primal nature
I started this post a couple weeks ago, but due to illness and other matters, was unable to complete it at this time. Now that those are behind me, I should be back to posting more regularly than the last month or two.
Last week as I was thinking, one of the things I spent some time thinking about was my nature – what is primal to me, if there are things that are so ingrained in my character, or everyday expression of myself in the world that on some level they are inseparable from who I am. As is frequently the case with most questions of great importance, the answer is both yes and no, and both are true. Let me explain.
Though this begins with a brief philosophical discussion, it’s not going to stay that way. There are actually two sources of primal nature for humans – what we choose to make essential to ourselves, and what society has made essential to us. Whether or not we realize it at a conscious level, we are influenced by the culture we grow up in. I grew up largely in the midwestern U.S., and as such, I have certain mannerisms, a speech accent, and a vocabulary that reflects that upbringing. While these things are primal to my nature in this lifetime, I want to go deeper than that.
Despite them being primal to my nature, that’s not the really interesting part to me. When I think of something primal, I think of something that evokes a strong, immediate response, good or bad. Things that people are passionate about evoke primal responses – art, political issues, religion, environmental issues – these are some of the common issues that evoke primal responses. But passions aren’t just about common issues. Some people are passionate about gardening, oir bird watching, or sports, or shopping, or fashion or – insert whatever you’re passionate about here, the list is endless.
I believe it is our passions that make up our true primal nature. Yes, we are products of our environment, to an extent, but those things that evoke deep feelings in us, those are part of our primal nature. I have found that the number of things in my nature seem to have decreased, but I did rediscover one not too long ago. You see, part of my primal nature is in learning – that’s one of the things that gets me excited. Writing software that does something I’ve never done before – that’s something I really like doing. There are a few other things, but I won’t list them in the interest of space.
Our primal natureis tied to our happiness – our passions make us happy. This has to be a good thing. We are more than our passions – we are more than all the things in our lives, though they are reflections of us. They color our lives, bringing it meaning and vibrancy. There is a part of me that believes that we choose our passions, and there is another part that believes our passions choose us. Would I have chosen to be passionate about gardening, or learning? Honestly, no. But they seem integral to my soul – they, in part, define who I am, explain why I’ve made some of the decisions I’ve made.
I’m still figuring out what things are at the core of my life, and how I want to approach them. Perhaps this a process that is ongoing until the end of my life, I don’t know for sure. What I do know is, I have my passions, my primal nature, just like everyone else. What is in your primal nature?