The Cosmic Joke

Somebody is goofing on us. Mankind is the pinnacle of evolution (so far). We are the masters of our domain. Yet, we are the quintessential example of non-selective breeding in a world obsessed with selective breeding.

Why?

Because men can't keep it in their pants and women can't help themselves. (Pretty much the same excuse but, somehow, women get to take the moral high ground on this one.) And no matter how carefully we plan, how well we are taught (or coached), no matter how many bad examples life throws in our paths, we still make bad choices. We know better. We may not have started out knowing better but by now we pretty much know the score.

Which got me to thinking. Why aren't we, by now, living in a Utopian society where each of us has our ideal mate, our children are guaranteed to be brilliant and beautiful, where sex is mutual, compatible and plentiful and where jealousy is merely a concept?

It is because we are blessed (or cursed) with two traits that have no business being together. Cognitive Reasoning and a Sex Drive. Simply put, we are so damn sure we can get laid on our own terms that we are constantly being blindsided by what's available.



The animal world does not have this problem. The males will hump anything and, when the bitches are in heat, pretty much the whole neighborhood shows up. Not that we don't know people like this but, then again, we aren't all blessed with the same amount of cognitive reasoning, either. Hell, dogs don't even need other dogs. They will hump your leg or a teddy bear with equal abandon.

On the flip side, a lot of people can't wait for their cognitive reasoning to kick in so that was why nightclubs and alcohol were invented. Also, in another soon to be well know internet fact, batteries were invented by a woman. War was invented by men to make themselves look good look so that they could get as many women as possible with as little discussion as possible.

In short, our Sex Drive will always trump our Cognitive Reasoning. Which is why, even though we may be at the pinnacle of evolution, we are definitely the results of non-selective breeding.

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Perception vs. Reality

When I was in sales, one of the first things I learned is that if a customer perceived they had a problem - I had a problem. It did not matter if my product was the cause of their problem, I needed to help them fix it.

Perception vs. reality is also a recurring theme in a lot of sci-fi and horror fiction. The Nightmare on Elm Street movies and Stephen King and Clive Barker novels are just a few examples. This idea lends itself well because, in this genre, it is easier to take a basic human condition and explore the extreme consequences of it.

An extreme psychological case of perception vs. reality would be found in a paranoid schizophrenic. They have a reality based upon things that are happening purely in their own minds. It is very real to them and every one else's normal actions and reactions are thusly misinterpreted.

A mild case of this condition would be jealousy. Or perhaps a transference of past experiences to present situations. This is always unfair to the recipient of this behavior and usually wrecks havoc with the relationship.

I have been thinking about all of this because I was listening to a newer version of an old song the other day and suddenly the very familiar lyrics smacked me upside the head. Suddenly I began to recognize this pattern of behavior in myself and in dear friends around me. When you finally get it, it tends to make you more considerate of others and less quick to over-react to things yourself.

The song is Norah Jones' version of Hank William's Cold, Cold Heart.

I've tried so hard, my dear, to show that you're my every dream
Yet you're afraid each thing I do is just some evil scheme
A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart?

Another love before my time made your heart sad and blue
And so my heart is payin' for things I didn't do
In anger, unkind words I say that make the teardrops start
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart?

Another love before my time made your heart sad and blue
And now I know your heart is shackled to a memory
The more I learn to care for you, the more we drift apart
Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold cold heart?



I would just like to add that we should all view the past as the past and that reality does taste a lot sweeter than perception. And that once you get it, you really, really do get it.

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