Maybe it's just me, but life seems much simpler for the male silverback gorilla than for the male human.
For one thing, if I were a silverback, my maturation from child to adult would be marked for all to see by a new silver streak of hair along my back. With this streak, my entire genus is put on notice that I have arrived and I am a force with which to be reckoned.
Instead, my personal transition from child to adult was marked only by a new freedom to order off the adult menu. And while it gave me great joy to order a Big Mac, the world did not notice.
But, if I were a silverback my silver hair would make me a threat to the established leader of my gorilla community--forcing me into conflict with my mentor and father-figure. Soon, I'd be forced to leave the small society I'd come to love, to trek about the jungle like a young nomad.
After some time, I'd gather to myself young females, whose desire is to be part of a new herd, to form a community of love and mutual respect, one with another. Young, fatherless blackbacks would also join my tribe, seeking my great benevolence. We'd then organize ourselves into a formal body and begin a new generation of gorillas.
I would rule this new tribe with my pungent scent, maintaining a safe perimeter for my new family. And if anyone got out of line, a menacing glare is all it would take to return them to their place.
What a simple, uncomplicated life I would lead! At least until I am faced with a young silverback pup, who threatens my authority.
Comments