Chapitre 34: What Does It Mean to Be An Alpha Male? - How The Role Of Alpha Has Changed Over Time
As descendants of apes, there remains a lingering ape in all of us that continues to provoke many of our behavioral and social traits.
In particular, one of the most apparent characteristics that we continue to share with our ape relatives is the desire for the social position of alpha male.
In the ape world, the alpha male is everything.
He gets his pick of mates, ownership of territory, and control over his group.
All of which are not far from the same desired interests of most men, and often women, in the modern world.
So what does it take to become an alpha?
In the ape world, there are several factors at play that determine who becomes the alpha.
They include things like size, loudness, and the ability to dominate others as unequals.
In the human world, becoming this sort of domineering alpha involves most of the same factors.
We can intimidate other humans into submission through size, intensity, and force.
And if we live with these behaviors, we can become this same sort of alpha.
But how does the function of this position compare in the human world?
How do the differences between humans and apes weigh in on the value of such a domineering behavioral archetype?
The principal difference between human and ape is the depth of our consciousness.
It is still unclear as to what degree our consciousness extends beyond our ape relatives, but majority of researchers and philosophers can agree that we have a largely superior ability to exhibit a consciousness that allows for self-awareness and critical reflection.
We have passed a threshold of mental complexity where we can now think about thinkin.
We can consider our intentions and how our actions may affect others.
We can take it one step further and consider how others' reactions to our actions will make us feel and think about ourselves.
And we can employ reason, empathy, and morality to act accordingly.
As a result, even though we may still have an ape in us who hungers to be that of a domineering alpha, our higher human consciousness caters to a different type of alpha.
For example, being an ape-like alpha and getting the pick of any woman may sound appealing, but it does not really help with the pairing of the right man with the right woman.
In the ape world, the goal of the alpha is to have sex and reproduce with as many mates as possible, not to form intimate relationships.
But in the human world, we want relationships.
We want to find partners who we can exchange love with and help balance out each other's lives.
And in the context of friendships, behaving as a dominating and forceful individual may acquire you yes-men and followers but not necessarily any true friends, because rarely does anyone want to continue in a long-term friendship comprised of dominance, fear, and hierarchy.
In a true friendship, we want mutual trust, respect, and affinity.
Therefore, we must consider how our primal desire to be a domineering alpha affects our life and appropriately regulate it.
Our ape self is constantly lingering within us and it is not simple or easy to overcome.
But by using our faculty for higher consciousness to understand our behaviors and their effects, we can construct and execute a new refined concept of alpha.
A conscious alpha.
We did not evolve over millions of years to merely continue to perpetuate the behaviors of our lesser ancestors.
Becoming a true human alpha involves being able to adapt to the terms of the current human condition.
To infuse rationality, self-awareness, and empathy into our behavior.
More important than being big and loud and forceful, is being someone who can exhibit compassion and reason.
We humans function better off of solidarity, compassion, and intellect.
And so it is these qualities that we must attend to if we wish to truly be a prevailing human.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone