Internal Terrain

I've never lost sight of our animal ancestry. In fact, I define human consciousness as the makings of an animal who turned the evolutionary journey inward. 

Even in our most evolved moments of human functioning, there is a deeply embedded structuring to our experience that is entirely animalistic. The existential crisis, the search for identity... none of this is exempt.

Our entire life orientation mimics that of an animal finding safety in its environment. And, I'm not referring to our obvious quests for practical safety; I'm referring to the preservation of the core of who we are. It is "the self" that is now our nesting place amidst the dangers of the surrounding terrain.

No longer ruminating on the perimeter of the forest, where the bears go into hiding, or poisonous berries; we now ruminate on social safety. Memories of social embarrassment or punishment, perpetually circulate our minds like our lives depend on not reliving those experiences. They carry an emotional intensity that can only be likened to an animal recalling a predatory attack

Receiving social validation, or praise gives us a sigh of relief. Suddenly a moment is okay or "safe". We pave entire life paths around those things that provided us with validation. Not unlike an animal remaining constricted to an area that is ideal for survival.

And, if social safety is our dominant concern, it makes complete sense for thoughts to primarily be the internalization of the critical voices we have encountered. Thoughts have likely replaced some manner of environmental imagery/sounds that the animal mind is always accessing. 

To comprehend the astounding adaptability of the human brain has also shifted my respect for animal intelligence. To imagine even a fraction of our intellectual resources being invested in an animal's understanding of its surroundings is incredible. 

Lately, I've been theorizing on human intuition being the reverting to the animal sensory experience. As I sustain longer periods of stillness in my mind, I am gifted with stunning intuitive moments. They can only be summarized as the channeling of complex human processing back into dormant perceptive abilities.

I now conceptualize what separated us from the animal kingdom as humans having developed the necessary mental utilities to traverse internal landscapes. My hope is to reinvigorate a curiosity for the equally brilliant animal nature that lays untapped within us. 

- Samsara 

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