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This is going to cause ructions

Gorillas and other apes spin themselves around in circles to get “high” – and early humans who lived millions of years ago may have done the same, scientists believe.

Researchers saw a viral video of a gorilla spinning around in a pool and wondered why the ape was behaving like this, if it was more widespread, and what purpose it could have.

Further online research revealed it to be a common behaviour and analysis of more than 40 videos showed the apes use ropes or vines to rotate more than five times at a speed of 1.5 revolutions per second.

The ruction? That Sufi idea of spindancing into a closer relationship with God. This is thus ancient wisdom or the behaviour of an ape?

8 thoughts on “This is going to cause ructions”

  1. The Other Bloke in Italy

    I believe that long ago, Plato decided that both humans and animals have souls. However, while human souls are immortal, animal souls are mortal and die with the animal.

    Thomas Aquinas followed Plato. Those of us who have dogs will hope that both are mistaken.

    Either way, it may be no surprise that animals might communicate with their God.

  2. “This is thus ancient wisdom or the behaviour of an ape?”

    Behaviour of an ape, continued by humans not too far removed……

  3. I thought all animals did it in some form. Being dizzy is probably quite fun for a lot of them, hamsters and squirrels seem to enjoy it. Dogs and cats chase their tails ( mine does and she’s an old lady ) and what about Dill in The Herbs eh ?

    ps I see that there is a type of catnip called Cat Crack. I reckon there’s a TV series that could be made about a vet who cooks Meth for dogs.

  4. Just wait, somebody will try and ban it. Any method of getting high? Must be banned! I can get high by lying in bed and breathing carefully. Lying in bed and breathing must be banned!

  5. “Thomas Aquinas followed Plato.”

    Thomas Aquinas followed Islam, at least in respect of acts. Islam holds that God is the sole creator of acts. Humans do not create acts but acquire them in accordance with their nature. This preserves both divine sovereignty and human responsibly. Here is Aquinas on acts from Wikipedia:

    [quote]
    Free will

    Aquinas argues that there is no contradiction between God’s providence and human free will:

    … just as by moving natural causes [God] does not prevent their acts being natural, so by moving voluntary causes He does not deprive their actions of being voluntary: but rather is He the cause of this very thing in them; for He operates in each thing according to its own nature.
    — Summa, I., Q.83, art.1.
    [end quote]

    As an aside, I am a Sufi.

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