On Overcomming the Reptilian Brain

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“I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.”-Abraham Lincoln

While reading the economist i ran across an article in which the reporter pointed out that how the differences in countries defined how he felt about a particular incident. In this case, it was an Ism. He arrived at a cashier late, which forced the cashier to stay late (and they don’t get overtime, so she was off the clock) and the frustrations that ensued. He was keeping a worker over time, and not paying them, which was the issue. The point he made was that he was amazed at himself, because in america he would have seen the issue thru with racist overtones, yet where he was in prague, he saw it was purely classism. An awakened moment for him.

I have heard other such stories. A Man went to mexico and pointed out that most people in commercials were white (lighter skinned). To which the people who he was with pointed out that meant they were rich. When he pointed out that in America, white people [supposedly] got the best things, to which he was steered away again, that most lightskin mexicans were of the richer upper class.

Now, these incidents and recollection caused me to pull out a map and start to look at the underling reasons for the long and devilish frustrations that have plagued the world.

In America clearly racism tinges everything, in the south american region, it is classism, in Mid europe, it’s Nationalism and Classism, and of course in the Mideast it’s Religious differences. In africa it’s tribal, and in the east, it’s nationalism mixed with a health dose of Xenophobia again. Craziness and highjinks ensue when cultures who can barely understand each others start to mix and mingle.

There is hope of course that resolutions can of course be reached. Ireland, mixed with Nationalism and Religion was finally able to come to peaceful terms and talk, vs blowing up something. In South Africa, obvious racism is still interestingly rampant yet not as pervasive as in America. Why? I believe In america the slave issue really, really left a scar. Thou, in south africa it is framed as a land vs owner issue. I don’t want to get distracted here. My focus is taking a look at this wide map of the world. We seem to be able to overcome these ingrained issues usually passed on for generations. Why I asked myself? How?

It’s long been a held view that not only are humans hard wired for social groups, but they are also hard wired into an us vs them mentality. It doesn’t take very long to see it develop either. Being accepted into a “Group” whether at work, at a bar , or professional association is key for some of us, and we immediately start to classify people based on where we stand. Natures fight for resources leaves us an interesting quandary; we are intelligent creatures able to break out of reptilian brains programming, yet it seems as more of us get together and form large social, the more the reptilian brain programing seems to move the groups decisions.

Usually, a strong leader develops, and breaks out, forcing the group into frontal lobe thinking, rational and thoughtful and not instinctive and reactionary. What I am implying is that as a society, as a whole, we cannot group wise break out of the “Isms” that we’ve fallen into, yet as an individual thinking individual, we can indeed, overcome until we find a leader to lead us past the dark times. It’s also hard sometimes for this leads to resist, the need to lead us into a dictatorship.

Those leaders come and go, but here are a few names: The Dalia Lama, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandala. Those who failed: Stalin, Castro, Pol Pot. Hitler
The line is fine. We all can make a decision to not be ruled by the reptilian brain and think above the “isms”, and we can all resist the need to become tyrants.

OceansOfThought @ April 9, 2008