Fear

Trail running has many advantages aside from the natural health benefits. For example, when I run with my Border collie Sherry, I often, in my mind, outline my ideas for a post. On this particular 10 mile trail run, the subject of fear came to mind.

Homo sapiens have been around for about 70,000 years and our biological beginnings have not changed. We are born helpless, dependent, and fragile. We cannot exist independently. We can’t speak; grasp things with our hands; have indiscriminate vision; have no muscle mass; are unable to locomote; nor able to use our prefrontal cortex effectively. We are unable to protect ourselves from heat or cold. Essentially, we are born fearful, needy and autistic in our early development. We rely on our caretakers. However, in our amygdala, fear is registered. Emotional fear is with us until we pass and that is certain.

Just think, back in the day, of a few natural dangers like wind, fire, rain, cold, heat, and the large meat eating animals looking to satisfy hunger. These elements certainly gave ancient man reasons to be fearful within his environment.  About 70,000 years ago culture started to be formed; and about 12,000 years ago the agricultural revolution began the evolution that resulted in producing more intelligent people.

Man in an attempt to deal more effectively with the hazardous environment, reduced his fear by creating  multiple gods , along with various rituals like sacrificing animals or humans to pacify the angry God’s. Then came the  Greeks who  depicted  numerous  fearful ,powerful  Gods like Apollo - who could be cruel and destructive; Hades  -of the underworld and dead;   Hera –driven by jealousy and vengefulness ; Hermes-he protected livestock ; Poseidon, the goddess  pertaining to floods ,droughts and earthquakes; Ares, the God of war, bloodshed and violence;  Zeus , King of the gods ,weather, thunder, lightning to name a few. The Hebrews followed and simplified the ideas of deity’s and settled on one God. This God was a masculine like father who laid out rules for man’s behavior and could protect this small insignificant tribe.  Man required protection from fellow man. How has that worked out? Now, one can argue that we have become like Gods. We’re in the process of “taming” nature and on our way in polluting and destroying our planet as we know it.

To Be Continued