Fear of
Farting. Actually, we use that term when we are being politically incorrect. If
we are in polite society we might say, passing gas or breaking wind. Or ignore
it. That’s the most usual way, especially when not with good friends or
immediate family.
The scientific
study of this area of medicine is termed flatology.
Okay. That’s not something I’d want on my resume. Nor did I
even know that such an area existed. I
told you that you can get an education here.
My question
is: why is it that people are so
uptight about our biological functions?
THEORY:
Human beings
want to believe they are not animals, therefore, they repudiate basic
biological functions. (Meaning, like, me? My body? Um, no, it doesn’t do that).
HYPOTHESIS:
If we make
fun of, or hide, bodily functions, we distance ourselves from our true animal
nature which we find disagreeable, as we believe we are “above” such things. (Meaning, I can think, I have a big brain, I
am not an animal, and I am a human which is way, way better.)
I chose to
use the biology of flatulence to demonstrate my hypothesis.
Imagine a
yoga class, early in the morning. Forty people are bending and stretching and
yeah, probably experiencing flatulence. Every once in a while, in the quiet,
you hear one that refuses to be kept in. No one says a word. Everyone notices. No it wasn’t me. Although it could have been, why
should that bother me?
The accepted
term for having excess gas, is flatulence. There is no medical term equivalent
to farting.
The
Oxford English Dictionary (OED), in its inimitable way, notes that the word
"fart" is "not in
decent use." The OED defines the transitive verb form of fart:
"To send forth as wind from the anus 1632." The word comes from the
Old English "feortan" (meaning "to break wind"). Although
the word "fart" is "not in decent use," it was used by the
likes of the great English poet Geoffrey Chaucer.
A very small
history of flatulence.
Historical
comment on the ability to fart at will is observed as early as Saint Augustine's The City of God
(5th century AD).
Okay. That’s what I meant by small.
The rest of the
blog will hopefully be images taken off the net. They pretty much say it better
than words.
Why are we such snobs? When we have instinctual urges we feel as though our bodies are betraying us.
Yes, I do understand not wanting to be around a really smelly fart. That doesn't mean we have to point our fingers and laugh.
I wonder if we weren't more accepting of our animal aspects, if we would have fewer overeaters, under eaters, bathroom issues like constipation and diarrhea. Sorry, I guess it's one of those who gives a shit days. HA!
I'm not advocating for walking around naked or peeing in the streets. Although there are many what we consider undeveloped countries where they do just that.
I'm only saying that we might be better off accepting who and what we are. Animals are territorial. Our wars may be a distortion of that instinct.
Oh yeah, I forgot. Our wars are for profit. The ones who have to fight them think about it as territorial.
How can we tame the beast inside? Sometimes, acceptance is the first step.
You can't change what you don't acknowledge.
We Are Animals. Let's Deal With It.
Thanks for reading.
