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Bees see the world in dazzling ultraviolet. Think iridescent glowing stripes of nectar lighting up a flower.
And it makes sense.
They literally see in a way that aligns with their particular hunting and gathering style, the stuff they survive on. Likewise, my (lazy) herding dog catches the quick action of a squirrel nearby and instinctively drops into stalking position. My former beagle saw the world through her olfactory senses.
We humans also have our own particular view of the world, an innate sense to help us with our own hunting and gathering. We notice the contrast of colored berries on green shrubs or catch the scent of yummy herbs.
This part of our brain collects massive amounts of input to fully fledge from a young age.
It absorbs “this is the real world you must understand to survive” information from the beginning. It’s why four-year-old Tzeltal Mayan children can name 100 types of plants and retrieve a specific herb for their parents cooking dinner (from the wild woods, not garden rows). But it’s also why American children can easily discern a bag from McDonald’s from one from Subway.
It’s where the food comes from, after all. Apparently even modern Crows have learned to go for the McDonald’s bag versus a plain bag with the same food inside.
Instead of being wholly natural beings, we’re in an increasingly unnatural, contrived world. Our brains don’t learn the appearances of types of foods growing outdoors, but rather the appearance of brands of food in the grocery store and, likewise, logos of all kinds. Why can I instantly discern a Mercedes from a BMW when I’ve never owned, shopped for, ridden in, or driven either?
This is interesting to me, including from a financial perspective. Our minds crave connection with the world we live in so we can survive and thrive in it.
That’s a powerful filter for sensory input to identify what’s important to desire. What drives us.
With this understanding, and looking around at the world we do live in (more concrete than berry bushes), it’s no wonder we get so excited about brands, designers, and labels of all kinds.
They’re the names and images we’ve unwittingly interpreted to matter and trust, from our first years on earth.
So, what are you paying for that’s an artifact of your “I need this” part of your brain whose filter got a little misinformed by your modern surroundings? Is it grocery brands that keep you from buying generic or shopping at Aldi? Is it the store your clothes or purse comes from?
Where is your hunter-gatherer brain database actually leading you astray?
The world we live in, our simple reality, is the world of purchasable items… you might need a naturalist interpreter to help you make sense of things as you walk through the local forest, but you would never need such assistance when wandering through the mall.
Carol Kaesuk Yoon in Naming Nature
I hope you enjoyed this edition of Under 2, an email series designed to share quick bites of wisdom to empower your financial journey (while keeping it short). Be sure to sign-up below to get these messages in your inbox.
All for now,
Lindsey