The Instinct To Get Around Stuff

I seem to do a lot of “pondering” these days.  Sometimes I get SO deep in thought that this house might easily be renamed, the “Ponderosa.”  Anyway, a number of recent events made me begin to wonder what might be causing this world to be such a screwed up place.  So, I began a cursory review of what makes people tick, and why that ticking is more often than not, the sound of a time bomb ready to go off.

Psychologically speaking, there seem to be certain innate forces which make people behave in particular ways.  Sometimes these are called, “instincts.”  Freud said there were both life and death instincts.  But whether you concur with his categories or not, most psychologists seem to loosely agree with those in the following list:

-  The instinct to reproduce, to survive, to strive and compete, to be liked and accepted, to form groups, and to provide for the group‘s needs and protection.

Now, it’s obvious that each activity on the list can lead to positive and uplifting human behavior which makes society better.  But it’s also easy to imagine how some of them, (sex and competition, in particular), can morph into situations that end up destroying individuals and those around them.  After all, you only have to watch Jerry and Maury on daytime television to see that’s true.  No matter, I personally think the traditional “instincts” get far too much credit for creating the terrible condition in which the world finds itself.  And in my ponderings, I may have uncovered one that’s much less recognizable, but far more dangerous that the rest.

I call this instinct, “circumvoidance.”  I coined the word blending both “circumvention” and “avoidance” together.  In its simplest form, it means, “getting around stuff,” or “getting over on someone or something.” I think I first recognized it as a kid, when I used to spend time trying to block the paths of busy ants with a twig.  Each and every time I obstructed their way, they made an immediate direction change in order to continue to their desired destination.  It didn’t matter what I did.  They didn’t hesitate to change direction, go over or around, or employ evasive action for longer than I had the  patience to stand in their way.

People are no different.  We live in a structured society of rules and boundaries, a world with established “does” and “don’ts.”  And those limitations, no matter how benign or well intentioned, are just like a twig blocking our life path, and thwarting us from doing exactly what we WANT, right or wrong.  Circumvoidance, then, is as normal and spontaneous an instinct as breathing is in a physiological sense.  But its danger is that it colors our decisions each and every moment we’re awake.

So what does it mean?  In a simple sense, it’s when someone decides what he wants to do, then finds a way to do it regardless of all impediments.  In a negative sense it makes us all “bend” the rules, especially if we think we won’t get caught.  And it’s why we lie, cheat, and breach moral and ethical standards to reach our goals, however worthy or unworthy they might be.

Circumvoidance functions to make a mockery of laws, treating them as mere roadblocks around which we will steer if doing so satisfies our needs.  In the simplest sense, it’s the reason a Second Grader looks at his neighbor’s paper during a test, hoping to bring up his score by a few points.  It’s why citizens “adjust” the numbers when filling out forms, trying to reduce their tax liability or enhance social benefits.  It’s why folks cut into line at the checkout counter and tick everybody off.  And it’s the reason we all eat that extra dessert, then rationalize we’ll walk around the block an extra time to make up for it.  

In the most vile sense it’s why clerics molest kids within the walls of God‘s house, then rationalize they’ll be forgiven because their God is merciful.  And it’s why politicians find devious ways to begin undeclared wars, killing their citizens in the name of patriotism.  And it’s the reason that things like gun control bans will NEVER stop senseless killings.  Such legislation simply becomes like that pesky twig I mentioned.  And, when someone really wants you dead, they’ll smash your head in with a loaf of stale Italian bread when they can’t find a gun.

Circumvoidance, then, means there are no absolutes other than death itself.  And no matter how airtight a law or rule may seem, or how restrictive a given circumstance may appear, the impulse to get around it and reach a desired goal will never subside.  That’s what’s screwing up the world, in my opinion, and we all might as well get used to it.  It’s never going to change, because that’s how the human species is wired.

That’s what I think, and I’m sticking to it!  And I’ll bet if you disagree with my conclusion, you’ve already got an answer to get around it…… don’t you?