Volunteer to be Involuntary

"I didn't know I was pregnant."

An unfathomable admission, but apparently possible. It's amazing to think that, after conception, what happens during a pregnancy is so involuntary for both the mother and the baby. An embryo can gestate for nine months, without parental intervention, and come out a full-term baby. Of course it is not advisable for the mom to remain clueless about that additional life, and to keep living like nothing is happening, but life is possible outside of awareness.

I don't think most humans like to simply succumb to the involuntary miracles that make up the human condition. We are control freaks. We want to manage and micro-manage and configure our lives. We are the only living thing on the planet that exhibits this level of manipulation. I am struck by the power of the human mind to attain the level of control that it does. We are a conscientious bunch, and with intellectual awareness comes an innate desire to keep at bay all the habits that might remind us that we are a miraculous animal. There are a number of human experiences that are involuntary, but with age and the right training you can teach yourself to stifle the involuntary reactions that are purely human. It comes down to goosebumps, crying and laughter.

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