Balance

We are born with the ability to walk upright. But we do not start by walking upright. We cannot initially do it until we develop a sense of balance. First we balance our head, then we crawl on four limbs, and then we walk. We slowly transition to two legs. We have innate capabilities and we naturally awaken them over years. We have fluid cavities in our inner ear that connect with our brain and, in tandem with our musculature and spine, form a complex balancing system that refines with age.

What would happen if a forty-year-old was spontaneously "born" and dropped on the streets of New York? Could he walk? Of course not. He wouldn't even be able to crawl. To the amazement of the few onlookers not staring at their phones, he would appear like jelly. Almost like a baby. To their surprise, he would crumple to the pavement. He had not yet developed his sense of balance.

We are born with the ability to think. We cannot initially do it. First, we start to form concepts from empirical data. Then we learn to infer things, like, importantly, the self. We slowly transition to speech and social thought and complex ideas. Then we become individuated thinkers and learn to naturally process think and become masters of our world.

What would happen if a forty-year-old was born and dropped to earth prior to practicing the art of thinking over all those years? How would he appear?

He would look scarily like the average American and nobody would act surprised.