I watched a show on Netflix called “Chimp Empire” that was surprisingly compelling. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the filming. It was as though a team of the chimps themselves were holding cameras. I don’t know how the production teams got in the way they did. The show follows the largest population of chimps alive today in a rainforest in Uganda. There are adorable babies, complex relationships (including a slightly different looking chimp who’s tolerated as long as he keeps his distance), and a whole lot of chest-thumping males.
The chimps divide themselves into two groups living in two separate areas of forest. And then the hatred starts. The ones living on the other side are viewed as rivals. They spend a lot of time making sure the other team doesn’t cross into their territory, killing any who do. Groups of strong males—even those who don’t like each other—join together on trips to the border (how do they even know what constitutes a border in the jungle?) to keep an eye on their hated neighbors.
I haven’t gotten far enough yet to see how it all ends but it seems one section of forest may be more ripe with fruit than the other and that’s contributing to the rift. But is that all?
Why couldn’t these chimps find a way to live together more peacefully? How much better their lives would be if they didn’t have to constantly look over their shoulders. What if they could just focus on living instead of hating so much?
We share 98 percent of our DNA with chimpanzees. They’re our closest relative. It’s hard not to notice the similarities when it comes to hating, and teaming up against each other. And it made me wonder if we are just wired this way. And if so, do we have to be controlled by it? Isn’t this much like being pushed around by any emotion?
I wonder if we are somehow programmed for hatred. Maybe it’s a social construct we start in school, always having to choose teams, or a side. It starts with boys versus girls, but then athletic ability separates some students from others. I remember all kinds of cliques starting in school: musicians, actors, jocks, hippies, stoners. We start dividing into groups early. Is it such a desperate attempt to fit in somewhere? Maybe those stoners didn’t want to spend the rest of school being high but then where would they fit? They’d chosen their team.
As adults, some of those early labels stick with us, but the more obvious one that emerges as we mature tends to be politics. We always seem to be looking for a team. Surely, there are whole studies on this human behavior (and if you’re aware of any, please direct me). But whatever the reason for it, what’s really curious to me is why hatred follows it. I wonder why it’s not more like other aspects of life where we can accept differences without hating the people on the other side. We laugh about those who don’t like brussels sprouts without labeling them as stupid anti-brussels eaters. For the most part, we are able to tolerate other religions in the U.S., although this too gets near the red line of hate sometimes. Even our electronics pull us into teams. Just look at the sneer you’ll get when an iPhone user finds out you prefer Android.
We think we can fix this. We imagine a world where everyone agrees with us on what we see as big important topics. But I think we are controlled by something we don’t recognize. We want someplace acceptable for our unacceptable feelings to go. If the biggest haters among us had their way and could separate themselves onto a piece of land filled with only likeminded thinkers, wouldn’t they just find something else to hate? Maybe redheads would be suspect, or anyone under five feet, or the brussels sprouts eaters would finally come under fire.
There’s not enough land on this planet for us to get away from each other. Perhaps it’s time for a world of anger management classes. The anger might not go away, but we could find a more peaceful solution to it if we learn to manage our feelings. I’m hopeful.
As someone in recovery, and this is echoed by many others, everyone should be in recovery.
In Carl Sagan’s book, "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors", he explains overcrowding is the reason for the chimpanzees’ aggression. He says it makes them edgy - something to do with more disease, less food, etc. Think Black Friday when people have no issue pushing people and walking over them. It all stems from fear (not having enough - afraid someone else is "going to get what is ours". And once we learn to handle our fear by facing it, then, and only then, can we heal. P.S. I despise Brussel sprouts - lol.