Originally posted by Sue Hindmarsh:
Individuals bonding together, united by shared attachments and values, find that their needs and wants are met better by the group than if they had to act entirely independently. But; this also means that some attachments held by an individual may need to be suppressed, so as to not cause unrest or disorder in the group. For example: say a group comprises of three females and one male - with all the females depending on the male for food and protection. And say one of the females falls in deep water and is drowning. The male has to consider the possibility that, if he dives in to rescue her, he too might drown. This would mean that the other two females would be left alone and in peril. If he does decide to dive in to save her, it shows that he has either a greater attachment to her than to the other two females, or he is attached to his own abilities and strengths ? enough so to make him believe that he will succeed in saving her without falling victim himself. (From experience, we know that people who ?believe? they can do something often find out the hard way that they cannot.) No matter which way the story ends, what is clear here is that the male is at the mercy of his attachments.
the problem with this arguement is that it predisposes that the persons stops and thinks about the dangers and consequences of that act. as has been proven many times, such as proven by your comment that "From experience, we know that people who ?believe? they can do something often find out the hard way that they cannot", it is rare for someone to stop to think in these cases. people react from gut reactions. either their fear stops them from acting, or their desire to aid is strong enough to overcome the all too human fear. this is why people go out into danger to save a total stranger. this is why a mother will throw away her life to protect a child. this is why men battle beast that have, at least in the past, had a great chance of killing them or their families. people dont rush into a burning building to save another persons life because they want rewards. they do it because the other person will die if they do not act and act quickly. people dont rush out to save a person drowning because they want to get their name in the papers. they do it because the other person is in peril.
