Desmond Morris was very interesting in his series and book ‘Man Watching’ because he looked behind what we do, to put it into the context of what all animals do. And modern science has begun to show us how richly our actions are determined by glands excreting hormones in our bodies prior too reason getting involved. It is not even emotion, it is just instinct, something that religious people do not like to think about when it comes to humanity.
The ideas interest me because I have always been slightly enticed by the ideas of the psychology of history; that says, in the main, events happen because of our influence as much if not more than we are influenced by events. Human events. Someone once said that great leaders are those who do what the people want without the people realising it. It is akin to a collective will, which resonates with religious people at the point of mediation and prayer.
But whilst we all run around trying to make a name, trying to ‘be’ someone, longing for a home, looking for a mate, chasing status amongst each other and family, filling our minds with other people’s thoughts selected for us in other people’s books and on-line, I wonder how much all this activity is hormones, how much is instinct and how much is purely rational?
After all countries and governments only exist because we have a need for leaders and borders that is purely instinctive.