Isolation does strange things to a person's mind. This is true for any social
creature, human or otherwise. Monkeys taken from their mothers at birth,
placed alone in stainless-steel chambers, and deprived of contact with other
animals (human and subhuman alike, according to the researchers), develop
irreversible mental illnesses. As one of the experts in this field, Harry
Harlow, put it: "sufficiently severe and enduring social isolation reduces these
animals to a social-emotional level in which the primary social responsiveness is
fear."
If we really aren't that different from the rest of creation then I believe one of the main reasons we as a society and individuals are so afraid is that we have become more isolated than ever before. We have high-tech security systems to keep people out. We have locks on our doors to protect our stuff. We prefer to e-mail or chat with someone online rather than to be face to face. We have terror alerts to keep us on alert. We are afraid of rural settings especially the forest because of the impending danger or chance we may get lost.
I can not imagine the people who lived on this land 500 years ago ever being a culture of fear. There was too much interconnectedness with each other and with creation to live in fear. We have much to learn and much to unlearn. Our society depends on it.
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