Accepting the Animal in You: The First Step to Becoming Civilized

Don’t be ashamed about your body needs!

Photo by Robert Stokoe from Pexels

“Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.” — Sigmund Freud

We all want to be civilized. We try to act in a socially acceptable way and meet the expectations of those around us. But what does it mean to be civilized? What are the steps we need to take for this to happen?

To become civilized, we must first accept the animal within us. We must also understand that humans are animals with basic instincts and needs.

Suppressing these instincts is counterproductive and will only lead to chaos. Once we accept our nature, we can begin working on becoming civilized.

Wired For Survival

Human beings, as well as other animals, are wired for survival. What does that mean?

It means that we have basic instincts that are necessary for our survival. These instincts drive us to do things like eat, sleep, and procreate. They also make us territorial and protective of what is ours.

All these instincts are normal and okay. We should not fe…