The W Files 3

For thousands of years our pre-historic ancestors headed out into the great outdoors with very little in the way of possessions. They were not doing this because it was a fun adventure, a way to commune with nature, or a stress reliever from the rigors of work. They did it out of necessity. Think of it, they had to enter a harsh, extreme, and highly dangerous environments, and on top of the mountain of stresses they encountered, they had to conduct their business: Hunting, foraging, gathering, seeking new territory, defending territory, raiding, etc... This repeated behavior went on for millennia, if you consider the evolutionary strands that came before us. Cities, civilizations, cultures- all are relatively recent additions to our development. We carry a brain that was molded by the pressures of the great outdoors, so we still have the ancient programs that our predecessors relied on to survive.

Now we have advanced economically to such a degree that venturing out in the wild is no longer necessary. A few still do it because of work. Even so, they're still surrounded by technology and the stability brought by the civilization matrix they're part of. We're all nicely encapsulated in a cocoon of socio-cultural stability maintained by our ability to use tools, commit violence, and manage our symbol-processing wetware. This doesn’t mean that those old hunter-gatherer programs went away. Quite the contrary, they’re still with us, and from time to time, some of us feel the need to activate them again.

I don't think we like to be reminded that we're still a primate species, imprinted and conditioned with animal urges and instincts. We consider ourselves civilized people, after all. Enlightened even. With a degree or two under our belts perhaps. So, it can be unsettling getting in touch with your monkey self and see the wiring underneath. Yet we're still wired and have a need to run those programs. We usually do so by hiding them in a thin veneer of respectability and culture. Sports and leisure activities like fishing and hiking are sure ways to get in touch with your inner mammal and investigate those delightful hunter-gatherer lobes of the brain.

Although I prefer to read books, analyze data, and process information, I'm not afraid to get on all fours. Cybernetic bio-feedback is my jam, but my nervous system still feels that need to go out there and explore to see what lies over the ridge, around the bend, and down the valley. To be on the edge of danger and violence. Venturing out in the wild has its pitfalls. Things can quickly turn on a dime. One minute you're admiring the pretty flowers, and the next you're wondering why your foot is facing the wrong way or why that bear doesn't want to cuddle. I ask myself, in a dire situation, how would I react? By freaking out, probably, which is why I like to activate those old caveman programs and understand their operation in a relatively safe manner. For me, a trail is a great neuro-particle collider where one can fire off synaptic signals and see how they react when they collide with the environment.

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Explore the W files

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