Avoidance as a Survival Strategy

The goal of a species is propagation – the passing on of genetic material – and so when we look at Darwin’s “survival of the fittest” argument, the “fittest” is always the species that passes along its genetic material the best.

One of the more effective ways to pass along genetic material is to live long enough to do so (another example is prodigious breeding – like rabbits, etc. etc…)  And so, to stay alive longer, a cautious – or avoidance based - survival strategy in a harsh environment can indeed be a Darwinian, or evolutionary, boon.

What is an avoidance response in terms of brain mechanics?  Brain scientists are currently still trying to get the full picture here, and recently have found that even dopamine is involved in avoidance responses, but suffice it to say there are brain mechanics devoted to the avoidance of stimuli and they deliver chemicals that are uncomfortable to give us a de-motivator for the behavior.  In short, if it hurts, you will avoid it.

So, how does one live in constant avoidance? 

In terms of human behavior, or survival strategies, the way this is often done is through repetition of behaviors that have “worked” in the past.  Routines and evaluations of “good” and “bad” allow us to mark our paths to avoid potential dangers when navigating.

This kind of navigational strategy does, in fact, increase the likelihood of avoiding previously identified dangers.  However, it also creates what we call “false positives” in terms of perception (seeing danger where danger does not exist.)  And can also, in time, create rigidity in our navigational patterns which can lead to “false negatives” (missing dangers that are actually present.)  For instance: just because the pathway to the local berry bush has never had a rattlesnake on it, does not mean that there isn’t one now.

But what does it feel like to live that way?

It feels like constant stress which can lead to suffering in the form of depression and anxiety disorders.  When we have these strategies we live in a dangerous universe that has potential threats around every corner.  And, due to Neuroplasticity (the fact that the brain constantly re-wires based on how we interact with our environments) over time our brain strengthens the parts of it that generate these avoidance responses (which are driven by negative experiences and so over time become a constant feeling of avoidance to “what is” which the Buddha called “dukkha” or “suffering.”)

What is the way out of this?

Well, if we want to avoid false positives and false negatives in our perceptions, we must become present, or aware of the present moment.  This replaces our old survival strategy of “just do what worked in the past” and gives us a new way to navigate (often called “living in the now.”)

The second thing we must do is re-wire the brain, this time using Neuroplasticity in our favor, through meditations designed to challenge the parts of the brain that have been over-fed by years of avoidance as our central strategy.

This entire process of “living in the now” and reversing avoidance by “bringing the yes into the no” is the core of the teachings of Eckhart Tolle and why they are so effective in dealing with people caught in such traps.

I can say with direct experience that these two practices (meditation and presence) can in time reverse the painful states generated by living a life of avoidance.

But don’t take my word for it, as they say in Zen, “come and find out…”