The flowers will bloom.

In times of drought, the plant pushes roots deep into the darkness of the soil to find water. The plant never forgets the first purpose to stay alive. Only by reaching deep down for the smallest drop of water will the flowers blossom, will the flowers bloom.

When resentment kicks in.

When does it start? When resentment kicks in when you feel that you are taking care of everyone and there is never anyone looking after you. When you have a nagging feeling that you should pack your bags and go where no one knows your name. This is not an indication that there is something wrong with you or something wrong with the community you live in or the organization you work in. It is just the hard, dry soil cracking open and the first traces of a green sprout becoming visible.

The most basic of all instincts

In broad daylight, we might flaunt our reason and our well developed ethical codes but at the very base, neatly packaged, we will find a strong instinct to survive.
We might think that animals are ruled by instinct, while us humans have outgrown our instincts and govern our lives through reason.  But William James had a different view. We, humans, tend to be blind to the existence of our instinct, precisely because our instincts process information so effortlessly and automatically.

Laws of reason

For a long time now we have been living according to the laws of reason. Almost forgetting that we are just another species, the animal who is able to think and be conscious. Forgetting that our lives are governed by instinct, a very well developed and intricate instinct to stay alive. We adapt unconditionally and smoothly to what ever life sends our way. We reason, explain and justify why we do what we do and how we do it, as the masters of reason we have become.

But when things go wrong and are not working in our favour, we write another law. We make a new rule. We change the game to suit us. 

Let's think about the definition of success.  Through a process of natural selection in the animal kingdom, certain traits (physical or psychological) becomes the vehicle of survival. For the lion, it is pure physical strength. For the cheetah, it is speed and for the human it is reason. But not the sort of reason where you learn to push the right button, no, this kind of reason is superior. 

For a long time now, reason has worked well for us and might still work for some time to come. But is reason really our best trait? And should we place the survival of our species in the "ongenaakbare" (ruthless) hands of reason?