Hard-wired

As human beings, we display a curious dichotomy about wanting to belong and wanting to stand out. We would like to believe that we are autonomous beings with individual tastes, unique likes and dislikes. Yet, we shy away from truly outlandish tastes. Whilst we crave to make our stand as individuals, we would not want to be singled out as different. This is best exemplified by the rebellious youth. Almost all teenagers, rebel in the same way. Punk, Goth, skaters, cheerios, geeks, whatever they call themselves, even the loners have cliques where the fit in and belong. The truth is simple and complicated. It lies in our genetic make-up and the lesson of millions of years of evolution is that there is safety in numbers. So we flock, just as bird do, gather in schools just as fish do, run in herds like buffalo and just like wolves, we hunt in packs. Our intelligence tells us that there is no harm in being alone. Yet there is still that yearning to belong, that need for acceptance and approval, that fear of isolation and abandoment. The survival instinct buried in our DNA is mostly responsible for this response. Francis Bacon said, "I think, therefore I am." He is right, but only in part. Our thought process are controlled largely by our senses. Our senses can be fooled. In fact, everyday, in many different ways, our senses are deceived and entranced sometimes to our detriment, sometimes for the benefit of others.I just watched a documentary on the psychology of consumer buying. The oddest things influence our simplest decisions. Succesful manufacturers actually pay attention to seemingly irrelevant and absolutely far-fetched aspects. Like the vacumn cleaner manufacturer that has hired an expert to fine tune the sound a vacumn cleaner makes or the hotelier that has an expert who spent weeks designing a unique scent for their chain of hotels. It seems crazy and utterly pointles, but it only takes a minute of reflection to realise that it isn't so random. The truth, we are led by our senses and our thought processes are very instinctive. Sensory triggers are powerful and unavoidable. My parents have spent years talking about the unforgettable taste of home-cooking or the unbeatable taste of street food that they haven't been able to re-discover. For me personally, the smell of my mother's pasta sauce has always been a source of comfort and there is nothing that stimulates my appetite more thoroughly than a mere whiff of vanilla. Once you objectively analyse your decision making process, many will find that it is a mere rationalisation of our instintive response. Obi Wan Kenobi was right when he said that 'many of the truths we cling to depend largely on our point of view.' Our minds are powerful and largely unexplored, and therefore remains unexplained. It is a little disconcerting to realise that my thoughts can be manipulated in such subtle ways. I would like to believe that I make my own decisions; that no one and nothing could influence my decision making process. The truth is rather less favourable. While being aware that such manipulations exist may make me less suceptible, I think the process of 'push button A, get response B' is hard-wired enough into my psyche that you will get response B eventhough I know you're pushing button A. How goes it with you? Just Me.