Instinct

What is it that takes us through the day, and eventually, through life? It is our sense of survival, our characteristic as fighters, like any other animal and living thing. We fight our surrounding constantly; we struggle to move with the people around us, because we know that if we fall behind we are done for. It is an instinct, and as any instinct, we do it without even realizing how competitive and brutal we are with each other. In the myth talking about Daedalus we see a lot of this theme of survival. Daedalus plans his escape, not being able to cope with the fact that he is being controlled, that somebody else takes the final decision about him. “He contrived to make his escape from his prison, but could not leave the island by sea, as the king kept strict watch on all the vessels, and permitted none to sail without being carefully searched. “Minos may control the land and sea,” said Dædalus, “but not the regions of the air. I will try that way.” This shows how the man exhausted all means of freedom, and not even what seemed impossible was able to stop him. This happens constantly in our life, where we look for the way around things, always trying to get what we want even if it includes going against the law or above others. We have come to be called the “civilized” animal, but we must remember we come from the wild as all animals. We also have that sense of preservations which animals use to escape from predators, and we use to gain advantage over others. We are free as our constitution and character state it, and for no reason will a human submit to anything without fighting, without making sure that there are no other possibilities and that where we are is the best we can be.