Notice of Freud's birth anniversary (why do we choose to celebrate some people's deaths and other's births and sometimes both) got me to thinking, perhaps both consciously and subconsciously, about the epic struggle to end all epic struggles. Id versus Ego, in an endless cagematch until death, sometimes ending in a tie, but usually with one or the other left gasping for breath, unable to make itself noticed.
Life's circumstances often determine which side wins. Ancient man was all about Id, the animal need for survival, self-centered and willing to do anything to endure. He was barely a half step in front of the animal kingdom in this respect, despite that big noggin' sitting on top of that muscular neck.
But we should be different. Life is easy, relatively speaking. None of us (my loyal readers) struggle to survive in any meaningful way, certainly not when compared with ancient man, and pretty much not even compared with most of the rest of the world. Half of them survive on $2 a day, with little chance that they, or even their children will break that cycle.
But we still fight our fights with our repressed Id, probably every day. It is that inner voice that gets us to do things that our rational mind says are bad, or selfish or wasteful, or maybe all three. It's the voice that gets you to eat that last piece of pizza even though your full and somebody else might enjoy it more. It's that little demon that finds humor in the suffering of others, particularly when it involves objects unexpectedly contacting male genitalia on home video. It's that piece of you that gets you to say things that you might not say in different company, or if you really thought about it.
I could turn this into a political rant about Republicans being the party of Id, always concerned about only their own wellbeing, only concerned about keeping what's 'theirs' and to hell with everyone else. But I won't, other than that.
No, this is about me, thinking about the stupid things I do everyday, knowing full well that I'm only doing them because I can, and not because I should. Satisfying the most primitive part of myself with only the shortest terms in mind, with little thought about anything beyond right now. It's a funny battle. I know the rules. I know how to win, but I don't always.
6 comments:
Seems that you struggle with your ID about as little as anyone I know. On the surface, anyway.
But let us all celebrate by watching that three-headed, anthropomorphic representation of id, ego, and superego: McCoy, Spock, and Kirk.
I struggle with stupid stuff for the most part. Unnecessary snacks, some minor selfish acts, etc. Still it gets me thinking.
An interesting take on ST to be sure, one that I never really considered in those terms, though the portrayal as such is plainly evident.
Live long and prosper my friend. The battles we all face are really very skewed and silly. Sometimes we take them to heart and they comsume us, and others fall off of us like water on a duck. What is the rhyme or reason? We are all wired differently and I think that this is a blessing. We can only battle and hope to win in the end. If you are up by ine run then you are clearly a winner! You ARE a winner in my book.
Mixdorf: You're kidding me! You never thought about that? It thought that was kind of an essential understanding about how those three guys worked!?!
Cory: If I'm up by "ine run?" What the hell, boy?
If you are up by one run then you are winner!
Sorry, I was talking in tounges. A language of my ancestors.
I had not thought of ST in it's Freudian terms. Unlike you and MT, my viewing of ST was purely as escapism.
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