On baboons and succession

The baboons, apes which we humans have concluded are inferior to us where intellect is concerned, have shown that they may surpass us on one or more front. Let me illustrate.

They say that baboons move around in their troops there is always the alpha baboon (the President so to speak), he leads the troops; decides where to go, when to go and what to do. The Alpha baboon is the ultimate authority in the group. BUT there is always the known although invisible “second in command”. He is known in the sense that if and when the alpha baboon dies the whole group is well aware of who is going to take over the reins, he is invisible in that for as long as the Alpha baboon is alive he has no authority.

Where am I going with this…

If baboons are capable of having succession plans surely we as humans are more capable. Word on the street is that a certain “young man” is tired and would much rather rest at home than do what he is employed to do. But he cannot go home and rest because there is no succession plan in place.

I know it’s of little help to point out what could have been done differently to avoid such a precarious situation but here are my 2 cents. If this young man as long ago as the 1980’s had decided on an heir, a known but invisible heir, he could have gone to rest 5 years ago with the assurance that things would not fall apart. During this time the blue eyed cadres had much respect (and possibly fear) for the young man and would definitely have respected his decision. The young man who many looked up to once upon a time would have been able to wear his pride like a silver pin on his jacket.

Now many years later the blue eyed cadres have amassed so much wealth and influence that they couldn’t be bothered what the young man has to say. They have divided a once united union into 5 distinct crevices that the young man is now frantically trying to glue together.

Just as baboon Alpha males can have to endure struggles with challenger baboons the young man is constantly having to engage in such battles.

If he had just copied the baboons….