Chimpanzees; Love and War

Two living breeds of Chimpanzee have yet to be poached into extinction.

The regular Chimpanzee is the more common breed of the two. For these Chimps, violence is essential to existence. Regular Chimpanzees tend to form patriarchal societies, where the largest, strongest, and meanest male Chimps exert total control over their clan. The only way for a male Chimp to achieve reliable reproductive success in this kind of society is to kill or maim the alpha, and take his place as leader. Female Chimps don't have it much better, being frequently beaten by males, and having to keep up a constant guard to ensure members of her own clan don't cannibalize her male infants. These Chimps are highly territorial. Troops of males belonging to a clan patrol their territory frequently, and if they happen upon a wandering Chimp from an outside clan, they will viciously kill without hesitation. When two clans of Chimps lay claim to overlapping territory, it is not unlikely that a real, violent, and almost human war will take place between them. There have been documented Chimpanzee wars that last over four years. These animals are unique in their aggressive jingoism. Only perhaps humans and ants share such a penchant for battle.

Separated only by the Congo River from their violent cousins, Bonobo Chimpanzees are physically nearly identical to the regular Chimpanzees. Looking a little deeper than surface appearance however, it is clear that the Congo River is not the only distinguishing factor. While regular Chimpanzees are patriarchal and essentially violent, the Bonobo Chimps form matriarchal societies, and are essentially peaceful. Bonobos have rarely been documented performing any violent behavior at all, instead preferring sex, play, and social grooming. They form clans like the regular Chimpanzees, but for Bonobos, food and reproductive rights are not determined by social status or reserved for clan insiders. Bonobo clans do not wage war, and for them, territory is not a topic of great importance. When a wandering Bonobo walks into the living area of a clan other than his own, he is not greeted with unrestrained violence, but rather welcomed in as a new friend. Empathy is the name of the game for these Chimps. The complex social interaction between two Bonobos can easily rival that of a human friendship. In fact, Bonobos are the only known animal besides humans that have sex face-to-face, as a means of intimate socialization. This is a far step beyond the satisfaction of simple reproductive urges demonstrated by the majority of the animal kingdom. The more details about their social behavior I learn, the stronger of an impression I get that these creatures see each other more as 'people' than as objects, at least to an extent greater than all other non-human animals.

Bonobos and regular Chimpanzees are polar opposites, they are behaviorally incompatible species. If you were to place a regular Chimp into a Bonobo clan, or vice versa, it is safe to say that things would get messy. What does this mean for us humans, for whom the behavior of both species is poignantly familiar? It is confusing and chaotic to be of a species that embodies the traits of merciless aggression and warmongering better than any other, but simultaneously is capable of showing more social intimacy, love, and empathy than even the most kind of the Bonobos. For me, the two species of Chimps, and their deep behavioral rift symbolizes two fundamental constituent elements of humanity. To be human is to be confused, to live in a contradiction between loving the neighbor, and smiting the enemy.

I for one advocate that we take a clue from the Bonobo way of life. They seem pretty content.