The Bonfire GPS, or Genetic Positioning System, refers to our genetic “hard-wiring” that is embedded deep in our cells, brain and DNA. Throughout history our Innate drives and behaviors have been developed to insure our survival and reproduction. Today, in modern times, it can actually set us in an unhealthy direction. Let me explain…
Back in the old days, the really old days, when humans were primitive hunter-gatherers, before we lived these relatively safe and food-plentiful lives that we enjoy today, our safety and survival depended on many elements that became essentially instinctive. This included seeking foods and experiences that brought pleasure; however, in those ancestral times, there weren’t pleasurable foods or experiences that led to unhealthy or dangerous life and health consequences. Enjoying something sweet, for example, meant the rare treat of finding honey or the seasonal fruit; if there was a plentiful food supply available, there would be fewer demands for intense activity needed for survival promoting rest and relaxation. Today, because the landscape of our lives is filled with any number of pleasurable foods, activities and experiences that yield unhealthy or dangerous consequences, our innate or genetic drive to seek pleasure and relaxation doesn’t always serve us well.
For example, the desire to eat ice cream or a donut because it tastes sweet does not serve us as well as did the desire to seek out a tree-ripened fruit. Another illustration would be that when we have an abundant food supply, there’s no need to keep moving to hunt and gather more food – we can cross the line from enjoying intermittent rest and relaxation to developing a full-blown sedentary lifestyle.
