A goofy paradox of human nature is our desire to want to help other people who are in need of help, while at the same time instinctively competing against them at some unspoken level...
It's that feeling of wanting to see others succeed..... but not *too* much...
I'll bet that even old people compete against one another in a similar way. Probably not so much for sex, but just for attention from the opposite sex.
A goofy paradox
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MikeCam
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Competition is instinctive in mammals: scarce resources, innate desire to survive, need to be secure in the environment. We humans are less removed than we have convinced ourselves we are from the other mammals.
But, the additional instinct that mammals possess is to nuture their young. And for humans, with the ability to 'think abstractly', that moves us toward altruistic behaviors among others, not just the family.
I like your illustration of sex as one of the primary driving forces of human nature. Old person sex looms for a geezer like me....I wonder what I will do at the nursing home when you competitive whippersnappers start moving into my territory!?! Puff up? Spread my tail feathers? Lift heavy objects for the ladies?
Harry, it is indeed a goofy paradox.
But, the additional instinct that mammals possess is to nuture their young. And for humans, with the ability to 'think abstractly', that moves us toward altruistic behaviors among others, not just the family.
I like your illustration of sex as one of the primary driving forces of human nature. Old person sex looms for a geezer like me....I wonder what I will do at the nursing home when you competitive whippersnappers start moving into my territory!?! Puff up? Spread my tail feathers? Lift heavy objects for the ladies?
Harry, it is indeed a goofy paradox.
The Older I Get, The Less I Know.
Competition among us males for the opportunity to pass on our own particular "demon seed" can actually be pretty funny (if you're detatched from it and observing it as a form of entertainment).
I try to make it to the gym on a somewhat regular basis. Not for the reasons that I did when I was in my late teens and early twenties (vanity and the chance to "display" for females), but for more pragmatic reasons like: *life extension.*
I get a chuckle out of seeing the young guys in the free-weight area wearing their tank tops, grunting underneath dumbells and then literally posing before the mirrors for no one other than themselves. Everyone trying their hardest to be the "alpha-stud-douche-bag-muscle-guy."
If you were to compare a bachelor group of chimpanzees to that predictable group of young men at the gym, I'll bet you'd see the exact same behaviors. They even vocalize in pretty much the same way
(My apologies to the chimps).
And they do it all for a shot at something like this:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 0883718558
I can't say that I blame them, but it sure is nice to be married and out of the game:)
New rant:
Your "geezer" comment brought up a sore subject with me. It's what I have grown to *hate* about our American culture; and that is our disregard/treatment of old people. That's right, I said it. OLD. Not "older." OLD.
If you're over 60 in America, you may as well not even exist (that is if you buy into this empty culture of ours).
As I've mentioned before, I was lucky to spend time in East Africa last year. And although their society is messed up in a lot of ways when it comes to things like corruption, violent crime etc., there is a quasi nobility associated with old people in that part of the world. It made a lasting impression on me. Elders are given the highest respect and are thought of as true teachers.
To be an "mzee" (m-zay) is a real honor, and to call someone "old" is to show deference.
I wish that we would see the wisdom of that in the United States and in Western society in general....
But then *GASP* who would keep up with who Jessics Simpson is dating????.... *sigh*
I try to make it to the gym on a somewhat regular basis. Not for the reasons that I did when I was in my late teens and early twenties (vanity and the chance to "display" for females), but for more pragmatic reasons like: *life extension.*
I get a chuckle out of seeing the young guys in the free-weight area wearing their tank tops, grunting underneath dumbells and then literally posing before the mirrors for no one other than themselves. Everyone trying their hardest to be the "alpha-stud-douche-bag-muscle-guy."
If you were to compare a bachelor group of chimpanzees to that predictable group of young men at the gym, I'll bet you'd see the exact same behaviors. They even vocalize in pretty much the same way
(My apologies to the chimps).
And they do it all for a shot at something like this:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 0883718558
I can't say that I blame them, but it sure is nice to be married and out of the game:)
New rant:
Your "geezer" comment brought up a sore subject with me. It's what I have grown to *hate* about our American culture; and that is our disregard/treatment of old people. That's right, I said it. OLD. Not "older." OLD.
If you're over 60 in America, you may as well not even exist (that is if you buy into this empty culture of ours).
As I've mentioned before, I was lucky to spend time in East Africa last year. And although their society is messed up in a lot of ways when it comes to things like corruption, violent crime etc., there is a quasi nobility associated with old people in that part of the world. It made a lasting impression on me. Elders are given the highest respect and are thought of as true teachers.
To be an "mzee" (m-zay) is a real honor, and to call someone "old" is to show deference.
I wish that we would see the wisdom of that in the United States and in Western society in general....
But then *GASP* who would keep up with who Jessics Simpson is dating????.... *sigh*
MikeCam:MikeCam wrote:Old person sex looms for a geezer like me....I wonder what I will do at the nursing home when you competitive whippersnappers start moving into my territory!?! Puff up? Spread my tail feathers? Lift heavy objects for the ladies?
If you make it to the nursing home and are still in the "hunt", you won't have much to worry about.
The Geezer-Gal to Geezer-Guy ratio is OUTSTANDING.
Gives a guy something to look forward to...
- Bill #438, Lifetime
If I'm going to grow up, I'd better hurry.....oh well.
If I'm going to grow up, I'd better hurry.....oh well.
