I've talked with people who are absolutely horrified by the thought that they might be an animal. So horrified they won't even consider it. All you have to do is look at a cat stretch, and remember how it feels to stretch out yourself, to see the commonality. Or to watch a cat or dog savor a scent- as we do ourselves. All our abstract constructs- our language, our society, our manners- are built on top of the solid foundation of our animal natures. If we could just talk about that, we'd have a much easier time dealing with it. I know that I evolved from animals that needed to eat all the fats and sugars they found in the wild, because fats and sugars in nature are few and far between- and I know that my evolution to favor fats and sugars covered a vast period of time, and is in danger of overwhelming me since I live in a rare time of plenty that I am not really adapted to. When I am in the grocery store I think about that. It helps me avoiding buying to many fats and sugars, even if I may crave them. But if I didn't think about it, and understand the problem, I might give in to my cravings.
I love my animal nature. I love the smell of good things, and the taste of good things, and the feel of good things. Our senses, especially in this time of so much luxury, are something we should revel in. I've never understood the virtue in denial. Obviously religions use denial as a control tool- a guilty person is easier to control- but I've never understood why a thinking person would buy into that, which is why I'm immune to all but the most easy going religions. |
