Every good teenager reaches adulthood knowing enough about the elements of group psychology that regulate the bulk of human associations of all kinds. So if, as an adult, he joins a club, he knows from experience what to expect. Some find it very natural, others not so much; but everyone ends up giving in, again and again, to the gregarious instinct that drives them towards association. It is only natural that the excitement wears off, the frustrations accumulate, and one day is discovered the cozy refuge of the self. But there are also a few lucky ones who come across a different kind of association; to them, the fairest thing is to offer sincere congratulations.
Tag: behavior
It Takes a Long Time to Separate Oneself…
It takes a long time to separate oneself from the prevailing culture, even if only partially, and to be able to see philosophy and history through less contaminated lenses. Sometimes a lifetime is not enough. That is why it is fortunate for those who manage to define early on what they want from their studies, and then draw up a more or less defined research plan. With a visible goal, it is easier to delve deeper and consequently discover what, at first, did not even hint at existing. From there, a new world opens up, permanently alienating those who can see it. The effort pays off, although it is certainly not a painless process.
Sometimes It Is Strange to Get Used…
Sometimes it is strange to get used to the heroes of great literature, and then turn our eyes to the real example of an ordinary failed life. In great literature, the hero may not always venture out as Joseph Campbell would have it, but he is not wrong to note that the hero tends to evolve and learn. This is, in fact, the expected effect of years in the course of a life. Then we see the real example of someone who does not seem to have learned anything, who has not matured at all; someone who stumbled when he was young and continues to stumble when he is old. It is strange because it seems an almost insulting waste, a fierce, inhuman refusal to learn lessons from experience. That is the only real failure: not making the most of what was lived.
The Feeling of Danger
Says the hunter Jim Corbett, in Man-Eaters of Kumaon:
I have made mention elsewhere of the sense that warns us of impending danger, and will not labour the subject further beyond stating that this sense is a very real one and that I do not know, and therefore cannot explain, what brings it into operation. On this occasion I had neither heard nor seen the tigress, nor had I received any indication from bird or beast of her presence and yet I knew, without any shadow of doubt, that she was lying up for me among the rocks.
And again:
The premonition of impending danger is too well known and established a fact to need any comment. For three or four minutes I had stood perfectly still with no thought of danger and then all at once I became aware that the tiger was looking at me at a very short range. The same sense that had conveyed the feeling of impending danger to me had evidently operated in the same way on the tiger and awakened him from his sleep.
Now it’s mountaineer Joe Simpson, in Touching the Void:
As I climbed up to rejoin his tracks it occurred to me that I had felt a moment of anxiety only minutes before Simon had fallen. I had noticed this in the past and always wondered about it. There had been no good reason for the sudden stab of worry.
And again:
I wanted to sleep. I couldn’t be bothered to move any more. I was warm enough sleeping on the snow. The storm would cover me like a husky and keep me warm. I nearly slept, dozing fitfully, edging close to the dark comfort of sleep, but the wind kept waking me. I tried to ignore the voice, which urged me to move, but couldn’t because the other voices had gone. I couldn’t lose the voice in daydreams. ‘…don’t sleep, don’t sleep, not here. Keep going. Find a slope and dig a snow hole… don’t sleep.’
Once experienced, the reality of such a feeling is put beyond question. And it would be no exaggeration to say that adventurers like those mentioned above depend on it and trust it. The examples could go on and on… In extreme situations, for some reason, something happens. Whether the perception of danger is dependent on total absorption in the environment, cannot be said. But something happens, and perception screams out even without the support of the “traditional” senses. In many ways, man is far more interesting and complex than is often assumed…