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For instance, when a man was attacked by a wild animal, he had to experience FEAR to flee from the animal, fight it with weapons or freeze on top of a tree till it moved away. The body accomplished this by putting on a burst of energy and high alertness to survive the situation.
When a group or tribe hunted, or gathered grain or fruit, they would experience ANGER if another tribe stole it from them. This too prepared the body to demonstrate power and authority by means of strength.
When a member of the tribe was lost to disease or in the hunt, the cavemen and women would feel SAD and MOURN. They would not venture out of their caves or hide as they would not have the energy to tackle threats. Drinking spoiled milk or eating rotten eggs has negative consequences for our welfare. The feeling of DISGUST, however, helps us immediately take action by not consuming them or by vomiting them out. This response aids in our survival and allows us to act immediately without much thinking. Emotions evolved so that we can act without that depth of thinking.
Gradually, as civilisation developed, there was no threat from the wild, and humans lived in relatively safe habitats which gave them more time and energy to interact with each other, connect, establish roles and integrity for more efficient functioning as a society, and consequentially a comfortable way of living.
Societies turned into villages, empires and eventually, nations. It is by communicating to take collective decisions, believe together and act together that the human race became a successful species.
But in today’s world, where most of us are safe from the dangers of the wilderness and have an efficient society that functions, our survival is ensured by contributing to the society through the work we do. Also, We look at life from not only survival mode but also to live happily and experience the beauty of life.
