TAMING THE BEAST  

11-5-12

Scientists now pretty much agree that animals are conscious. I'm not sure if that notion is limited to land mammals but probably not. Conscious simply means that the animal is in touch with its environment and acts accordingly. We all share the basic needs for food, water, protection from the elements and reproduction and we all function in terms of the hedonic formula. And, we beasts all strive to survive.

We are all beasts, but humans have an additional characteristic: We are self aware. I know I exist, I know I am me. I know you exist and I know who you are. There is very little evidence that other beasts have this understanding but some research is provocative. Put a spot on a monkey's forehead and stick a mirror in front of it and it will likely stare blankly. Do the same with a chimpanzee and it will try to rub the spot off. Is that a test of self-awareness – no one can be sure.

I'm not sure that self-awareness is the best way to describe us, I prefer self cognitive. By this, I mean that the invention of language made all the difference. We beasts made beastly noises in response to events and with simple awareness we could cooperate with each other for personal benefit. As grunts took on meaning, survival increased and our brains gradually changed to do it more effectively. Those with betyter naxcent languaqge skills reproduced, and we call the result, language. Without language, we'd be nothing more than another animal.

As we became self-cognitive we could think about how to satisfy our beastly needs and desires. Language serves to inform the beast with information about life events, evaluate possibilities and predict the future. It made it possible to put up with today's discomfort for tomorrow's benefit. And, we talk to ourselves all the time. We learn about our perceived reality, put it into language and after a while, the beast accepts it without uncertainty; in essence it becomes an automatic, non-thinking beastly function. The issue settled, language becomes irrelevant to the task. For example, it is unlikely that most of you remember how you learned to tie a shoelace. But, you know how, without thinking, how to do it. Much of our lives appear to be so automated.

As thinking beasts, we became, sort of, the most dominant creature ever to exist, but, there is a hitch. An important characteristic of the beast is that it resists change. Is that a surprise? Most of us try our damnedest to convince it to cut back on food, to exercise, not to smoke, to be nice, etc., but no matter how much we tell the beast to shape up, the outcome is usually the same. New Years eve resolutions dissolve in a few days.

Or consider training an infant to become socialized. That beast wants to defecate, urinate and eat when the mood strikes. We want the damn kid to understand the difference between the kitchen and the bathroom. Well, it rarely happens over night. The beast has to accept giving up immediate pleasure for a higher cause, parental pleasure. We spend long years socializing our children and against long odds, we are moderately successful.

All this suggests there is tension in the relationship between our cognitive selves and our bodies. We know what is good for us, but getting the beast to change is a Herculean task requiring time, persistent retraining and the expectation of success. When Grant was in front of Vicksburg, he failed seven times, but expected finally to win, and he did. Still, the beast rarely gives up pleasure without major resistance. But, we do have an edge. Once the beast changes, it extols the virtues if its new self and reenforces the process. So, don't despair. If you can't get it done one way there is always another way to try.

If you are looking for a friendly, helpful pal

Don't turn to the part that's animal

It does what it chooses

And we thus often are losers

Like wild horses, your pal needs a corral.