“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which they never show to anybody.” ― Mark Twain
When viewing our lives as a concept, most of us just go through the motions.
We don’t question our experiences of reality, nor do we acknowledge the drivers behind our decision-making.
And although there’s nothing wrong with this, I think one can learn a great deal about how this world works just by analyzing why they do the things that they do.
In order to do this, one must stop drifting through life and start looking within themselves.
A series of unfortunate events led to intense self-reflection, and through my own introspection, I was able to discover something about myself that is applicable to all people.
Over time, I learned and internalized the fact that we are all animals.
Yeah, that’s right.
According to Paul MacLean, a renowned neuroscientist, our brains have gone through three different stages of evolutionary development.
The basal ganglia, or our reptilian brain, is the oldest and first stage to develop, meaning that this region is the backbone of our mental states.
So why is this relevant?
You’re probably thinking right now.
The main function of our reptilian brain is to monitor our self-preserving behavior so that we can survive and produce offspring.
By looking out for our survival, it causes us to act selfish and individualistic.
Although there’s nothing wrong with looking out for oneself, overloading this impulse can lead to certain vices like greed, hatred, and betrayal.
Because this part of our brains has a large influence on our decision-making, phrases like “it’s a dog-eat-dog world” start making more sense.
No matter how good or altruistic we think we are, it’s impossible for one to not have any vices.
Whether we like it or not, we all have a dark shadow behind the masks that we wear.
Now on one side, there are people who are aware of their shadows, and on the other side, there are people who aren’t.
The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of this dark shadow to those who don’t know about it.
The more aware we are of our shadows, the less chaos this world will have.
Although there are bad people in this world, vices can always be balanced out with virtues.
But in order for such a big change to happen, it has to start at the individual level.
It has to start with you.
Instead of greed, hatred, and betrayal.
Generosity, Love, and Loyalty.
JL