E The Holistic View 137
at the object of their interest. The movie 2001: A Space Odyssey
provides a perfect example of this in the opening scene, where the
primates are obsessed with the obelisk. Any thought of self comes
after “What the heck is this?” Or in the case of males, “Should I
kill, eat, or breed this?”
In males, the predisposition toward action as part of satisfying
curiosity keeps us externally focused, often without concept of self
or personal limitations. As part of our “people watching” for this
book, we looked at little boys and girls on vacation with their par-
ents in Estes Park, Colorado. This may not be a statistically valid
assertion, but based on our observations, it sure is obvious: Little
boys run onto things and into things and around things with reckless
abandon. Little girls almost never do that. This is likely a response
to high testosterone doses in the womb. I think that this natural
inclination for action has served males primates well from an evo-
lutionary point of view. The weaker male can pass his genes on to
the object of his affection without regard for survival of the self if
he acts more quickly. The alpha need not fear harm and can pass
his genes without regard for personal injury. One has only to know
a male child in his late teens to see this ape behavior in action.
Fear
Energy high, direction sharp, focus external.
If interest causes us to override our natural instincts to pull
back, fear is the sudden reminder that we must do it. Fear arouses
tremendous energy in preparation for action. When I was 8, I was
trick-or-treating with my 4-year-old brother, my 6-year-old sister,