Morals, Ethics, Survival

by Johnny Gunn

Writing about the human condition is one of my favorite forms of past time, and yet, I never quite reach any conclusions. What is it that makes the human being so different from the other members of the animal kingdom? I have decided that it’s a desire to be better than others, to be superior, and to provoke those around, proving that superiority, that separates man from raccoon, man from camel, man from all others in the kingdom. To reach this level of superiority, first man had to prove himself superior to the rest of the animals, then to others around him, and finally to himself. The best way to prove this was to create an image in which he was superior.

Other animals rarely create images of themselves from which other animals must be judged. Raccoons are quite satisfied being raccoons, and probably never give a thought to being superior to a field mouse or jungle lion. Man must be something other than just a human animal; that’s the separation. Thus, he creates morals, and to enforce those morals, he creates gods.

But, it’s this desire to be different that has created the morals, not a desire to be moralistically pure. Before he created the concept of morals, the concept of moralistically pure didn’t exist, so he only came up with the idea to prove to himself that he was better than the other animals around him. Again, would the raccoon care? When an animal is born, regardless of its species, it only knows warm, cold, wet, dry, hungry, full, and each within its species has triggers to bring on knowledge brought down generation to generation within that species. First and foremost, to suckle, and if there are more newborn than their are nipples, to fight for one.

Is this greed? Is this selfish? Each of those words was created by man to prove himself superior. Greed, Selfishness are not natural phenomena, rather, what we saw in the youngster facing a shortage of nipples is simply survival. Most of the concerns we read about today, particularly dealing with politicians, with business leaders, with drivers, or the lady bringing 12 items through the 10 items or less checkout, have nothing to do with ethics, with personal morals, or any other natural human trait, but rather, have to do with natural animal traits. To be first ensures a nipple.

We want to be first because first gets the most food, gets the first shot at copulation, gets to work first, wins the event. It’s not selfish, because selfish is a learned ethic. It isn’t greed for the same reason. Dogs fight over bones, deer fight over does, humans fight over parking places. A senator isn’t ethically challenged as much as he is animalistically pure when he accepts payment for his vote. This will get him in the line for food, for clothing, for warmth ahead of others fighting the same fight.

It is the creation of morals that separates man from other animals, and since it’s a natural trait to be first in line at the nipple, it’s the creation of ethics that allows man to feel superior, that is, first in line for lunch. Animals other than man don’t have a sense of wrong or right, of good or bad, only the sense that if there are three animals and only enough food for two there’s going to be one hell of a fight. If there are two cows and three bulls, the earth will tremble. Man can look with disdain on his fellow members of the animal kingdom, swear he is king of the jungle, but he is only being an animal in doing so.

In all aspects of life within this animal kingdom, the desire to survive ranks right alongside the desire to procreate, and it’s only within the human species that we put some kind of moralistic thinking to either, and within the human species, that is supposed to make us superior. We are taught from diapers on to share. Taught to not be selfish. Taught right from wrong, the problem being, those things that we think of as right and wrong were created by men eons ago, in what we look on as a selfish example of being superior. A circular equation if ever there was one.

Letters We Get

Editor, The Nevada Observe,

The crickets have arrived! Far as the eye can see, Mormon crickets. Big, huge ones. I saw two of 'em bulldog a jackrabbit to the ground, slap a cricket saddle on him, and ride off into the brush a-whippin' and a-spurrin'.

We have to keep an eye on some of the smaller kids at our school at recess time. Broke up a couple of cricket raiding parties last week.

If I'm lyin' I'm dyin'.

buckey

(Ed. Note: Buckey helps with our "Buzz Section" from his Battle Mountain retreat. Buy some seagulls, Buck old pard.)

•••

Hey John--

Another great issue! Gonna be interesting to see if the ACLU can keep the

Hansons from goin' to The Carson Arms Hotel. When the two of them buddy up

it gives me a little hope for the future.

Pal Hal

Don't fergit t'wipe yer boots before y'come inside.

(Ed. Note: My Pal Hal is Hal Swift, a member of the Cowboy Poets Hall of Fame. Between Buckey and Hall, I'm going to have to start talking funny, I guess.)

•••

Editor, The Nevada Observer,

"It is the soldier, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press.

"It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.

"It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate.

"It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."

(Ed. Note: The contributor of this wished to remain anonymous. I believe the thoughts were generated by a combination of national and international events, coupled with our editorial on petitioners being harassed and arrested in Nevada. We welcome your letters and comments.)