ANIMAL DEMOCRACY

A scientific study was done on red deer, showing the incredible way in which they communicate and make decisions. Although there might be a dominate male within the group, they actually don’t look to him to make the calls, but instead vote as a team. When the vote is tallied, they move based on the most votes. It turns out, schools of fish and groups of birds act in similar democratic ways, working together as a greater whole.

We heard another great story regarding how some baboons in Africa were more like humans when it came to decision making and possession of power. The baboon group had the alpha males on top of the totem pole, they ruled all. These alpha males were so awful to the other men, women and children below them. One day the alpha males went into town and ate some human garbage, were poisoned and died. Now that they were gone, the others were free to create a new, more loving and caring society within their pack and that’s exactly what they did.

If only we could learn from the animals and realize how finding balance and cooperation is much more important than fighting for power. We just have to zoom out, see the bigger picture and work together.