reflection- the 'emotional trap' or the 'trapped emotions' ????

We call ourselves the superior race. Our rationale is what distinguishes us from the brute. But are we really the ‘knowers’ the ‘thinkers’. Time and again our actions betray the logical and rational perspective. We have evolved and have acquired the power to reason, however the primitive, irrational, emotional and impulsive character is still deep imbedded in our system. If not in deliberative thinking, it is deep rooted in our stream of consciousness. This stream often deviates us from the archetypal ‘intellectual’ and we behave like ‘emotional fools’. When a man steps on a snake it stings him. The snake does not bother to verify that whether the action was intentional or a mere mistake. It is an external stimulus that is perceived as a threat. It creates fear and induces the snake to react. Same is the case with men. If we see a dark bearded Muslim man, in a grim alley, walking with a packet hidden under his crouch in most cases he would appear suspicious. People would abandon the place he strides on. No one would think that may be the packet under his crouch has medicines that he is protecting from the rain, or he’s wearing the rugged black rag because he can afford no better.
We all have biases driven solely by emotions. Lets take the example of Dr Lynd in the book ‘A Grain of Wheat’ by Ngugi Wa Thiongo. She was assaulted by her houseboy, Koina; during the Mau- Mau movement. The houseboy had betrayed her trust. He even killed the her dog, whom he had shared a strong bond with. The ferocious expression on Koina’s face was imprinted in Lynd’s mind. It generated fear, distrust and hatred in her. She began to believe that all Africans are murderous, blood thirsty traitors. Many years later when she sees Karanja, a labourer, holding a stoine at her dog she fires him. She does not bother to investigate as to what had actually happened. She did not believe a word that Karanja said. The truth was that the her dog had chased Karanja. As means of self preservation he held a stone at him. However doctor Lynd was blinded from the truth. She did not believe him because he was an African. Her fallacious reasoning was that since all the Africans are rutheless, murderous people not worthy of trust and since Karanja was an African he is a traitor to. She completely disregarded the fact that Karanja had devoted his life in the service of the British. She rebuked him publically and expressed her views vehemently with great agony and rancour to Thompson a fellow colleague.
Thus this is a classic example were powerful emotions override our rational. They superimpose on all other ways of knowing and close doors to any alternative argument. We form bias perceptions which lead to fallacious reasoning. These feelings get imbedded in our nature. They are like inflammable hydrogen that can create fire with no sparks. Thus it when we learn how tame these emotions can we call ourselves ‘the superior race’.