Don’t Do What Comes Naturally
“The essence of morality is the subjugation of nature in obedience of social needs.”
(John Morley)
What comes naturally for us Homo Sapiens sometimes makes us animals; what natural urges we’re able to manage and master make us human.
For example:
- it’s natural to scream at people, in an effort to establish dominance over others, but learning to calmly represent yourself in times of stress establishes you as an authority over yourself (and makes you much more influential)
- It’s natural for a male to seek multiple body mates to propagate the species, but learning to mate with one body and spirit for life turns a male into a man
- it’s natural to cower around those with outward physical, financial, political, or religious superiority, but learning to think of yourself as an equal to any helps you stop comparing and start having more compassion for everyone
Peace begins with pause,