An Ecology of MInd (19 page)

"The general assumption has been that there are good people and bad people. This study suggests that there may be more to it than we see on the surface and
that how the brain functions may be involved, to a certain extent. Morality itself may not be what we think it is."

"A different study looked at the area of the brain which controls restraint, or what could be considered the will power to resist a behavior. This could be
any kind of behavior. When tracking the functioning of this area of the brain on an MRI, they discovered that the use of this area of the brain depletes in
function. In other words, the brain has a limited amount of self-restraint and, it diminishes with use. That area of the brain will recharge and again be
able to act as a behavioral restraint, but this takes time."

"While this is no surprise to anyone who has ever attempted a diet, this also suggests that restraint is not totally under our conscious control. Lack of
restraint is not strictly due to low morals or a weak will as is commonly believed. I'm pretty sure a judge will not accept this as a defense yet, but as
more is understood, who knows."

"Okay, let's take a fifteen-minute break."

WENDY WAS SITTING AT HER COMPUTER at work. She was worrying about Don, and trying to think of a way to do what his kidnappers had demanded. She had thought
about it and had decided that they probably were watching her, so she would have to at least have to appear to be trying to do as they demanded, just as
Kim had told her.

She had also decided that the way to do that the most convincingly was to figure out first how to steal the code and erase any other copies. She could then
pretend to follow whatever plan she came up with.

It was very difficult. She kept trying to think who the person working for the enemy was that was watching her. She could not think of whom it might be but
her paranoia grew by the minute.

Her computer dinged to indicate she had an email. She got lots of those through the day. Her eyes flicked to the computer screen quickly to see what it was
and who it was from. She glanced at the sender and message line then stopped and looked at it again, not believing what she thought she saw the first time.

No, it was what she saw in her quick glance. It was a global email sent out to the entire NSA email list for her department, and it was addressed as being
from her. It was a large department with about sixty people.

“Shit, what now.” She opened the email and read it.

“I was out for dinner last night when an envelope was dropped on the table and the person who delivered the envelope was gone before I could see them. On
opening the envelope, I discovered a photo of my brother showing him having been beaten and tied to a chair. The photo also showed that he had a gun held
to his head.”

“I had been told that my brother had been kidnapped and would be killed unless I did as instructed. I was told in the note to destroy all other copies of
the piece of computer code I was working on to try to decipher. I was instructed to smuggle my copy of the code out to them. I was to do this if I ever
wanted to see my brother again. I was told that they would be watching me, and if I went to the authorities my brother would be killed.”

“I decided from the instructions that there must be someone inside the NSA that was watching me. With no way of knowing who the traitor or traitors inside
the NSA might be, I decided that I could not trust any individual within the NSA with this.”

“I have just received word that my brother has been rescued but that does not remove the threat. For this reason, I have attached a copy of the computer
code they are trying to extort from me, and I have sent it with this message to the entire internal department email list. This ensures that I don’t take
this matter to the traitor or traitors when I try to report it and ensures that the code cannot be removed from NSA hands as it is in too many of them for
the traitor or kidnappers to control. Sincerely, Wendy Wallchuk.”

What the hell? She didn’t write that, and it blew out of the box any secrecy about what she was trying to do. It said her brother had been rescued. What
was that about? She hoped he was because if not, this might kill any chance; he had at being rescued, and cause his death.

Her office phone rang, making her almost jump out of her skin. She stared at it for a couple seconds, afraid of who would be on it and what they would say.

She picked up the receiver and tentatively held it to her ear.

“Hello, Wendy Wallchuck.”

“Hi Wendy, its Kim. Don is safe, and I’ll put him on the line in a couple seconds. I just sent out an email in your name. It is meant to ensure that you
are safe now that Don is free and to make it, so they can’t try the same thing again. It will also show everyone that you are working with the NSA’s
interests at heart and keep you out of trouble with your bosses. It will cause some definite turbulence, but in the long run you should be fine and even
come out the hero. If it doesn’t, I will step forward and take the blame. Here’s Don, he wants to talk to you.”

“Hi sis, are you okay?”

“Oh, Don, I’m so glad you are safe. I was so worried about you, and I didn’t know what to do. Things are moving way too fast for me to process right now
but are you safe? Are you hurt?”

“Yeah, I’m safe so far and not hurt beyond some bruises and hurting pride. Your friend Kim got me out. Where did you find that hellcat?”

Wendy heard Kim say in the background “Hey, I’m right here. I can hear that.”

“Kim’s great. Where are you?”

“We are in Washington but I don’t know it that well, I’ll turn you back over to Kim.”

“Hi Wendy, we are only a couple of miles from your work and are coming there. I suspect that email I sent in your name will stir up quite a bee hive at
your work, so we are coming to help you with the questions they will have. We will be there soon. Hang on the cavalry is coming.”

It was then that Wendy’s office door opened, and two guards rushed in with weapons drawn. Behind them was her supervisor's boss, Mr. Walker, and he did not
look happy.

“Put that phone down Ms. Wallchuk, you better have some answers.”

Wendy quickly put the phone down.

“Yes sir, I’ll do my best sir.”

At that moment, five doors down the hallway from Wendy, her supervisor, Nelson Swift, a tall, thin, blonde example of New England breeding and privilege,
was reading the email sent out in her name. This was bad. This was very bad; he thought. If the stupid bitch had just done as she was told there wouldn't
have been a problem. The plan was to force Wallchuk to get the code and destroy the copies while he was safe, and she took any blame. He would monitor her
actions and be able to tell if she had carried out the orders given to her.

"Nobody would have suspected him because she would have been the one to take the code and destroy the copy. His involvement would not have been discovered.
He would have been able to weather any investigation as they would have been focusing on Wallchuk as the culprit.

He would have gotten his money from the Chinese, solved his minor problem with gambling debts, and gotten on with his life. Now they would be scouring
things with a fine-tooth comb looking for someone else and likely some traces of his previous actions would come to light. Not good at all.

He made a snap decision to get the hell out now, while he still had a chance. He would inform the Chinese he had accomplished the mission they gave him and
demand that they get him out of the country. He had no intentions of going to prison and could see himself living a life of luxury somewhere, doling out
secrets to the Chinese as needed to ensure his lifestyle.

As a silver lining, at least he would finally be leaving his cow of a wife behind. He would no longer need the money she doled out so carefully to him. He
still found it hard to believe the result of several prestigious New England blood lines could be so ... insipid.”

He had prepared a nasty computer virus to take out the office network and remove any trace of the code and most everything else as a last-ditch plan, in
case he had to run. His computer security codes would allow it to affect any information at his level or below. It was not a plan he had wanted to exercise
because they would be able to trace it to him. It looked like it was the lesser of evils now, as far as options, and it may add to the confusion and help
mask his escape. If he moved fast he could still get away.

He quickly threw some things he did not want to leave behind into his briefcase and pulled up the virus stored on his computer. He was just going to click
on it to activate it, when he felt an intense crushing pain in his chest, and he had trouble breathing. He tried to move his hand to send the command, but
he could not move no matter how hard he struggled. It was like the message was just not going to his hand or any other part of his body.

The pain in his chest intensified and then everything began to fade into darkness. His lifeless body slumped into the chair. On the computer screen, the
icon for the virus was in easy view as a flag indicating his failed intentions.

AT THE FIFTEEN-MINUTE POINT, most of the students were back in their seats so Dr. Pearson continued. “We’ve talked earlier a bit about actions and behavior
that we are not consciously aware of doing.”

"Last week I happened to be looking at a bird's nest in a tree at my home. When I looked closely at the nest, I saw that it was quite complex
architecturally speaking. Especially when the construction materials were considered along with the construction tools limited to the bird's beak and its
body."

"The nest was made of mud, grass and a few small twigs. With these simple materials, a structure was fabricated and attached to a branch on the tree. It
was attached firmly enough that it did not blow away or dislodge in the wind. Furthermore, considering it was made of grass and mud, it was amazing to me
that it did not wash off in a rainstorm. In fact, this nest was an old one that was not currently being used and had survived a minimum of a year of wind
and rain. The inside was lined with clay and very smooth."

"Overall, I remember thinking that I doubted an average human eight-year-old could do nearly as well. A child could use our wonderfully adaptable fingers
as tools and would have what we assume is a much higher intelligence than that of the bird. What was more amazing to me though, is that the bird never
received any instruction on how to make such a nest."

"This ability is not unique. Almost all birds make nests of some sort. Birds also migrate south. Some insects like the Monarch butterfly migrate as well.
Salmon will return to the same river that spawned them to mate and lay eggs. Beavers make dams and beaver houses. Honeybees make wonderfully intricate
structures with a precisely recreated hexagonal geometric shape, repeated to make a honeycomb."

"When faced with these assorted behaviors by animals, birds, fish and insects, we label it instinct. And of course, once we label it; we stop thinking
about it. I mean, what's the big deal, it's just instinct?

"What I consider a big deal is that we are surrounded by examples of behavior, which is, in many cases, fairly complex and is transmitted by DNA from the
adults of a species to their young. A surprisingly large amount of behavior is transmitted and therefore, governed by DNA. An extremely obvious question,
if we bother to question it, is, how much of our own behavior as a species and as an individual is controlled by our DNA? It may be far more than we
realize."

“Let’s take a closer look at instinctive behavior or shortening it for convenience, instinct. As we have discussed it today, we have noted three things."

" One, we tend to label behavior that is not learned but seems to be passed from generation to generation as instinctive and stop asking questions once the
label is applied."

"Two, at least some behavior is transmitted by DNA from organisms of one generation to the next."

"And three, there is behavior in humans that is not generated by the conscious mind but instead falls under the category of instinctive behavior. Women
dressing more revealingly during times of being more fertile are an example."