<div class="header-image"></div> <table class="table-header"> <thead> <tr> <th colspan="2"></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>2024-05-30</td> <td style="text-align: right;"><a href="About.md" class="internal-link">About</a></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> # Individualism and the Art of Not Caring  The above video illustrates a very important point. In the video there are 2 monkeys side by side in separate cages. The two monkeys (we'll call them monkey A and monkey B) are given a simple task and then rewarded equally by the technician. The monkeys are complacent. But when A is given a better reward than B, B gets angry and starts shaking the cage. It actually throws the inferior reward back at the technician. Joe Rogan has termed certain human traits as being a part of our "monkey-brain". I think male aggression is one of those traits. A base instinct to sniff out dangerous people and keep them away from family and the larger tribe. So getting into arguments that turn aggressively heated is the monkey-brain taking over. But an important part of being human is that we have developed the ability to rise above these baser instincts. We can recognise, in real time, when the monkey-brain is taking over and choose a different course of action. In the case of the two monkeys video, it demonstrates that a sense of fairness is instinctual, and doesn't have to be learned. We are born with it. So when we see someone getting something they don't deserve, *especially* when we see ourselves as more deserving and yet cannot also share that thing, it triggers our monkey-brains. We want to scream and point and make sure that *they* don't get something that *we* can't also have, and tell everyone that this person is *cheating!* Or that hey, I didn't get my fair share, they got more than I did, I'm being *cheated!* People who get caught up in this sort of thing tend to look for unfairness and injustice constantly. Rather than just trying to get ahead, they try to make sure *other people* aren't getting further than they should. This is letting yourself be controlled by your monkey-brain, just as any dude is by letting his anger get the best of him in a confrontation and resorting to physical violence instead of speaking calmly, or choosing to walk away. But a fundamental aspect of being human is that we can rise above our programming. Unlike the monkeys, we are not bound by our evolutionary instincts. We don't have to care about people unfairly getting ahead. Because it really doesn't matter. What matters is how am *I* going to get ahead. What's my plan for bettering *myself*. I don't need to worry about others; I've got enough on my plate. If someone else gets lucky and gets ahead undeservedly, well good for them. I would be in the same position I am now *regardless of that person's good fortune*. Even if he cheated to get ahead, I would still be in the same place. So really, why worry about it? This is the real heart of individualism. It's the right to mind my own business, and not worry about other people's pet causes. If I just want to be left alone, I have the right to be left alone. Now if I see an injustice done in the world, it is also a very human trait to want to help in some way. We feel empathy. I believe this is also part of our monkey-brain taking over. We want to help those in our tribe, because if our tribe is strong, *we also* are strong. This is a part of our evolution that we should choose to nurture. But we also have to recognise that different people are going to place higher importance on different causes. And I can't expect that everyone will fall in line with what *I* consider to be the more important cause. In fact, I must accept that some people are just not going to care about my cause, and ignore it. Moreover, *it's fine*. I'm also quite sure that there are plenty of causes that some people think are of dire importance that I couldn't care less about. And that's okay too. I'll be here fighting for my <u>Very Important Cause™</u> and you can be over there fighting for yours. We can all exist together. *It's fine.* This is such a simple and intuitive concept. Yet be the person who walks away from this week's <u>Very Important Cause™</u> of social media, and you will find out just how quickly and furiously people can let their monkey-brains take over.  The above image is a still from a video taken in August of 2020. Most of the people yelling in this image were, just a few weeks previously, adamant that social distancing was of utmost importance. This was still the public health advice from the CDC, with the pandemic very much in swing and no vaccines as of yet. Large crowds of over 50 were still prohibited in much of the country (including DC), and in Canada too. I only say this to point out how very fragile social media <u>Very Important Causes™</u> usually are, and it's understandable that some people may not wish to jump on every social justice bandwagon. It may just get discarded like so many pink pussy-hats. The woman in the video was just trying to have a quiet lunch with a friend, which, at the time, was difficult to do, seeing as indoor dining was still prohibited, and tables remained spaced apart to comply with social distancing mandates. It was a rare reprieve from the ugliness of the pandemic. She had every right to her peaceful lunch, and to ignore the madness of others' causes being crammed down her throat. Likewise, when climate activists block roadways, they are forcing their cause onto people who are just trying to get to work. These are taxpaying people who pay for that road to be built. They have every right to use it. There is no reason to keep people from going to work to "bring awareness" to your cause. There is no reason to inconvenience others in this way. You might think that your cause is more important than the needs of other people, but it absolutely *is not*, and it's utterly narcissistic to think it is. However, it's also worthwhile to point out that sometimes we will all be witness to narcissistic climate protesters, or BLM mobs, or Christian abortion protesters, or people stealing from stores, or just that guy who never does any work but never seems to get any sort of reprimand. Just let those people do what they're going to do. Don't worry about them. Life is too short to waste that sort of time and energy.[^1] It can sometimes be difficult, especially in situations where you are impeded from doing day to day activities, but in the end it won't help in the immediate situation, and can only invite more trouble. > [^1]: Since the time of writing, two climate activists have been shot in Panama for blocking a roadway. This is a very extreme example of what I'm writing about here. Don't get caught up in what's wrong with the world, or other people. It's best to make yourself into a better person who gets along with everyone, and inspire others to do the same. No one wants to be with someone who complains about everything, and only sees the worst in people and the world. That person just makes people frustrated and depressed. No one likes a Debbie Downer.