In contemplating all the chaos that humans are causing...what happens if we did not rule the world?

What happens if we did not rule the world…? Humans are marvelous and malicious creatures. Capable of both collaboration and destruction; we spend years caring for our young, and systematically persecute others for belonging to specific ethnic, religious, or social groups. We are cunning; the only species to speak and write in infinite languages and dialects across the globe. Yet we never seemed to learn how to communicate...using our fists instead of our words, our weapons instead of our humility…quicker to send in our troops than to lend an ear…I sit here wondering in the superficial safety of my own bed…what is that really separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom? And would the world be better off if we were not the dominant species?

From the primal level our needs are all the same. Food, shelter, some sort of community/gang/herd to belong to, and of course a mate. Ahhh so here you may say is where we all differ. We humans are special in this aspect. We are monogamous. Well sorry to burst that naïve bubble of yours, but so is the Prairie Vole! The male vole will stick with the female he loses his virginity to for the rest of his life. Think back to the first girl/guy you ever hooked up with…Can you imagine spending the rest of your life with him/her? Of course not! This is not the Victorian age anymore! This mouse-like creature, unlike modern mating and dating males, won’t even let his eyes wander…instead a male vole will actually attack other females! Scientists have traced this behavior to hormones in the rodent's brain, which trigger lasting bond formation and increase aggression toward potential home wreckers (those sly singleton voles!). Bet I know a woman or two who would like to inject her husband with that hormone…

Ok so how many animals out there copulate for pleasure rather than procreation? Enter the Bonobos and the dolphins. Sorry, we aren’t the only animals who enjoy getting down and dirty…Especially those Bonobos! Bonobos engage in sexual activity with virtually every partner combination, including male/male or female/female relations. Infact, sexual interactions occur more frequently among Bonobos than among other primates. Despite the frequency of sex, the Bonobos’ rate of reproduction in the wild is about the same as that of the chimpanzee. This means that Bonobos share at least one very important characteristic with our own human species, a separation between sex and reproduction

If only the Bonobos ruled the world. Society would be female-centered, sex would serve important social functions and warfare would be rare or absent. Those ruling creatures would make love not war…spend their days eating organic fiber rich diets, and not pollute the earth with cigarette smoke and SUV emissions. Oh and one more thing…Bonobos never outgrew playtime! Maybe we could learn a think or two from the Bonobos!