Let’s not beat around the bush. In general, humans are stupid animals. We like to think that we’re some elevated creature, but we still eat and poop and procreate just like every other dumb thing out there.

I always get amused, and often perturbed, when people start feeling proud about what I like to call the “defaults” (which includes eating and pooping and procreating). Respect me for this amazing thing I’ve done! Except, of course, that what you’ve done is default hard-wired behavior. Like walking. At the time it seems like a huge accomplishment, but in reality not walking is what would make you different. 

Now I’m not saying that watching a child take their first steps isn’t a cool experience. What I’m saying is that you have to be careful. You can to figure out what’s an accomplishment based on millions of years of evolution and what’s an accomplishment based on free will.

We see this all the time in our daily lives, don’t we? The guy who’s so proud that he got to work on time. Great, you’ve done the minimum, now what? I’ve been an aggresive driver and got somewhere faster! Whoopie. That’s your adrenal gland, not you, in control.

Perhaps even more frightening to me are those people who actually take pride in their stupidity, don’t-cha-know? By golly, I’ve never even opened a book! Reminds me of a great quote from Blazing Saddles: ”You’ve got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know … morons.”

It’s those who take pride in their ignorance who are the greatest risk to society. Their minds are so sealed shut that they are incapable of rational thought. When exactly did they decide to stop learning? I don’t know. Maybe kindergarden.

It takes real work to have an open mind and to allow yourself to experience new things. It’s not the default. And that’s the topic of my next post.