ZetaTalk: Fear
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ZetaTalk: Fear
Note: written on Mar 15, 1996
Fear is a protective emotion, without which the human animal would not have survived - early man would have
walked off cliffs, walked into the mouths of hungry predators, and followed their curiosity about poisonous snakes.
But in an intelligent, conscious species fear can get the upper hand so that one's life is dictated by fear, as the imagination places possibilities before one, and consequences that may never come about. You have a saying - burnt
once, twice shy - meaning that the fear can outweigh the original incident, growing in significance in memory beyond
what it was in fact. A common situation is a crippling fear based on a childhood incident, blown all out of proportion
due to the child's perspective. He was tiny, got yelled at by someone big who theoretically could kill him, crush him
like a bug. Now an adult, the grown child finds he cannot bear to step into a similar situation, as he feels an
overwhelming fear, a sense of impending doom, that he is about to be killed. Perhaps the original incident was over a
cookie, but the adult translates this into any object desired. Thus, the adult is crippled, unable to pursue a job
opportunity or ask for a date or purchase a new car - all because he got yelled at once when reaching for a cookie.
For those who think this example extreme, it is more common than not. Fear, in an intelligent species, can be an
unreasonable fear, and when allowed to become thus is dictating the person's life. The key to freeing oneself from such strictures is to examine the reasonableness of one's fears. What's the worse that can happen? If you make the
move, will you truly be killed? This examination separates the fear of walking off a cliff from the fear of asking for a
date or wearing a different style of clothing. After having determined that a fear is unreasonable, without a valid basis, then ignore it and proceed. The fastest way to dispel a baseless fear is to challenge it.
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ZetaTalk: Dangers
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ZetaTalk: Dangers
Note: written on Jan 15, 1996
The human body, like all life on Earth and elsewhere, is in a catch-22. Humans require food yet ingest poisons even
while eating the most natural of foods. Sunlight breaks chromosomes yet lack of sunlight creates depression and soft
bones. Crevices both natural and man-made, such as basements, offer protection from high winds and the elements,
but collect pools of radon gas. Exercise is necessary for a healthy body, but puts one at risk of injury beyond what the
couch potato is exposed to. Travel and outings broaden but lay one open to being mugged, raped, or kidnapped. The
miracle of controlled electron flows creates a modern life surrounded by communication and entertainment and labor
saving devices, but can slightly damage the human nervous system if exposure to an intense electrical field is
prolonged. What to do?
The best course is to focus on goals, and bear in mind that one lifetime is but a chapter in a continuing saga. You will
die, in any case, and a life well spent is better than one prolonged an instant longer by being put in a box.
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ZetaTalk: Self Destructive
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ZetaTalk: Self Destructive
Note: written on Nov 15, 1995
Drunk every day, gambling the nest egg away, recklessly careening down a winding road, insulting the boss, or eating
high cholesterol foods - why do people do this to themselves? Such self destructive behavior often has a motive behind
it that is not recognized, just as suicide does. Where suicide to end a life of chronic physical or psychological pain is understandable, many suicides seem without purpose. People in the prime of life, or young people with their whole
lives before them will either attempt suicide or engage in self destructive behavior sure to leave its mark.
Since maiming oneself or one's reputation is so lacking in benefit, the purpose of this behavior puzzles many. The
answer to this puzzle lies in whom the actor wishes to punish, and what avenues are open to the internal rage that
drives this behavior. Perhaps mother only noticed the child when the hospital called, or the only way to escape an
unwanted obligation was to be disabled. Look behind the behavior to the dubious benefit, and address this when trying to help those who would be self destructive. Anger vented in the right direction may make all the difference, allowing
those who are self destructive to stop using their bodies and reputations as a bludgeon.
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ZetaTalk: Killer Instinct
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ZetaTalk: Killer Instinct
Note: written on Jun 15, 1997
Carnivores kill to live, and the instincts that allow true carnivores to survive include the killer instinct. This is more than lack of empathy for the prey, it is joy in the hunt. The thrashing agony of a dying gazelle in the mouth of a lion
touches not the heart of the lion, who is focused on his hunger and what is known as the thrill of the hunt. Without this thrill, carnivores would be less likely to survive, as the fatigue that comes from relentless hunting trips, most often
unsuccessful, would overcome hunger. Thus, for carnivores, the killer instinct is inborn, natural, and therefore more easily forgiven. Carnivores that hunt to live are unlikely to kill strictly for sport, as when satiated they lie about
sunning themselves. However, the killer instinct adds excitement to the long and frustrating hunts, so once up on their
feet and hunting, carnivores are motivated to keep going until they come home with the catch.
The killer instinct has often been ascribed to humans, to explain human behavior that most find shocking. Beyond
sadism, some humans kill just to run up the numbers, casually, for trifling reasons, and without a backward glance or
twinge of remorse. This is romanticized into something called the killer instinct, akin to the noble lion or savage
stalking tiger. How else to explain a human who casually kills others? This is akin to suicide, developing a casual
attitude toward life because there is a desire for death. Many who want to die lack the courage to enter into the final fray, not so much due to anticipation of the final agony, but fear of living through the attempt, maimed and out of
control, unable to finish the job. Casual killers are simply hoping that someone will return the favor, and eventually,
someone does.
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