The Human Animal

What makes us buckle under when we feel the pressure of fear? Survival fears have prompted homo-sapiens to make millions of out-of-power choices. For centuries we have reacted to fear by engaging in unreasonable and often horrific, animalistic acts of aggression and domination.  Why does our intelligence, our compassion, our common sense get thrown out the window when we are under severe pressure? Why, as both individuals and nations, do we lose our spiritual compass when in the presence of fear?

Part of the answer can be found in our biology. We are indeed, the human animal. The physical body that carries us through this earth journey shares about 97% of its DNA with the chimpanzee. As a species, we are little more than a glorified ape. Chimpanzees, as we know from Jane Goodall’s extensive research, commit assassinations, mass murders and serial killings. Yet since civilization began, we humans have been attempting to transcend our biology and act in a more conscious and enlightened way, worthy of the divine soul that inhabits these animal bodies. But when we are under pressure, when we are in the grip of fear, the bridge we’ve been patiently building between the divine and the animal quickly snaps. Under the pressure of fear, we become the human animal, exhibiting greater violence than any other species in the animal kingdom.

Fear has most of us by the throat. It is just a matter of degree and intensity as to when we succumb to our DNA.  For some, just a little bit of pressure on the jugular causes them to throw reason, awareness, divine compassion, or what they most love in life to the winds.

We are engaged in a grand experiment. Can what we call the human spirit transcend its physical biology and act in accord with the divinity that we truly are?   Can we take our power back from fear and learn to respond to fear consciously? The earth plane is the PhD course in overcoming fear. Our success in this classroom and our ability to help evolve this great experiment rests on our willingness to become conscious, self-aware and connected to our divinity when we are in the presence of fear.

It is the most difficult work we will ever do while on this earth plane. The first step is to understand the nature of the classroom and to begin to understand the ground rules. We can accept that fear is not going anywhere, and that we have a biological tendency to act out like an ape when we feel fear. We can remember that we are part of a great experiment. Then we can roll up our sleeves and begin the process of becoming more self-aware; we can start to walk the very narrow path that will allow us to stay focused on our spiritual mission to overcome fear.