Why Do People Survive

BOOM! An explosion went off near the local library. People start running and will do anything at that point to think quick and survive. Is that selfish? Is it selfish to do anything someone can possibly do to survive? No. Millions of years ago our ancestors did anything to survive at all costs. Otherwise people and families would not be here. Humans survive because it is the way humans’ brains works with everyone. “When something dangerous or fearful is perceived, or even imagined in some cases, the message reaches the more primitive part of the brain--the amygdala--before it reaches the frontal cortex, where higher-brain function such as reasoning and rationality take place” (Acerrano). Survival is not selfish due to human genetics, because

For example, according to Lane Wallace, “In July 2007, I was having a drink with a friend in Grand Central Station when an underground steam pipe exploded just outside. From where we sat, we heard a dull "boom!" and then suddenly, people were running.. the crowd, for the most part, was not doing the one thing that would increase everyone's chances of survival, if in fact a terrorist bomb with god knows what inside it had just gone off--namely, moving away from the area.We may have an instinct for survival, but it clearly doesn't always kick in the way it should” (Lane Wallace). Furthermore, Lane Wallace is trying to explain that she can act calm and make her decisions thinking for herself instead of others and being selfish. But that’s not always the case. People’s genetics function off human DNA. For instance, “You might, for instance, be walking in venomous snake country and suddenly perceive something lying nearby on the trail... a split second later, the perception-transmission reaches your cortex, which allows you to process the alarm and figure out the situation… that's because the amygdala, once it receives a danger signal, stimulates the release of hormones that cause a wide range of body/mind responses, including an elevated level of fear” (Acerrano). Acerrano explains the ways the human brain acts due to “survival instinct”. Therefore, oneself simply cannot be selfish if they do not have any control on their emotions