Standing next to a 4-meter-tall-5-meter long catwalk wall, I saw a cat condescendingly walking along the top of the wall. Seeing me, the cat stopped; suspiciously looked at me as a source of threat. Now, he launched a 3-pronged drones: seeing, hearing and olfactory.
The confused cat put the bottom down; kept wagging his tail and winked inquisitively. At this time, instinct came to his aide and started processing the danger zone. The command: Do not cross!
Probably, in the past, we enjoyed the same privilege of letting someone else decide for us. However, the shut-down program, instinct, was replaced by another application, devised by population rather than supernaturals, called customs and traditions. In the meantime, we cannot completely rule out the presence of an obscure feeling called intuition?
Perhaps, evolution turned off instinct in some animals such horses, donkeys, cattle, sheep, poultry to pave the road for domestication and tuning their back to their much prized animal life. The outcome is obvious: to be subjugated by man. Otherwise a cow would not need to provide so much milk. The most disgraceful domestication is that of an elephant when receives circus training and perform such disgraceful actions. If wild animals could talk, they would shout out loud: 'Shame on you, elephant!' Of course, we can read the displeasure in the eyes of the elephant.
Now, we do know that some civilizations disappeared in the past such as Maya in Mesoamerica, Sumerians in Mesopotamia, or Persian in Middle East. They were defeated by another force equipped apparently with more practical beliefs. It is true that Persian Empire was destroyed by Arabs in 635 A.D. The ISIS of the time beheaded men and carried away their females and boys. Ctesiphon, the capital of Sassanid Empire, was looted, but, after all, not all Persians were annihilated. Life with the survived members, or the elephants, went on. It is true they converted to Islam, but they altered so drastically the structure of the belief that it came out quite opposite. In circus, the elephant trainer can not be proud of what he has done to an elephant!
The instinct in the elephant and the past belief of a defeated Persian are very similar. Instinct can die, but customs diehard.
Astonishingly, the ISIS of the past and present, born in smoldering deserts and used to worship idols and stones before converting to Islam still keep a crescent at the top of their places of worship or flags, Turkey etc. Isn't it cool to have the moon shine rather than the hot Sun God of Persians in the Sahara?
