The animal called Human part 1

In my previous posts I've written endless lines about how most of our kind think of itself of something more than an average animal. Yes, we do have more complex thinking and self awareness, but that doesn't make us more distant from the world around us. Our crafting and social skills is the factor that's keeping us alive in this modern world. Being in this society makes us feel safe, comfortable, happy and so on. But is this entirely true?

Every day I have to use the subway train to go to the university. Every day I meet different, in look, but same in behavior people. We (mostly I) stare at each other for about 20-30 mins and then we part. Staring is like a contest. The winner gets the more self-confidence, the loser turns head aside in discomfort and awkwardness. I like to play this game. First I choose a victim, then the show begins. What its really amazing about this simple social contact is how rarely someone actually plays along. I've been doing this for about an year now, almost everyday I can hardly count more than 10 people who actually stared at me while I stared at them. And even fewer actually won. This is an absolute example of how a kind of natural selection works in our society. The weak look away almost immediately, but the strong stare to the point of the awkward moment, when both slim their sight calm and slowly. This is so primal! There are 1.5 million people in this damn city, and there are hundreds that use the subway every minute. If you take 10 or 12 of them in your sight range and start the so called game, you will find that 90% of those PEOPLE are actually nothing more than a shy, weak stack of meat. What makes the rest of them/us? Better humans? Well, of course not. Sadly the strength of one in a staring contest is not a critical factor in one's social place and potential to be better than all. But more or less it is a factor.

So what can we make of all this? Aside of our potentials to be a perfect human, one who cant win a simple staring contest receives a minus point in social hierarchy.

It may look stupid, but this is an actual part of battles between animals. Rivaling carnivores can stare at each other for hours, until the weak surrenders and leaves. The other gets the territory/female/food or whatever. That is most commonly sighted among the feline species. Sometimes, the staring is followed with noises, but the principle is the same. We are animals.

Our most common reaction, however to this staring, is aggression. You stare at somebody in a bar, he stares back, this keeps up for a few moments and one of both gets nerves and that leads to aggression. But in a subway, this is less likely to happen, because there is no one you want to demonstrate your power to. Of course I do this little game for my self amusement, not to empress someone. But in a bar, or another social gathering a demonstration of this degree can give one a deserved attention, respect, fear of him, and the attraction for partner. Sooo animalistic don't you think?

That's it for today. In my next post I will cover some examples of how the humans, the great humans, are actually sometimes frightened little, two legged critters.