Social Survival Mammoth
This is my notes for this article series Why You Should Stop Caring What Other People Think (Taming the Mammoth) - Wait But Why
What is Social Survival Mammoth
It is a being within ourselves that limits our authentic self with its fear of social rejection.
This mammoth is everywhere in social life, when we feel anxious being on stage, thinking to much or over analysing situations to blame ourselves. If you see how people expressed themselves a couple of years versus now there will be a huge difference in how they perceive things, this just the social mammoth deciding what is okay and what is not.
For example, a few years people mocked and bullied vegans because that was the norm, not everyone was about what veganism and even understood environmental consequences of animal farming but now we do, the way social mammoth operates is it wants to fit in, always trying to fit in.
Back then as a majority of people lacked this knowledge mocking veganism was fine but as many understand it and have uncovered carnism the social mammoth behaviour has changed, now it wants to not mock vegans and try to fit in.
What is your Authentic Voice
The voice within ourselves, the most authentic nature of us. The most authentic nature want fall for Social Mammoth. It won't eat meat because people around are doing it.
It is more rational unlike irrational Social Mammoth, it can evaluate why eating is ethical wrong and how it is not also sustainable.
Taming the Social Mammoth
- Examine yourself
- Get to know your authentic voice
- Figure out where the mammoth is hiding
- The most obvious way to find the mammoth is to figure out where your fear is
- The second place a mammoth hides is in the way-too-good feelings you get from feeling accepted or on a pedestal over other people
- A third area the mammoth is present is anywhere you don’t feel comfortable making a decision without “permission” or approval from others.
- Decide where the mammoth needs to be ousted
- Gather Courage by Internalizing That the Mammoth Has a Low IQ
- The mammoth’s fears are totally irrational.
- Everyone is talking about me and my life and just think how much everyone will be talking about it if I do this risky or weird thing.
- If I try really hard, I can please everyone.
- Being disapproved of or looked down upon or shit-talked about has real consequences in my life.
- Really judgy people matter.
- I’m a bad person if I disappoint or offend the person/people who love me and have invested so much in me.
- The mammoth’s efforts are counterproductive.
- The mammoth’s fears are totally irrational.
- Start Being Yourself