How do we become ‘human’?

How deeply can an inactive lifestyle actually affect you?

The importance of actively expanding your mind through involvement in stimulating activities is evident in the documented cases of feral children such as Victor of Aveyron, who grew up in the wild with monkeys until the age of twelve. Victor was studied closely by scientists upon his discovery and integration into society, and certain startling observations were made. Victor was a crucial component of the “Enlightenment’ debate and Jean Itard’s studies on human nature, around the time of the French revolution.

Feral children are people who have spent their crucial developmental periods with wild animals or in complete isolation from human contact. Many cases have been documented, and the importance of having hobbies and being social becomes startlingly evident. Not one of the feral children who were studied showed an ‘innate’ form of superior intelligence to their surroundings. They did not walk upright and learn to speak automatically, nor did they display an ability to learn at their age level once reintroduced to our educational systems. Instead, feral children simply became similar to the animals they grew up with, even sharing the care-animals disposition toward other human beings.

Many of us take for granted that human beings are known for their intelligence and we assume that because other people have become intelligent, we will therefore also become intelligent regardless of how we conduct ourselves. However, it appears that even basic intelligence is not a gift, but an achievement based on correct circumstances.

So why are these case studies relevant to us?

This was the first question I asked myself: Besides these extreme cases, how likely is it that we see lesser elements of this in our own societies?

Since studying some of the feral child incidents, getting cut off in traffic or seeing vandalism has raised a whole new set of questions in my mind. I start to wonder if these people who grow up on the same streets as me are vaguely feral. I know it’s almost funny to hear me say that, but before you scoff at it, at least ask yourself this: Is everyone around you, in every home, always consistently engaged in activities which contribute to their growth as a knowledgeable, enlightened individual? How many hours a day do you yourself actually spend reading or learning new things that stimulate all the faculties of your mind. Do you make effort to surround yourself with people who create a positive influence on you, or do you ween your life away in situations that aren’t much different from growing up in isolation?

For me, it at least raises some questions that cause me to err a bit on the side of precaution for my development as a person. With the notion that I was not born intelligent, nor will I ‘automatically’ or ‘inherently’ become as intelligent as my peers, I suddenly feel like its my job to make sure I develop according to my expectations of myself. It’s a good time to evaluate your daily activities and ask yourself how much your routine actually contributes to your growth. Given that your brain only ‘adapts’, its quite possible that intellectual development is something to be desired.

So on this note, I personally will make more of an effort to continue researching and writing about my findings, to exercise knowledge; continue to participate  in martial arts classes for my mental, physical and social development; continue to seek time with those in my life who inspire me, for intellectual strength; continue to learn music, chess and anything else that flexes my reasoning; continue to parallel park, even when I don’t have to, so I retain the skill; continue to choose books over television; continue to avoid situations which I might deem feral, such as nights of binge drinking instead of simply having a social drink with people who are interesting. etc. etc. I’m sure we can all run away with this list, or our own personalized lists.

So, evaluate if you’re doing enough for yourself. Just because you are surrounded daily by all the things necessary to become great, doesn’t mean that they are in your life. Technically, a child could become a feral child in a room filled with books and computers, so long as the child does not utilize the resources available. You may walk past the Sport Kickboxing Federation every day, but that does not mean you will inherently develop the self-discipline, self-respect, self-awareness, knowledge, strength and fitness that martial arts has to offer.

As a martial arts student, I want to recommend it as a great starting point for finding that cohesion of all things that are good for you. Not just because programs such as the SKF are there, offering the entire life of Master Farhad Dordar’s dedicated research on holistic well-being, but also because of the types of people these programs attract for you to meet in the classes. Especially read our other blogs to see how the Sport Kickboxing Federation style of martial arts is introducing traits such as discipline and holistic well-being to the students, who can use these benefits to improve all other areas of their lives.

Os!