Hi, Sam,

I’ve been lurking for a few years, but I thought I’d finally send something in.  The link (below) from The New York Times made me think of what you’ve been preaching:  The bird Bruce overcoming his “disability” and taking his rightful place as the alpha among his fellow keas: getting to eat first, for example. No matter what, an alpha will show his true colors, I guess!

I was struck by this passage:

After enjoying a meal, Bruce permits lower-ranked males to preen his feathers and clean his bottom beak. “And when Bruce is done, he’ll give a kick or a little joust to say, ‘Right, that’s it, I’m done,’”

I know I’m certainly not an alpha, and seeing the description of even a bird’s alpha-ness aroused me.

Keep up the good work,

Tony

Thank you for writing to me!

Tony is referring to THIS ARTICLE about Bruce the parrot that appeared in The New York Times. It’s a pretty fascinating article, honestly, and it really demonstrates a truth about hierarchy that encompasses all of nature.

One thing we can say about nature, it is incredibly organized. We humans are often too arrogant or too idiotic to notice, but from the microscopic to the macroscopic, everything has order. One only has to look at the building-block constructions of RNA molecules to the tireless, scent-controlled activities of ant colonies to the graceful wheeling of distant galaxies to appreciate that harmonious order.

Hierarchy is the ultimate form of order, the First Law of all natural societies.

The story of Bruce the parrot exerting his natural Alphahood despite his disability demonstrates how ingrained these roles are in our DNA. Bruce has a brain the size of a sunflower kernel, but he still recognizes that he rules the roost – and so do the other parrot challengers to his throne (perch?).

I laughed a little when the article discusses how the other parrots groomed Bruce and served his needs until he dismissed them, much like faggots serving their Alphas or beta males attempting to curry favors from their superiors. These roles are ingrained in them, and cannot ever be changed.

But the hierarchy the story describes is more important than individual roles. It defines our society. It provides a framework for purpose, just the way a worker bee ceaselessly toils at his gifted role until he finally collapses. It’s all part of a machinery much larger and more complex than our minds – caught within its Matrix – can ever comprehend!

Thank you, Tony, for sharing such a wonderful article with me!

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