a researcher studied fox dens. fox cubs were observed from birth to the point they left the den to enter the world. this was documented in the paper “juvenile behavioural development and intra-litter hierarchy establishment in captive red fox cubs(vulpes vulpes.)” sandra alvarez-betancourt.
“observations of captive foxes and infrared video of wild fox earths suggest that the foundations of a pecking order are evident in animals as young as one week old; the cubs pushing each other out of the way for access to milk.” wildlifeonline
“sandra alvarez-betancourt noted that aggression was the first social interaction the cubs exhibited, from at least three weeks old, with the vixen making no attempt to break up the squabbles.” wildlifeoneline
thus, aggression, as early as infancy, is a form of shaping their hierarchy. could the best suckler be indicative of the pack’s future leader?
by analogy, does this explain childrens’ aggressive behavior?
my early childhood had moments of conflict. my brother and i fought all of the time. world war iii was conducted in restaurants. most of these conflict was under the table. like the fox cubs, were these aggressions a biological need to establish the new world order \? unlike the fox world in which there is a litter of many, my battle was with an older sibling. due to my brother’s age and strength, my fate was sealed and i was relegated to the hierarchy’s bottom.
does humanity establish a hierarchy based upon aggression? has there any attempt to change from this process?
the torah documents god’s attempt to find individuals who satisfied his vision of the world and as to how a human should behave. cain killing abel was a landmark moment with respect to the problem.
in his search, he found abraham. in abraham, he found the qualities he desired.
with abraham as the foundation, he was able to build a nation. with moses, he was able to education this nation with written statutes, teachings and ordinances. with moses, he was able to institute instruction of the teachings to children. further, within the social structure, a justice system was established with judges. judges were to be individuals who were educated, of substance, god fearers, and of truth who hate monetary gain.
thus, morals, values and intellect were properties that elevated individuals to powerful positions within society.
in the fox society, the vixen allowed her cubs to engage in acts of aggression. thus, aggression was promoted. in human society, we need to question as to how we shape our hierarchies. do parents search for intellect, morals and values within their children? does society gear itself towards promoting those with intellect, morals and values towards the top of the social hierarchy?
be well!!
if you would like to read more blog posts, click here
The Ten Commandments Project 