biases we all come from, Islamophobia is a real thing. This phobia and any other culture-based phobia can only be overcome with tolerance. But tolerance is an unnatural act against our animal instincts. It takes work to take the unfamiliar and make it familiar.
It is hard to have tolerance for others when we feel insecure. This insecurity becomes fear and here you have the basis for most conflicts in the world.
Be Awesome. Be Human.
Stay Savage.
Comments
Post a Comment