Monday, June 8, 2015
Baboon Behavior
During the rutting season, males of all advanced species fight for the right to mate with the females. The males who win the rut win the females. In humans such behavior seems to be a year-round phenomenon. It's not only the right to mate, of course, but the right to be the boss too. However, studies in baboon troops show that some of the smarter, trickier baboon males mate more often than the alpha male does. This pattern shows that occasionally intelligence wins out over brawn, at least in baboons. Incredulous? See the work on baboon troops of Robert Sapolsky; then compare those patterns with human leaders of solar-deity cults.
Nowadays with the rise of female power, rutting behavior seems to have become partially transferred to the females. We're finding that, given the chance at dominant positions, females can be just as ruthless as males in gaining their goals. The question is: What can be done to ameliorate these dominant behaviors and substitute instead intelligent behaviors? The answer seems to be: very little. Politicians will continue to volunteer us to go to war--from behind their comfortable polished desks--so that this nation can re-make other countries in our image and can get them under our control. It doesn't matter whether they want to be under our control or want to change; the man with power will exercise it.
In Wicca we deliberately try to level that playing field, refusing to cede leadership positions gained through brutality and strength. Instead our leaders have to exhibit intelligence and compassion: not only for other people, but also for the earth on which we live.
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3 comments:
Great Post. I am meditating on these words.
As taught by a Seal Team Six member also know as
"American Sniper"
1. Let go of excuses. The enemy of resilience and excellence is excuses. Excuses start for a good reason: They’re like armor — they shield people from pain. The problem is that you build up so much armor that you can’t run or swim or hug your kids. Excuses protect you, but you can’t live a full life with them because you will always be holding back.
2. Learn to control your breathing. Breathing is one of only two functions in the body that are both voluntary and involuntary. (The other is blinking.) Controlling your breath can completely alter the way you react to fear and stress. You can even induce fear by breathing a certain way (though I’m not sure why you would want to!). But if you can learn to pay attention to your breathing when you’re afraid, you can start to re-take control of your body. Taking slow inhales and exhales can give you the access to reevaluate your situation. It doesn’t mean the fear goes away, but it gives you enough control to figure out what to do next.
Related: Is Fear Ruling Your Life? 4 Things To Stop Saying To Yourself NOW
3. Write it down. Take the time to write down your fears: in business, in your personal life, in general. Eric knows of a former heavyweight world champion who was afraid to confront his gardener about overcharging for services. This is a classic example of how we can be super strong in some areas but let our fears control us in areas where we are weak. Writing down your fear gives you the opportunity to look at it from an analytical standpoint and figure out where that fear comes from and what to do when it rears its head in real life.
We all have uneven courage. The idea is not to take the fear away, but to identify what that fear really is so that you can attack and break it down in a healthy way. When you can look at your fears from the outside, you can create a plan of attack when they happen on the inside. Once you begin to see it in front of you, you can start to take control.
My book Power Secrets From A Sorcerers Private Magnum Arcanum has finally arrived and I am excited for this knowledge. Thanks to Gavin and Yvonne Frost for this knowledge soon I will have again the power of VRIL!
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