Articles

An excerpt from An Article I'm trying to write....

What separates humans from animals?
 Some may say emotions, some may say mind.

I say logic.

Animals have emotions too that’s why we have pets don’t we?
Animals are very capable of feeling emotions – love, fear, anger, longing…
Animals have their minds also, regardless of what popular belief says.
Why do we always hear someone says that he/she has a “smart” pet?

So what really separates us from animals? 
- Our logic.
Human’s ability to process information and reasoning.

An animal may seem to be “smart” but what really happens is they respond to stimuli and acts out by emotions.
“Trained” animals will obey/respond to their masters’ commands sometimes maybe out of fear or out of “conditioning.” You see training an animal needs conditioning – either by “punishment” or “reward” system. An animal will obey because it doesn’t want to be hurt (punishment) or it wants to be fed (reward).
Also animals will attack if they feel threatened hence fear or if a mother feels her offspring are in danger. (love)

Some of you might think I am pointing out that animals act on instinct.
Then again think, what pushes to the animal to obey/respond to commands? Nobody commands an animal the first time and obeyed. It needs constant training; and “learning” in the part of the animal.
Or have you ever tried hurting an animal constantly every time you see it? After some time you will notice that every time it sees you, it is furious at you or evades you immediately. It is because animals have the capabilities to remember.
It takes “intelligence” to achieve the remembering and learning process.
That’s why you often hear that dogs are the most “intelligent” animals.

So if human and animals both have emotions and intelligence, what is it then that makes us superior to them that GOD gave us the authority to rule over them.
It is our logic and “awareness”!

It is our ability to process information and be aware of our environment, our ability to cope up and explore endless possibilities. Although animals also “can” think, they only respond depending on what is present or what is given to them. Humans, however have the ability to explore far beyond and with endless boundaries.

Others would question my position on this and would sometime say that “free will” is what separate us from the animals. Not necessarily true, animals too have their own will. We often hear and say that forest animals in their natural habitat are wild and free. Free to do pretty much whatever they wanted.
Again, what makes us different?
- Our reasons, our “idea” of what is right or wrong.

The CREATOR blessed us with these amazing capabilities far superior than animals, our ability to think, to reason, our logic and the ability to imagine.

But humans often squander these amazing gifts and tend to act like animals.
How? By acting and thinking by emotions, thus humans become Creatures of emotions and not creatures of logic.

Ever heard someone said “My emotions got the better of me”?
Someone who said such might have done unwise things out of the heat of the moment or height of his/her emotions – a feeling of exalted excitement, fear, anger, desire or joy. They then come to realize the effect of the said act when the feelings subside and reasons start to come in and clear the air.
Now, the effects of the deed become evident as soon as the clouds of heightened emotions dissipate and logic starts to grasp hold of the mind. Sadly, most of the effects are irreversible and irreconcilable but some could be mended with the important lessons learned.

Of some of the intense emotions human have, anger could have the most devastating effect if not channeled correctly. But I’m not here to discuss the subject profoundly.
What I’m about to elaborate are our common emotions of desire and fear; the emotions that drive us and limit us in our everyday life; the two strong emotions that push us and call to us.

First, let’s examine our feeling of FEAR.

Why do we fear something? Fear usually happens when we don’t understand things. It emanates when we don’t have an idea of the outcome, ever heard the phrase “fear of the unknown”?
So what is the best way to conquer fear?

Why did I say conquer and not eliminate?
It’s because you can’t eliminate fear actually. Fear will always be there, especially when you’re about to enter “unfamiliar” territories. Even the individuals who engage in “extreme” sports, the ones who perform death defying feats, can tell you that there is always fear. Even if they have done the feats so many times before, there will always be that “fear factor.” That factor of uncertainty that gives them the “adrenaline rush”, the rush that gives them the “natural high.”

So what is the best way then to conquer fear?
First, let me borrow a meaning for the word FEAR.
F – False
E – Expectations
A - Appearing
R – Real

Now, to conquer fear, you must first psyche yourself, as everything starts in the mind. As the saying goes, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Educate yourself about the subject matter that you fear. Understanding the most you can about the subject will instantly reduce the fear. Knowing how to handle the situation will help a lot. Finding someone who have more knowledge and experience on the subject matter would definitely help.
And finally and the most important of all, is to TRY!
Apply the things you learned about the subject matter and put them to the test.
You won’t achieve anything if you just know how but doesn’t apply the knowledge.
Do you think we would enjoy the things we have today if the great inventors and people did not try or test their ideas?
Do you think we would have the ability to fly today if Orville & Wilbur Wright were afraid of what people would say to them and did not tested their ideas?
Do you think we would have electricity today if Benjamin Franklin was afraid that people might laugh at him for flying a kite during a storm?
- Or if they are afraid of bankruptcy to fund their research? - Probably not.
Or do you think Michael Jordan would be one of the best basketball players of our times if he was afraid to take a shot and miss? I don’t think so!

So what is my point? My point is, it is best to try. The best way to overcome fear is to try to overcome it. Does that make sense? To me it does.

Let me put it this way, why do some people don’t know how to ride a bike?
It is because they never actually try to learn to ride a bike. Or if they tried, they probably quit too soon before they learned but that’s seldom the case.
So what is the reason they did not try to learn in the first place? It is because of their fear of falling.
Their fear of falling is much greater than the excitement of learning to ride a bike.
That fear of falling terrifies them to get on a bike and try. Again FEAR (False Expectation Appearing Real). They perceived in their mind that they will fall if they get on the bike and try. And I’m sure they will. No one learn to ride that did not really experience a fall. Even expert bikers experiences falls once in a while.
But for these people, the fear of falling is too much. They perceived in their mind that they will fall and will never learn. So that’s what really happened, they never learned. But those who learned would tell you that it is quite easy. A few falls but once you get the hang of it, you will never have to worry. It will be instinctive; you never have to think of it, as if it was always in you, a second nature. You will never forget how, even if you never done it for long time.

The difference is FEAR. Fear overcame them instead of the other way around. Their fear is so great that it became so real for them and actually shuts the idea of learning to ride. They further justified that fear and tells people that they did not really want to ride or they don’t need to learn it anyway. But deep inside they really want to ride, their envious of those who can. Well that’s the cost of their fear. They let their fear win.

Fear will always be there, especially when you’re learning the first time. But don’t let fear overcome the fun of the learning process. Expect failures when you are trying to do something, because you will learn from those failures the most important lessons you will have in life.

No one became expert the first time. They have experienced many failures before they came to where they are.
Don’t let the fear of failing surmounts your dreams. Those that never succeed are those who never really tried. They just took their fears and made them their reality.

To be completed and edited.....

No comments:

Post a Comment