Note: When
the author refers to Primitive (mind or man, he is not referring to brain size
or skull capacity), he is really referring to the older culture being practiced
within a group or society, or civilization at hand, (perchance, not updated to the higher civilizations of the world; and
when he refers to Original, it infers those older folks who still own those
older customs, still held firm within their older culture, and being
transmitted into the newer culture, or younger generation.) It does not imply
the capacity to learn. And it does not infer, the arts, or dances, songs, those
kind of customs, or traditions, rather, behavioral traits. The author is trying
to focus on ‘Time-management’ per se, within the Wanka or Peruvian culture (kind
of a one for all, and all for one thing), and will be using well-designed
characteristics, along with environmental influences, and immigration, mental
traits and development, cultural traits, convergent development, mental or cognitive
reactions, types of social comparison, with an end summery to this overall
issue.
A primitive cultured or Original
mind, one that does not feel compelled to complete, or finish, fulfill a certain
work at a certain prescribed time as agreed upon (to leave unfinished
time and again, and do so as a normal practice, to which becomes the norm), or to arrive late at
a certain time set, or agreed upon (to which becomes the norm). This is the premise,
or principle idea here in this thesis, in which, I wish to dissect this issue,
or subject matter.
We are in
a way talking about inhibition, or reserve of impulses; some North Americans
may call this hang-ups. Some psychologists or anthropologists, may call this
lack of, or power of attention, one’s weak attention span, that is. As if the
primitive vs. the more civilized, the more civilized having a longer length of
consideration. We must also add to this equation power of original thought,
attention length, and the instinct to trigger. What is behind all this: uncertainty, hungers, and fickleness (or indecisiveness)?
But why? I have lived in Huancayo, as well as Lima, which Huancayo, is a
city in the Mantaro Valley of Peru, high up in the Andes, for a decade, and
there is a time-management issue in both places, here for me, not necessary for
others, but me being a North American, and for those folks like me, perhaps
Europeans, Japanese, Germans, etc....
Now after
a decade of looking at this, after learning their customs and traditions, I
know their way of life in general, and here is what I come up with! Remember
this is perhaps more a generalization, an opinion by observation (empirical data), and by what they may
call an outsider, yet I have participated with them, in life’s many struggles,
and circles. Their history goes back as do their legends, 2500-years in Huancayo.
And in Peru, in general, 17,000-years, of which the oldest Civilization in the
America’s is in Peru, not that far from Lima, “Caral” 3000 B.C.
What is
time to a primitive mind? One must ask that question when interpreting this
issue of time management (especially to an older way of thinking). Particularly to those in the high Andean old culture
areas (and to a certain degree, to a great portion of those who have migrated
to Lima, from other areas of Peru, since Peru is a coastal, jungle and
mountainous geographic wealth of landmass, or from other higher civilizations…)
whose people do not feel compiled to complete a certain work, this can
be called: fickleness, or vacillation. In other words, the native loses
interest quickly in the subject, or object, which the other person has at
heart. In essence, he is always late.
I have
looked at this culture a long, long time, and danced their dances, sang their
songs, ate their foods, lived in their domain. What is this primitive way of
thinking got to do with me, and why is it at all, present? Why is there a time issue here? To finish
this work or that work, or any work for that matter. Why do they wait to the
last minute?
He is not
a savage, in the primitive way of thinking, yet to compare his indecisiveness with
that of an educated European, or North American, this isolated societal
behavior in this area one can only compare it with behavior in undertakings
which are equally important to each. (Forget etiquette here, for it is simple protocol, or
custom as to each society his own, or culture, or civilization. What I think is
proper etiquette, may not be for the Wanka, and he may very well know, time-management
to me is important, and part of my etiquette, and expected of me, and not of him.)
That
said, we must not compare, or try to control the impulses of a primitive, or
original mind on the same bases or occasions, as we would do among ourselves;
ourselves being, in my case North American, a Minnesotan: lest I be bewildered
why they do what they do, forevermore. And we know they do what they do because
of… (Perceptions, more observations that is, associated
themselves with previous perceptions, and this leads to action: the stimulus is
being put into a new environment, and then watching your mind become greater in
manifestations, and then going back to—let’s say, Huancayo, and allowing them
to see with their observations, thus, things take time to change; we see here
psychological changes by repetition of mental processes).
Personal
etiquette among primitives or originals, may not require inhibition (reserve) of the same kind, we
must look for the inhibition that is required by the customs of the primitive/or
original people of the area ((looking at their environment)(the mind becomes more organized,
diversity takes place when we have variety of content of the mind, you cannot
expect the more primitive—or simple, or basic person, to step over the gap willingly, so it remains
open)) —in this case, the Wanka (and in many cases the Peruvian people per se). Which I have done (some things are
taboo).
In the
primitive, there is a lack of self-control (heredity and environment play a part in this mind
predisposition; there are often other mixed manifestations of the mind; the
laws of mental activity may not be the same as the other Wanka who has left the
valley only to return at a later date more civilized or educated, as the Wanka
that has remained in the valley and never left it.) In other words,
soberness. This is common, and this is
Wanka characteristics, and much throughout Peru (time-management in the same way I think, is not time-
management in the way they think: we are perhaps looking at values now).
In such
primitives, we can see such persons persevering through hardships, undergoing
privations, bound in superstitious, etcetera. Such folks are brave, endure, but
on the other side of the coin there still remains a lack of control, such as the
“outburst,” of passion, by slight provocations. Of course this disappears with
new attitudes when becoming more civilized. We see the Wanka on both sides of
this coin here, evolving as social conditions change, cause and effect, biases
disappear, in essence, time-management becomes more businesslike, more valued,
a virtue, more often than not.
Impulsiveness: look at the motives.
Original or primitive man must control, certain impulses, as well as civilized
man. Each has his own. We look at each one’s social status, which dos not
demand either one to be the same as the other. Primitive man says: why would I not
be as successful tomorrow, as I was today! He has this odd optimism.
If a race
lacks in originality, originality, or innovation, they will not grow, they must
rise to higher laws of culture to change. In primitive man, customs are more
binding than in civilized society.
The lack
of time-management, is spontaneous, and at times can be viewed as a thoughtless
trait, of the primitive, and must be viewed that way if one is to accept the
peculiar psychological characterizes of the embryonic actions, with the modern,
or up-to-date, more civilized actions; which the first is often due to his/her
surroundings. In a like manner, one can see the primitive as passive, and the
civilized as active.
Concluding Remarks:
Primitive thinking is
not necessary primitive thinking, it is the thinking of the time for that place
in time of a certain people, I am of course using the Wanka Race as my example;
or philosophical thought for that period, in that place, which is today, in the
Mantaro Valley of Peru. If such is the case the person is not primitive, but
his society is strongly influenced by that current way of thinking (thought); as in time-management
which they do not have, and we may add loudness of music, to where it is a common
distraction everywhere, for everybody, by those forcing his neighbors to accept
it, within this environment or society, and look upon it as custom, yet is
damaging to the eardrums, and far from custom, rather it is a bad habit, referred
to as custom as to reason changing out of the equation.
Unconscious
or conscious people of a society imitate, this is a factor, imitating others’
actions, thus, we make up logical cause, although no logical reason can be
assigned as to loud music as a custom, on a full time scale, and
time-management as a dysfunction, on a peculiarity long enduring scale. We are
addressing physiological and psychological functions between races, the
primitive way of thinking and the more modern way of thinking.
On the
second to last note here before the summary, let me say: there is no reason to
suppose that they, these people, this so called society, in the Andes, the Andean
Race if there is such a thing, or Peruvian, that they are unable to reach the
level of civilization represented by the bulk of the so called, higher world—:
they are advancing at an accelerated rate, this very moment, at per near the
speed of light.
Now
for the last few notes: the
primitive cultured man, his perceptions, or sensitivities are sharp, but his
logical interpretations are not, they become a deficient. This is not any fundamental peculiarity of
the mind, rather a character of the traditional ideas of the community’s: mass
observations, imitations, social comparison: thoughts in this are transmitted
to the child, to the teenager, to the adult.
Even superstitious fears dwell in this area for the primitive mind.
Folk-lore may even be an element determining the mode of thought in this area:
“Being on time means, you’re less important, but having others wait for you,
makes you more important” thus, why be on time, where’s the incentive? “Why
should you have to wait, let them.” This is not intelligent thinking, or understanding,
a bit mediaeval, but it makes a person look important, does it not: “I’m sorry
but I’ve been so very, very busy.” Which really implies, you’re not all that
important to me, this is the impression one is really giving to the person
waiting; right or wrong, indirect nor not.
Or at the last minute canceling something you agreed upon, having no
consideration for the person waiting or having invested his time, and perhaps
money into this now deleted meeting (as for example, a Sunday meal, or a Xmas dinner, one
may invest $100-dolalrs in, and the party simply says: “I’m sorry but…!” Sorry
does not fix a thing. We might even want to call it animal thinking, for when a
stray animal sees a better catch, he leaves his first. )
Theoretical this is the basis which is the foundation of primitive
reasoning. And to some this is an absolute truth. The same error that is
committed with having loud music to the point of disregard for other people,
these are less civilized traits, people have. Perhaps more easily satisfied at
the present time, so why change! Should you ask them, they will get into their
explanations, and conclusions based on it? With a ‘sorry’ that is supposed to
iron all matters out.
Summary:
Higher mental achievement
means higher mental faculty (ability). Such are accompanied by characteristics one lives by, the more the
ability the more mental superiority over the other group. Anthropology, would
say this group, or race of people has to do with the civilization they live in, it is either accelerating or retarding. Heredity is possible, but
not in this hypothesis per se. This element does not determine time-management
for a group of people or race, so I have not for the most part used it to make
a point. Nor are we talking about physical habitus (meaning in this case
a physical characteristic) or mental endowment, this does not exist also.
The
obstacle here is understanding of the problem, — this has to do with
environment, one’s mental make-up is thus, molded. This indicates the rate of
growth development and selection for a race or tribe or group of people, say
isolated societies, more so than not. It might be compared between rural life
and city life, with immigration from one local to another and back to its
original location, hence, where change may emanate. In our case here, inhabit
impulses, are already imbedded into the more primitive culture, as is the power
of attention. Organized thought and clear or not so clear reasoning are all
imbedded at this point in both primitive men and civilized men, for both have
this facility, although exciting on/or for, different occasions.
Here I
endeavored to gain insight into the problem of why it is hard for a group of
people, a city, a valley, a race, to follow a certain time schedule, agreed
upon, or selected upon, and violate this simple feature, as if it was a norm. Yet, it becomes less than a norm when job
security is involved. Is their tardiness understood? To a certain degree yes,
for they have expectations for the North American to be on time, or other
higher civilizations, they expect them to, but they have excused themselves for
of this obligation, or liability.
Article: 12-19th thru 20th
2014 (No: 1301)
Copyright © 12-2014, by Dennis L. Siluk, Dr.
h.c.
