Blog #84--Dominant Humans, Animals Highly Misunderstood

It’s funny how we sometimes remember dreams that occurred many years ago while forgetting one from last night. Dreams can be difficult to interpret since our conscious minds tend to reverse the meaning once awake. We can use dream interpretation books to define certain symbols we see in dreams, but intuition is often required to sense their meaning. Whether it makes sense to us or not, a dream can have so profound an effect on us we remember it for life.

A dream I had in 1978 is still vivid in my memory. I had just finished watching a television mini-series called “The Awakening Land,” based on the Conrad Richter trilogy of the same name. The story revolves around a family trying to survive in the Ohio wilderness during the late 18th and early 19th century.

A man whose wife had died migrated with his daughters to an area adjacent to a small river. He cleared away trees and used them to fashion a log cabin. He hunted food sufficient to support his daughters as they learned to cope with survival in the wilderness. And then he left them, not to return for many years. I have no doubt most people who watched the show, plus most of those who have read the book, blamed the man for leaving his daughters to fend for themselves. But I saw it a different way.

In my dream, I spoke with the actor who played the father. I remember thanking him for the excellent job he did representing the behavior of a dominant male. A dominant male is not superior to more submissive males, he’s just more direct. He feels restricted within a small area such as a house or town.

In most cases, truly dominant individuals have little if any interest in being around other people. They prefer the freedom to explore new territory, at least as long as such territory is available to them. And they don’t understand or respect the indirect manipulations and deceits submissive people use to survive. Survival for indirect people may depend heavily on help from others, while direct people are more self-reliant. For those who have read my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” a dominant person is one who is repelled from the center of the whirlpool within which we all reside.

It is these rugged individualists who create pathways for others to follow. Those brave enough to retrace the pathways established by the dominant ones then set up towns and cities. Indeed, the man’s daughters in the story ultimately became the first citizens of a new town.

Dominant people may not possess a submissive person’s instincts for nurturing young. But those with families serve an important protective role that is equally important. Like dominant animals, they must keep an eye and ear open for possible dangers entering their territory. This requires much more energy than most realize because it is a 24-hour-a-day job. Plus, they must be prepared to defend their territory to death, if that is required of them. And they must teach any offspring the survival techniques they will need throughout their lives.

I was reminded of this when hearing the sad tale of Cecil, the famous Zimbabwe resident that was killed by a trophy hunter from the United States. Cecil was a great example of a dominant male lion. He had been studied and protected in a wildlife preserve since his youth and was as famous as any lion can be. But he was lured away from the preserve, killed and skinned.

One might ask why this could occur. Only the hunter knows his agenda with certainty, and it is not my place to pass judgment. But in general, dominant animals are special prizes for hunters. Killing a dominant animal is cause for celebration for a submissive ego, allowing it to claim superiority over the vanquished foe. Despite being equal, some submissive people fear they are inferior and often feel a need to kill or at least restrain a dominant animal or person to feel more secure. This type of person will not be satisfied until all dominant animals and people are either dead or locked away in high-security prisons.

Dominant animals of many species have a much tougher life than most realize, even without the vast human threat to their survival. Depending on their species, they are either kicked out of the family unit or are driven to branch out on their own at a young age. After an extended period of intense survival struggles, a time when many perish, the few that make it to full maturity are compelled by their raging hormones to fight other dominant males for the right to mating privileges.

Assuming they survive their early failures at securing one or more females, they may eventually experience a brief period as hierarchical leader and pass on their genes to future generations. But even then, they may have to fight off numerous younger males that want what they have, as well as other species intent on stealing their food kills. Eventually, they lose their lofty positions. Their confidence shattered, they either must accept an inferior role in the group or go off to face certain death alone.

Cecil appears to have been at the peak of his prowess at the time of his death. Even with his status and all the monitoring provided by caring humans, it was a human that ended his run of good fortune. His death may ultimately be a sounding call for people to change their perspective and accept dominant animals more readily, but humans must always be added to the list of possible threats to animal, and especially dominant animal, survival.

The bald eagle is the official symbol for the United States. But despite legal protection, there are a number of hunters who would love to bag this majestic, dominant bird. Eagles are independent loners that may have only one offspring at a time but are outstanding at self-survival. They fly higher and see farther than most others, and they have skills that are the envy of many.

But they may someday become extinct, just like other dominant species that still exist on planet Earth. Their territories are dwindling, and their enemies are increasing in numbers yearly. Some people won’t rest until the dominant gene is entirely absent from our DNA. Trouble is, submissive genes can’t survive without interaction with dominant genes. Getting rid of our dominant brothers and sisters is guaranteed to destroy us all.

Unfortunately, fear and selfishness are plentiful in this world. It is practically impossible for people with these traits to understand and respect dominant people and animals for the valuable role they play in this world. It is my sincere hope we as a species can reverse this trend, for everyone’s sake. Our civilization might still be in the dark ages without way-showers who blaze a trail for others to follow. Respecting that fact might go a long way toward easing the survival pressures on our most dominant members.

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