Charissa’s Comments (group member since Nov 17, 2008)

Charissa’s comments from the Axis Mundi X group.

Sorry if I pushed a button Bun! Totally unintentional!

And many people put pressure on me to ignore and reason away my instincts. Our society is very uncomfortable with mammalian instincts. Women are pressured all the time to give up their maternal instincts in favor of behaving "reasonably". Unfortunately many of them do.

As a primarily intellectual person, who loved children already, I was startled to discover the extent to which mammalian urges compelled me to attend to my daughter. To the extent that while pregnant I was compelled to do weird things like organize my spice rack alphabetically. It's called "nesting". Or to avoid strong odors, such as glues or gasoline, which had never bothered me previous to that. Or after my daughter was born to ask my husband to teach me to use a shotgun so that I could protect her while he was away on the road. Prior to that I was a committed pacifist and definitely anti-gun.

Seriously... those are instincts. No reason was involved in the making of that film.

Instinct
n.
1. An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli: the spawning instinct in salmon; altruistic instincts in social animals.
2. A powerful motivation or impulse.
3. An innate capability or aptitude: an instinct for tact and diplomacy.

I can say from experience that the maternal instinct does exist. It is quite different and stronger than the normal feelings a person has to take care of children.

when a mother stops protecting her child from: abuse, sexual molestation, etc... it's my observation that she has reasoned herself out of following her natural instincts. Unfortunately it happens a lot.

I do think we have traded our animal instincts for higher cognitive functions. I have observed on many occasions that the more intelligent someone is, the less connected they seem to be to their more primitive instincts. It can be a problem, especially when it comes to raising children. It's a bad situation when you can reason yourself out of a natural instinct to protect a child.

that was true about breast feeding as well. I totally had to learn how... and so did my daughter. It seemed so humiliating that it didn't come completely easily. In fact, it took days and it was very difficult to learn.

I'm not familiar with Lamarck... 'splain?

very Darwinian, Servius.

and apparently tongues.

I didn't say you were my grandfather! You're way too young for that. And alive.

They make great cheese in Iceland. Although, Irish cheese is still my favorite.

Larry you sound like my grandfather.

I prefer cheddar or stilton boobies, myself.

wait, cheese, velvet and boobies all at once??? :::::dies::::: ::: goes to heaven::::: ::::comes back to life just so she can enjoy it all again:::::

which is why I always loved Ren Faire. : )

ah the freak circus convention circuit. It's the only group of people more loony than Ren Faire people. : )

:::::runs away screaming and hides::::

duh, silly. It's just funny to hear you say Dude. Like some surfer. Heeee.

heeee... Larry just called me Dude. heeeeee!

there's an episode of CSI where they go to a furry convention. Dude... whatever you do, don't watch it. You'll be scarred for life.