Best movie ever, and so real!
There are, and have always been monsters on this planet. 800 pound tigers, 1200 pound Grisly bears, 4200 pound Great White sharks and 5 ton Killer whales come immediately to mind. We have many smaller monsters as well, some only barely perceptible with special tools like microscopes and chemical testing. They are armed with fang and claw, rows of razor sharp teeth, a cornucopia of deadly poisons, bad attitudes and all too often hideous strength.
As if this weren’t enough, as we grow up we hear stories of mythical monsters as well, vampires, giants, were-wolves and the like. However, past a certain age the myths fade and most of us come to realize that the real monsters of Earth look back at us out of our own mirrors everyday. How did that happen?
We are those monsters chiefly because of the terrible super-weapon we carry, a roughly 3 pound complex mass of cells armored in bone that stands a few inches above and between our shoulders. The weapon conveys destructive abilities unmatched by any poison, claw or tooth. It has brought the entire planet under our control, and presses endlessly for more worlds to conquer. The human brain is the most sophisticated and effective weapons system developed in the last 4.5 billion years of life on Earth.
Just waiting to unimaginatively jump on your face!
The most basic advantage of this weapon is it’s ability to decide to not only kill, but annihilate, instantly without warning, reason, need or actual threat. The youngest of human children will step on a bug without a single thought. That’s a true differentiator between us and the rest of the monsters. We kill simply because we can. What other life-form would have a phrase as common as “Shoot first, ask questions later” in their linguistic lexicon? It is a reflection of our most basic instinctual response to the world we inhabit and ourselves.
The rest of the life-forms on this planet rarely fight to the death unless one intends to consume the other. This inhibition removes the danger that a particular species will cause it’s own extinction through competition. However, it is quite common among humans to fight to the death, in fact we are the only species on Earth that hunts and kills itself regularly, and we do it to a vast extent. This is because of an impressive facility of the human mind, its ability to selectively ignore actual reality and create it’s own instead.
In practice, we each have a facility that acts as a “reality filter,” screening out, transforming and preparing all our input from the real world to conform to our own expectations. Essentially we see, hear, taste touch and feel what we want to, consciously or unconsciously. This lets humans experience the world but perceive it as if it is quite different from what it actually is. Therefore it allows us to believe, with all our hearts, in that which has no real evidence whatsoever. In other words, humans are the final monsters because our imaginations are in complete control.
The oceans are full of these!
We look across a street and see a dog who we “know” wants to bite us. We navigate through darkened parking lots and give wide berth to the “muggers and rapists” who doubtless lurk just beyond the light. We see the “obvious” guilt in murders and terrorists on television and hear the larceny in the voices of our own representatives. All of these are “as plain as day” to those who see.
The ability to actively edit perception in turn allows us to fabricate and support with “evidence” compelling reasons for any action we choose. It puts terror in dark corners, makes dedicated enemies of strangers, and feeds every petty worry and fear with a constant barrage of unassailable “proof.” We see the work of dastardly deeds with our own eyes, hear the derision of our “enemies” with our own ears, smell their foul rankness with our own noses and can tell that chickens are dirty and don’t have much of a life anyway, so eat up! Is there anything so dangerous as the human who is firmly convinced by their own “Understanding?” However, this amazing innovation in perception also means that we essentially bear responsiblity for how we experience our world.
Not only does it make humans unpredictable, dangerous and world conquering, it also makes us empathetic, sympathetic and hopeful for lasting peace. All of these often without reasonable evidence or any discernible reasons whatsoever.
The same child who crushed an insect without thought one day, may well come back later and have an entirely different experience. This time their perceptual editing may include more knowledge, experience and different attitudes. Instead of an offensive crawling blot on the floor, they may well see a particular species of known traits, form and habits and be caught up in wonder, suffering an epiphany of “empathetic understanding” for this artfully designed creature.
Evolution, or Nature if you prefer, innovates. Sometimes creating a more successful form but all too often dooming one to failure. Survival is the strict ruler life-forms are measured by. For life, to merely continue is to succeed. Connecting perception to imagination, instead of a simple reactive-learning system, allows us to not only see but visualize. However, it also colors those visualizations with home-made preconceptions. For the child who burned their hand the stove is always hot and lying in wait for a second chance. Bears and sharks are never cut by their own teeth or claws, but we are often injured by our own imaginative perceptions.
Little lamb, you'll be much happier in my belly!
It’s a bold innovation, a subtle but giant change and it has worked out well for humans, if not so much for the rest of life on Earth. It’s probably not the result of a single change but more likely thousands of tiny adjustments over hundreds and hundreds of thousands of years. Life’s super-weapon, crafted and honed to perfection by hard experience and long survival. With the evident proof, a far better solution to species continuance than a simple inhibition against not fighting to the death.
Innovations going forward may well focus on this facility, the days of better claws, stronger teeth and instinctual reactions are certainly gone. It’s likely that there are those among us already who visualize better, more clearly than most. Those who see some glimmer of truth through the fog of everyday life beyond their own realities. We might be tempted to think that greater accuracy in our perceptional visualizations would be an improvement. It has always made me wonder if the mental processes of doubt and hesitation are subtle beneficial innovations as well. Isn’t it more advantageous to know we might be wrong rather than have more confidence in our own “rightness?” If that’s true, doesn’t that make doubt a kind of evolutionary advance or gift, and surety a backward trait?
It takes too long with too many possibilities to really know the next advantage in evolution, but we can certainly use our wonderful facility to project some possibilities. After all the same facility that makes us the fiercest of all Earth’s monsters also made us able to mold an entire world to our needs and has taken us out into space and the rest of the universe. Perhaps there are clues out there in the world that if lighted with sufficient understanding can show us where this leads. What do you think?
Copyright Prentiss Gray 2012
Prentiss Gray is a writer and columnist and currently writes the Domesti-Tech Blog for Gannett. He can be reached through his website at www.prentissgray.com
Prentiss Gray
Prentiss Gray is a writer/columnist/blogger from New Jersey. After 27 years as a Information Systems consultant and the death of his wife of 21 years, he returned to his roots as a writer, creating the national column Adventures of the Lone Dad/ Daddy chronicles. He now Blogs for Gannet on domestic technology, and writes feature pieces and stories for general publication. He is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and contributes to Bloomberg News, Daily Record, Gannett and the Tribune Syndicate.
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Prentiss – thank you for your article. It has been featured on Futeroa:
Thank you for your article.
We have put your article, with title `The monsters of earth`, on our promotion site at http://entertainment.futeroa.com.
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Bob, what does “put it on futeroa” mean? Have you seen where the link goes?
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In response to the concluding question of your monsterously good post, Prentiss, I’m tempted to ask if you want an answer in ten words or less!!! If so, cartoonist Walt Kelly of Pogo fame offered this on Earth Day, 1970: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” As for me, I will keep on writing what I’m writing and hoping to connect in a thoughtful and stimulative way with whoever is going my way, should our paths happen to cross. The cynical, alternative answer to your question (and to dialogue) is “What does it matter what I think” – to which a politician might add, “as long as you vote for me.”
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Prentiss, I always enjoy your thoughtful posts and have on many occassions rethought my own views on things after reading your posts. On this one I think you missed the mark sorely. Almost as if you were not in such a good place when you wrote it.
Animals do often fight to the death and being evenly matched is sometimes all that keeps one or the other from dieing. many predators actively seek out competitors for food and kill them if the opportunity permits itself. Animals do not like to risk injoury as it is usually fatal for them in the long run so this also keeps them from killing one another. A weakened animal is commonly killed by his own kind.
Humans do not fight to the death as a norm, only killers and murderers do this. War is the exception and many socialized animals exhibit the same behavior. Lions, chimps, ants, termites, bees etc.
Most of our perceptions are based on experience, either our own or those passed on to us by others. Extreme fear is paranoia. Normal caution is a good practice. Being in unfamiliar territory is often awkward and can lead to some unjustified fears but again, the same is true for any species when taken out of it’s elememt. History has shown us that being strong is safer than being weak. It has also shown us to pay attention to signs, sometimes we may react prematurely but in some cases dire consequences might be at stake.
One sentence I think you may have been reffering to how humans often believe in God, with no evidence to suggest he exists. On the contrary I think as many others do that the evidence of a creator is overwheming until someone comes up with a better answer. Having a belief in a higher power is also healthy for our bodies and minds. As I said earlier I always look forward to the little debates they have on here and enjoy your responses but on this one I think you missed the boat.
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Steve, I apologize for “butting in” when your comment was directed at Prentiss, but you have given me something else to consider, and I appreciate your points. In the end, I’m inclined to think that the comparison of humans with (non-human) animals is basically irrelevant because animals aren’t responsible for their actions and we humans, barring insanity, are responsible for ours. We can make whatever comparisons we want to, but I think it accomplishes little but divert us from facing human reality.
As for “belief in a higher power,” I have it and share your thoughts, but I do not “believe” in religion. Apparently, to most people, these two things are synonymous, but to me they are not the same, and much misunderstanding arises from not seeing the distinction. Further dialogue on this is welcome.
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I’m afraid we’ll have to disagree on this one. Humans kill each other all the time, though you’re right most of that is in war. However no other species is known to commit murder, they fight over food, mates, territory but only rarely do they do it to the death. Once dominance is established the looser almost always backs off. People have trained animals to kill but that quite a different thing.
I really wasn’t talking about belief in a deity, but I think that might be a good example. I was referring to prejudice, fear of the unknown and things like burning “Witches.” All indefensibly fact free practices driven by hope, fear, envy or some other all-consuming emotion. I guess you and I differ on the “higher power” although we both seem to be content to believe the way we do until something better comes along (with some proof.)
Mistermuse, I still think the comparison is valid in that we are a unique species in the way we think. Although It can certainly be argued that some of our closer relatives may have some of the same, or nearly the same, thinking processes. I believe the comparison is useful to demonstrate the divergence of evolutionary paths and just how different humans are from most of the rest of the species.
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I find it interesting that chimps will often commit homicide, even torture in a purposeful sadistic manner. Hard to figure out human behavior as we have been somewhat civilized from birth. But chimps being a relative offer us a bit of insight into what may be inate behaviors. I think intelligence offers us more motives for behavior. I really don’t know if humans are inherently good or evil. this may not even apply, it may all stem from survival tecniques that have evolved and modified.
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Is it our acceptance of our own perceptions which makes us responsible for our acts? Or is it the perceptions of others? Don’t we just police ourselves for the most?
What is it about humans which makes murder a concept? Many animals will cannibalize whether hungry or not. Is the dog which kills the kitten or puppy for sport a murderer?
Perhaps we humans are just a touch arrogant about our real place in the scheme of things, and that is where the Higher Power comes into play. And I will avoid the skewering I shall surely get. So let me say in closing that I agree with Mistermuse about the fact that a “higher power” and a “religion” are different subjects in many regards…
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Good article by the way…
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Michael, as usual cogent, piercing questions. I believe that it is our acceptance of our interpretations of our own perception, whether influenced by others or not, that makes us responsible. I also think bringing up the influence of others and how it changes our perceptions is a very good point.
Yup, it is up to us to police ourselves and take responsibility or be accountable to others when we don’t do that well. The person who thinks he hears a burglar and takes a “sound shot” (firing at noise) in the dark is a danger to everyone. That is not a simple accident. It is deploying a deadly weapon in fear and without responsibility and should bear the severest of penalties.
“Murder a concept” – I believe it’s only murder when a creature is not acting out of pure instinct, understands the consequences of their actions and is governed by a set of agreed upon rules of conduct (laws) prohibiting the taking of life. The dog who kills the kitten is not a murderer because he is acting out of instinct, does not have sufficient understanding of the consequences, and is not in agreement with a set of rules of conduct prohibiting the taking of life.
The dog simply does not have a sufficient level of intelligence to understand the consequences the same way a human does. Yes, this is arrogance, the arrogance of self determination.
Without sufficient intelligence the dog can only have rules imposed on it, they will never be “in agreement.”
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And I suppose it’s also the arrogance of “We are the top predators here, and we make the rules. (we are the boss of you!)”
The other thing I wanted to ask was don’t we have to take responsibility for acting in or as a result of our beliefs? To use the prior crime, murder in the name of god is still murder. I feel that too many abrogate their responsibility to their belief in higher powers.
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