Nothing says lovin' like a pop quiz in calculus class. Fortunately, I take solace in others' pain, so when I saw how incredibly screwed some of the other kids were in comparison to me, I smiled. Unfortunately, I then promptly proceeded to struggle with the quiz. Which made me sad again. Don't you just love it when things go full circle?

I don't like that feeling when I'm in class and then some sort of surging tsunami of biological urgency sweeps over me, in the process derailing trains of thought and washing away any inklings of interest (feigned or genuine) and transient moments of actual honest-to-God concentration, leaving nothing behind but the need to eat, drink, urinate, sneeze, or fuck.

We have to fulfill these and other needs daily, but culture dictates when it is appropriate or acceptable to do so. We're taught that eating too little or too much is bad for your health. We're taught that it is acceptable to drink water any time of the day, but that alcohol should be reserved for the latter part of the day, and that it should only be consumed by certain individuals within the society. Sniffling and coughing are annoyances, and scratching the itch on your back is fine, but scratching the one near your genitals is outrageous. You unknowingly obey unspoken rules regarding proxemics--how close is too close and how far is too far--for different types of social interactions. You are only allowed to get your freak on in certain places without being viewed as sexually deviant.

Man, now I forgot where I was going with this because I went off in search of food.

FUCK, it never ends.

EDIT: I remember now. So these urges. Outside the boundaries of culture, we are at their beck and call. Their voices are the ones we hear and heed and act upon accordingly. But whenever we're around a group of people, we hear the voices of the ghosts of disapproval, ever haunting us, waiting in anticipation for us to let a fart out in the middle of class. We heed the advice of those who came before us, who took to heart the advice of their own progenitors--a chain of enculturation linking back to the origins of culture itself. So on a daily basis, we're torn in two directions: to obey the call of the wild or to submit to the will of our culture. Sometimes, the decision is easy, for the potential for being labeled an outcast is a pretty strong motivator to suppress your urges in favor of taking the civilized approach. But sometimes, in times of stress or boredom or frustration, you just want to drop your pants and get down and dirty with the hottest guy in the room.

Even if he happens to be your anthro professor.

EDIT #2: A complete aside: you cannot hope to argue by logic when the person you argue with has weak logic at best. In that capacity, they will always win. Always.

alas, the search for food continues... gotta love when that takes your mind off of whatever you were concentrating on beforehand.
I think sleep would need to be in there somewhere among the essentials, but who knows, ppl with insomnia go without sleeping for long periods of time.
» LostSoul13 on 2007-01-17 01:49:21

that damn Castiglione!
» Zanzibar on 2007-01-17 09:37:32

#1: It's just annoying when I'm trying to concentrate, and there's someone in the room hacking their lung up, or sniffing it back in.

It's even worse when it's the person next to you, and they're MOANING in discomfort...:/

#2: This is very true.
» ikimashokie on 2007-01-17 10:28:22

Biological urgency
I was thinking you were so nervous that you had to go to the bathroom.. ha ha.
» kKaMa67 on 2007-01-17 11:18:10

btw, you said "fart" heh heh heh.
» Zanzibar on 2007-01-17 07:02:02

Hooray for peer pressure!
The glue that binds society together...
» ManOfDarkSunglasses on 2007-01-17 08:44:14

Sorry, you do not have permission to comment.

If you are a member, try logging in again or accessing this page here.