When our ancestors first stepped forth out of the cave to explore and to hunt, they faced many frightening moments, especially when they would come upon a lion, a large and carnivorous animal. Would the hunter be the predator or the prey?
We know from neuroscience that our ancestor would have an immediate physiological response: his heart rate would go up; his breathing would become more laboured; his intestines would clench; hormones would be shooting through his body and adrenalin would be flowing. His body would be preparing for fight or flight. He is physically prepared for battle-for his life and food for his family. Now, imagine his feelings after that encounter. He is alive. His body responds by normalizing his breath and blood pressure; his intestines relax; the adrenalin must be reabsorbed; and his legs are probably shaking, perhaps to the point that he collapses, like a marathon runner at the end of a 26 mile run. He is on his knees. His head is probably bent because it feels like it weighs a ton so he holds it in his hands. And now he can think: about what happened and about what could have happened. And then he releases a sigh of relief and feels a sense of what must be described as gratitude. Any time that he thinks about that experience with the lion, he will relive the emotion; he will experience fear and the gratitude as if it had just happened moments ago. And he will pass on to his descendants the primal instincts of faith and hope and gratitude.
And, today, we fall on our knees, in gratitude and pray.
