As a caveat, I’m not telling people to express their dark side, but learn to embrace it, understand it. Until you do, there is no morality.
B.F Skinner proved that human beings are nothing more than animals. The causes of your behaviours are no different from that of a dog, a rat or a pigeon. That’s a tough pill to swallow. Skinner did experiments on animals in a lab in order to understand us. Skinner would mess with your brain.
Carl Jung, that man loved to mess with the mind. Jung described what he called the “Shadow” – the dark side of man. The evil that is within us all that we choose to hide and ignore. It’s that animal side of us. We only see the good side of ourselves – because we are constantly reminded of just how evil we are. There is no animal on the face of this planet more dangerous than a human being – homo sapien – the hairless ape. Why are we so dangerous? We call dogs dangerous – but we are worse.
What is morality? Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. Yet, we know about our behaviour – but not about its’ causes. Jonathan Edwards.
Our dogs are a reflection of us. When we see our dogs show aggression or reactivity – that’s your dog showing their dark side – their shadow — the evil that is within them. Yes, some dogs have the capacity to kill cause that shadow has roots all the way to hell – that’s Jung – I’ll get into it. It scares us because we don’t understand the animal that we are – we don’t want to accept that we are animals. Our very nature is dangerous. Nor do we want to understand our own shadow – our dark side. What you are bearing witness to is a reflection of the animal that you are.
Can you really be “moral” if you don’t understand the complete person that you are? Can you really be moral if you don’t understand the bad that you’re capable of. If all you know is your good side? We are all monsters in waiting but we self manage.
There are times that we have gotten angry – really angry. It’s like Jeckyl and Hyde, you become a person that you didn’t recognize – where did that person come from? You likely said or did things that you wouldn’t ordinarily do when you’re in a calm state. I like to listen to people when they are angry – because that’s when the truth as they believe it comes out. You meant what you said – you just didn’t mean to say it. People have killed others in a fit of rage – we call them crimes of passion. And didn’t realize they did it – they didn’t mean to – but they have the rest of their life to think about it. So why are we as humans calling dogs dangerous?
There is nothing more dangerous on this planet than the human animal. I dare anyone to debunk that. As a species, we are a special kind of evil. For proof of that – look at Nazi Germany and the outcome.
Why don’t you recognize that angry person that you became? It’s a part of you – it’s who you are. It’s like having a split personality – the dark side. Again – Jekyl and Hyde.
That is what Carl Jung would call your shadow – your dark side that you’ve suppressed – hidden from self – instead of understanding. This is the very reason why people cannot understand their dogs aggression – you don’t understand the animal that they are. People today cannot embrace their animal side, they try to ignore it – put a mask on it. But it’s always there under the surface. Comes out in times of trauma, anger, punishment – sort of like that split personality.
Lets get into the dark side of humans – and the dark side of humanity. Humans have a shadow – and so does society. We need to dig deep into psychology to understand ourselves – and why we fear our dogs. Why we control our dogs, why we cage our dogs for their own safety. There is a reason for it all. Your dog is in fact a reflection of the animal that you are – your own shadow – a reminder of your own dark side.
Man fears that which he does not understand – if he can’t control it – he destroys it. Makes sense doesn’t it? Why do we fear our dogs? Could it be that we don’t understand the animal that the dog is?
What kind of bad do you think you are capable of as a human being? Just how evil could you be? You don’t want to know – do you? That terrifies you – doesn’t it? Those dark thoughts that go through your mind?
People join the military for several reasons. It could be carrying on the family tradition – it’s the expectation. Others have nowhere else to turn, nothing else to do. Others however – they want a legal means if killing – to actually explore that dark side that we all have. In society, they can self-manage the monster that they really are. In reality, we all have evil inside of us – some to a higher degree than others. And that dark side scares us – what are we really capable of doing if we are unleashed with no rules or boundaries. Isn’t that a terrifying prospect?
Lets go back to Nazi Germany for great examples. Ordinary people wanted a legal means to kill. Farmers, bakers, accountants, business owners etc – digging through church records trying to find the proof that allows them to join with the Nazi’s. People shooting each other in the streets. Family killing family. Demographics were turned into slaves and worked to death. This is what humans are fully capable of – but you hide from it. We don’t want to bear witness to it – we don’t want to admit it. It’s shameful – but all it takes is anger or fear – fight or flight to bring it out.
We are force fed our dark side. We watch movies about war, murder, holocaust, slavery etc – it’s the constant reminders. But I remember watching Hotel Rwanda and the reporter saying she’ll bring truth to the people of the USA. But the people would watch the news, say that’s terrible and go back to eating supper. Deep down inside, it scares you. And it’s always so abstract when war is on someone elses’ doorstep.
This is part of what we call rationalization – we rationalize away many of our own fears. We rationalize away more that we realize. The dog doesn’t rationalize that well – they are very honest about their emotions and intentions.
Skinner and Jung knew society was going to go down a dark path – and the reason for it is free will. We believe we have free will. Why? Because we are supposed to be created in a God’s image with the freedom to believe in him. We have free will to believe in a god, to worship a god. But animals are something different, we elevate ourselves above animals. We are rulers over the animal kingdom? No, we aren’t – and we aren’t doing a very good job being the shepherds of the animal world. This is reality.
Jung would say that the root of your shadow go all the way to hell – it’s more of a personal hell. You are as far as you can get from the good side of you – you are in the deepest depths of your shadow. Now think about all the Nazis killing others.
I read much about Psychology over the last 30 years – and I know full well what I’m capable of. I know full well of what my dark side is capable of. But the fact that I know that I an many others are a beast inside – it allows me to control it. I’m not out expressing my shadow, it’s self management of behaviours.
We need to embrace our animal, understand the animal that we are before it’s too late. Skinner and Jung knew that society is going to destroy itself based on denial of being an animal, denying our very animal nature. And I’m watching it live and in color.