Anticipation and Dread

While sharing pizza, a friend and I exchanged some ideas about the positive and negative influences we face daily. I came up with an analogy about plants that seem to respond to being "talked to" daily. It seems that we too respond accordingly to our surroundings. My friend and I were able to identify two basic states to which we respond: either Anticipation or Dread.

Dread which is commonly translated "terror" in spanish, causes one to throw in the towel before the ringing of the bell. With dread, we are fully aware, based entirely on our previous experience that what awaits us is unfavorable, inconvenient, threatening and dreadful. This is the classic example of acquisition response conditioning that read in Biology I. A flatworm is condition to contract its body to light by first being repeatedly exposed to light paired with an electric shock. Yes, it is cruel and a very crude way establish a point, however, that basic response to protect oneself is in all creatures. The question is: "Are we more advanced than the flatworm simply because we have a higher threshold for pain?" Or "Are we above the flatworm because we feel we can control the level of conditioning by consciously removing ourselves from the threatening situation?"

Anticipation on the other hand has a completely different connotation. Coming from the Latin which means "to come before", anticipation another basic conditioned response where we are delighted to engage in a repetious activity because we know that we will be rewarded for our participation. A prime example is the mouse that is conditioned to finish the maze knowing exactly where the cheese awaits him (much like the gleeful delight we feel every 1st and 15th). Other stimuli for anticipation may be that friendly face and wonderful smile that awaits everyday or simply the absence of dread. From my experience knowing that it will be a dread-free day becomes a day of anticipation. Even nothing spectacular occurs, it will still be a day to be remembered with fondness.

Before you begin your next day: stop and categorize your day. Is there something you are dreading? If so, don't contract your worm-like body. Instead, get it over with ASAP. If there is anticipation, get to work early. Then take your time; the cheese isn't going anywhere.