Talk Talk - Lift Your Spirits Part One

Today I found myself talking to the lift at work. Not in expectation of any scintillating conversation you understand, I had pressed the wrong button and was apologising for my error. It was a kind of appeasement to ensure its continued operation, a bit like the soothing noises made to an old car when trying to start on a cold morning. This set me to thinking how the practice of talking to inanimate objects (we'll consider the lift inanimate despite its gravity defying propensities), in fact treating them with the respect generally given to people, is commonplace throughout the world and indeed the fourth dimension.

From pre-historic animism to naming ships we seem to have a penchant for trying to make things like us. Very evident in children who are always integrating objects into their fantasy world as characters; be they man made toys or stones, the tendency seems to fade into adulthood, at least surficially. However anthropomorphism is there behind many everyday ideas and behaviours. From country to country we may dispute whether the Sun is male or female and likewise the Moon, but no-one seems to question the existence of a certain personality to these heavenly bodies. It is understandable that such importance has been given to these celestial close companions, after all even before our understanding of the Moon's influence on the tides and seasons it was these two bodies that gave light and warmth, that self evidently brought about two of the major and frequent changes on the planet. Similarly attributing spirits or personalities to trees, rivers and mountains also makes sense in terms of their importance in providing water, shelter, food as well as their prominence in the landscape, in fact, making the variety that accompanies so many lives. Simple transposal of this from country to town explains the humanising of lifts, vending machines and other paraphernalia of modern living.

At the other end of the scale from reverence is the transferral of anger. When stubbing a toe on a door or stepping outside just as it begins to rain it feels like there should be someone to blame. Yet they are really just coincidental occurrences and ranting at nothing seems pointless. To make the anger seem more worthwhile and directed the object comes under fire. Fists are shaken, expletives uttered, sometimes physical violence is attempted. However in such cases it is usually the foot that comes off worse than the door!

Both these instances come from a need to relate to things non-human and from the fact that it is easier to understand and relate to things in human terms, even if these are enforced by our minds in spite of reason. We remake the world in our own image. It's an organismic trait common to all animals, an elephant for instance cannot relate to us in a human way, it projects an elephant world view onto the humans, wardens, zookeepers, it comes into contact with. A better example is perhaps the dog, living in a human family a kind of dual transference occurs. We integrate the dog into our household and our lives as an extra member of the family giving it human desires and characteristics. From the other perspective the dog treats us as fellow members of its pack with a distinct 'pecking order' etc. The two can function together but neither really 'sees' the other in any way but the one in which its species allows it.