The Beat of the Jungle

We as a species were able to survive because we could attack, run, or hide from our aggressors. Those primitive instincts are still in us, and will always be in us. You can see them very clearly in young children who have not yet learned other coping mechanisms for survival.

In our civilized world, we operate by different principles, by rational, logical rules that get things done. However, in situations where emotions come into play, the jungle comes back. We find ourselves viciously defending an attack to our ego, or shying away from someone who may not like us, or hiding our real feelings for fear they won't be accepted. The same defenses that served us so well in the jungle spring into play in our relationships. However, it is no longer our lives that are at stake - it is our ego, our need to be loved, or to be right, or to feel safe. It is rare in our world that our lives are threatened by another human being, yet we react with all to an insult with the instincts of the jungle - our hair is on end, our claws are out, teeth are set, and we are fall back into the instinctual mode of attack, defend, and hide.

Despite appearances to the contrary, there is a clear and present danger that at any point, a civilized group of people can fall to the beat of the jungle, reacting as if their lives were at stake rather than their egos. The reaction is out of proportion to the stimulus.

Some people are better than others at resisting the jungle, but very few totally escape its pull. Even the most practiced meditator, when faced with a sudden threat, will feel a rush of adrenalyn, preparing them for fight or flight.

So, when people start to get triggered in a group, listen for the beat of the jungle. Detect that primitive instinct within us - the faster heartbeat, the sweating, the nervousness, the instinct to attack/defend/hide. When we are not aware, we can all too easily fall victim to its primitive beat.