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This talk of evolution got me thinking about the strange and self destructive behaviour we highly evolved humans tend to display. Of course, the paradox of evolution as it applies to humans is that many of our supposed advances have quickened our collective destruction. Sure there are plenty of positive advances, but we cannot escape the damage we're doing to the Earth through pollution and overpopulation.
Environmental destruction and a simple growing scarcity of resources (clean air, water, sprawl), is an inescapable truth if we keep doing what we're doing. Combine that with the highly destructive weapons at our disposal and general meaninglessness of modern society, the fear is palpable to anyone paying attention. I know I'm scared, and I suspect those who are accelerating our destruction are also operating on fear.
This fear has kicked in a base survival instinct in society that has increased rapidly in the last decade or two. The spectrum of reactions in the natural world are described as "fight or flight" - it's instinctual. It's usually illustrated by a predator/prey situation - an antelope and a lion for example. There the threat is immediate, and the instincts kick in.
But with this destructive spectre facing the human race, we are collectively both predator and prey, and the need for survival is not a split-second decision. So those instincts that have kicked in with all of us are manifested differently than - well- pretty much anything we've ever seen (or in this case, never seen, because what threatens us doesn't really have a face attached to it). But the basis of our actions (or inactions) is essentially a fight/flight reaction.
On one end of the scale, you have the "fight" - those who are working to face what threatens our existance. The fighters spend much time and energy simply identifying the threats - since most, ironically enough, are unintended byproducts of our instincts set to consume and "flourish" in wealth and comfort. (Ever seen a dog walk away from a big bowl of food?) Simple enough to explain (however impossible it may be to excecute at this point) - you identify the problem, come up with solutions, and get to work.
On the other end of the scale are the "flighters." Trouble with the flight instinct in this situation is - unlike the antelope - there is no place to escape. Sorry, Lance Bass, or anybody else who wishes to be beamed out of here. Since the threat is less tangible than a big scary lion with sharp teeth, two things happen to the "flighters." 1) They use scapegoating to put a face on this threat they percieve. 2) They practice denial (flight) in facing the problems that actually threaten us (global warming, disease, hunger, etc.).
In explaning the right, this is where the fight/flight, on/off switch model gets a bit muddy. The scapegoating - attempt to put a face on the threat - must do something to get that "fight" instinct back on track. Killing brown people happens to be the usual consequence of this misplaced fear and aggression. If the flight instinct is overpowering, and there is nowhere to flee, I suppose you can equate the behavior on the right to that of a cornered animal. Beserker fighting - a Texas Cage Match.
In each post we read here, we seem to face another threat. I'm wonding if our bodies are reading these threats as one big one, or a barrage of smaller ones? Either way, it's taxing as hell. I think the inconsistent behavior of many Democrats in the face of the neverending aggression comes from the fight (confront)/flight(deny/ignore/enable) instincts reacting to whichever individual threat is coming down the pike.
WE - as fighters - need to focus on the most immediate threats to humankind. The GOP will not destroy us. Their policies will eventually, but people are suffering NOW. So AIDS in Africa trumps a Delay indictment any day. We don't have time to waste trying to change the minds and policies of insane and conflicted and solve global crises through policy. We simply must act - focusing on work which will directly remedy the situation. Mankind's most vulnerable populations can be helped more efficiently through direct care (administered by a number of aid organizations). Next time a petition shows up in my email box, I'm going directly over to Heifer International (or something like that), and donate some baby chicks to a family in Bangladesh. They could care less about policy, when they have a growling lion staring them in the face.
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