Am I a Dog, Professor Pavlov?

Do you respond to pleasures and pains which come from outside your Self? Then you behave as an animal and should not wonder that you are led around as a bull by his nose.

As Epictetus notes,

Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.

and again,

No man is free who is not master of himself.

Do not allow things outside of you to affect you willy-nilly, but evaluate the environment and circumstances of life from inside yourself, with wisdom and clear thinking, so that you will not be at the mercy of others, of the outside environment, or even of the hormones and nerve impulses of your own body. This is how animals live and you are not only an animal.

But the vehicle of your soul, for a time, is an animal--the "human" part of "human being." The part that is You is the "being." Let the being control it's animal vehicle as a fine horsemen does his mount. At times that he deems right and proper he may allow his steed to feed and sleep and play and procreate; yet it is always he who decides when and where and for how long. But when there is a task to be done, the mount must respond to the master promptly and perfectly.

But take care. As a being you rarely react to the environment as it truly is; rather, you react to your opinion of the environment. You react to more than a pain in your chest, for example. You also react to your opinion of what that pain represents. Is it a heart attack or indigestion? How long will the pain last? Am I being punished for some imagined misdeed? Did I overindulge in spicy food? Do I suspect the pain will soon go away or that, if not treated promptly, I am in mortal danger? Your actions and anxiety hinge on your assessment. The environment provides only information. Let the rational being calmly and clearly assess the information and choose a course of action. If you let the animal choose you will act like an animal.

Sometimes, however, letting the animal act may be best. This is especially true where split-second decisions about physical dangers are involved. Reflexes are there for a reason. But do not let reflexes and blind responses rule when it is not appropriate.