Having no natural affection

by Lady Lee 9 Replies latest jw friends

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  Lady Lee

  So what is this "natural affection" thing?

  Humans are supposed to have it.

  There is some debate about whether animals have it or we are just projecting our frame of reference onto the animal.

  I think some animals have it. I think I saw an example of it today.

  As I was rolling along the bike path I stopped because there were two red-winged black birds near the middle of the path. One had been severely injured and was possibly dead. The other kept trying to peck at the neck even pulling at it (the way a mother cat or do will pick up a kit or pup by the scruff of the neck) as if to pick it up to move it out of danger. Now normally these birds won't let people within 10 feet of them. I was 2 feet away and he still wouldn't leave the hurt bird. It wasn't until 3 of us stopped that the bird flew a short distance away but still didn't go too far and chirped loudly. A woman stopped after me and we looked around for something to move the bird off the path. A young fellow stopped and used the shirt he was carrying to gently pick up the bird and moved it under the brush.

  We also have a pretty good population of Canada geese and they are busy multiplying. If you get too close to the goslings th adults will attack with wings opened wide and mouths ready to bite if you don't back off.

  This got me thinking about last year when I found a baby seagull that had somehow gotten separated from its nest and parents. The parents were loudly squawking and circling over head while the chick peeped and ran around calling to the parents.

  Then I had a cat who wouldn't always come to snuggle with me. This was a cat that hated to be touched when I first got it. When I had my appendix out he started sleeping near the scar. He ALWAYS slept up near my pillow before this so him moving near the scar was odd. If I was upset he would come and sit guardingly near me with an occasionally head butt/rub.

  Now this cat (orange) and the other cat (brown tabby) that I owned played together but never slept curled up together. You wouldn't think they had any affection for each other but when the orange cat had to be put down the brown roamed through the house wailing looking for his buddy

  I'm sure many of you have similar stories to tell with dogs, cats other pets

  So is this some form of "natural affection" with these wild animals? It might be instinctive. But these animals have something.

  So what would it take to extinguish these reactions in these animals? Some of these animals are wild. Others are tamed. But they still have these reactions.

  So what about people who shun family? It certainly isn't just JWs that do this because we know other groups do.

  Now my mother is a case where it doesn't matter if she was a JW. She started abandoning her kids before she became a JW. Being a JW just lets her justify shunning me.

  But clearly the kind of mind control exerted over JWs prevents them from connecting with this "natural affection". That is strong that it is deviant from the normal reactions of caring and connectedness.

  Got examples? Feel free to share
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  nomoreguilt

  Total mind control......Example. My older son. Active jw, 34, married, one son , now 6. I was df'd in 2001. My grand son was born not long after. Even though my son only lived 6 house down the street from me, he WOULD NOT!!!! allow me to see my grandson.

  He came by one day for something, I think I had made an issue about this. Anyways, he's standing on my porch and he tells me this......" Dad, there has to be PUNISHMENT". He broke my heart even more than he'd done prior on this matter. I responded to him, " I think that you mean DISCIPLINE, don't you?" He ran off of my porch much to fast......straight for home, 6 houses down the street.

  Eventually, he warmed up, i think he put some thoughts to what he said, he does have a heart, I know, I created him, didn't I??

  Since my re-instatement he has warmed back up and we are TRYING..................

  NMG

  Thank you Lady Lee
• 

  Satanus

  It's actually the other way around, affection parents have for their kids is similar to the natural protection that most animals have for their offspring. Since we, as higher animals, have more in the mind department than do lower animals, we can use our minds to modify the animal nature more, through our slavery to religion, politics, philosophy, etc. 'Course, in nature, some animal mothers are poor parents, so also, some human females are poor at the parenting skills.
  
  S
• 

  PraiseJehovee

  Speaking of Natural Affection. I could use a little here: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/160988/1.ashx

  Thank you.
• 

  Satanus

  PraiseJ
  
  Get your mother to send some pms on your behalf;)
  
  S
• 

  PraiseJehovee

  Who should I PM? I already PM'd the wise and fair moderator that disfellowshipped me.
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  OUTLAW

  As I was driving home.I noticed a sick or dead baby horse laying in the field,at a Ranch many miles from mine..All the adult horses had circled it..You could see they were concerned......I have no idea why someone would let a baby horse out into the desert sun,without being in a corral..At least there,you can provide shade/food and water in a supervised environment.................OUTLAW
• 

  Lady Lee

  1. I did not disfellowship you. Disfellowshipping would mean I would forbid every person who has ever been a member of this board from communicating with you in any way possible. Clearly no one here does that or has the power to do that or even the desire to do it.
  2. I restricted your posting limit. The only thing that does is reduce the number of posts (or complaints) a person makes in a 24-hr period
• 

  Lady Lee

  Satanus

  It's actually the other way around, affection parents have for their kids is similar to the natural protection that most animals have for their offspring.

  It is really protection? In the examples I gave above I can see protection in only the Canada geese. They were all out ready to peck at anyone who came too close to the goslings.

  Even the red-winged bird initially gave up its own protection to stay with the injured bird. In no way was he trying to ward off "danger"

  Since we, as higher animals, have more in the mind department than do lower animals, we can use our minds to modify the animal nature more, through our slavery to religion, politics, philosophy, etc.

  True

  'Course, in nature, some animal mothers are poor parents, so also, some human females are poor at the parenting skills

  There are plenty of examples of animals that abondon their offspring even before they are born. Most of them lay eggs in the hundreds with the outcome that at least some will survive.
• 

  funkyderek

  Lady Lee:

  So is this some form of "natural affection" with these wild animals? It might be instinctive. But these animals have something.

  Yes it's natural affection, and yes it's instinctive. Many animals including humans have a strong emotional connection to their offspring, as those offspring need a considerable amount of parental care. Among such animals, those who do not care for their young are unlikely to have grandchildren, and therefore any genes that tend to cause indifference towards their young die out very quickly. On the other hand, genes that promote parental care are likely to flourish.

  This, of course, is not true of all animals. Many animals produce thousands of offspring who are immediately left to fend for themselves. This strategy also works well, but which strategy is employed depends on the type of animal, the availability of resources, the level of cultural transmission and so on. As a general rule-of-thumb, the larger the brain (or at least the brain-to-body ration) the more time and effort will be expended on rearing the young.