At about two to three years of age, young lions are no longer tolerated by their family, the pride. Their mothers are usually ready for their next litter of cubs, which often drives them out to become nomads. This is mostly the case for young males who attain sexual maturity. Some females, however, are forced out as well; if the pride is too large and has difficulty supporting itself, they will also be kicked out to become nomads.
This driving out of young lions is vital to the survival of the pride. For females, it keeps the pride at a size that requires less support. For males, there are two other advantages. First, there is less competition for the prime male over mating in the pride. Second, it helps avoid incest. By leaving the pride, the young males will move to mate with other lionesses rather than those related to them, thus the gene pool is kept healthy.
Nomadic life usually consists of a period of scavenging and wandering over a large area until the young lion is ready to join another pride. For females, this means inclusion. They may be included in a new pride once they have come into estrus (in heat) and are mated by another male. For males, it means conquering; though their story tend to be more dramatic.
Upon leaving, young male lions either roam alone or in small bands ― often with their brothers or cousins. At such age, their only option is to survive the unknown lands or perish. In fact, this is the time when most of them die; only about one in eight male lions make it to adulthood.
Those who do survive and find a new territory have to take over another pride. This means fighting with the resident males ― frequently to death. That’s yet another evolutionary challenge for them to stay alive.
As such, when a male lion goes through all such troubles and finally makes it, he ends up by being a fit, strong, intelligent, and skilled leader. Only then is he ready and capable of having his own pride and protect it; only then can he become the King of the Jungle. This is how lions come to grow and become the fierce majestic creatures they are.
The other, slightly darker side of the coin regarding evolution is that when males take over a new pride, they usually kill all the cubs. Not because they are heartless, ferocious monsters. But because as long as the cubs are alive, the mother will not be receptive to mating. The males care about passing on their genes and will not spend energy on cubs who are not biologically related to them. Lions do not play the step-father game. So killing the little ones in such cases is for the sake of evolution and to propagate their own species. It is known that 75 percent of lion cubs tend to die at young age.
Note that lions are the only big cats to live in family units. This group social structure increases the chance for successful hunt while providing protection to the cubs. All others big cats live solitary lives except when breeding or raising their young ones.
Other reflective pieces involving animals are The Parable of the Elephant and The Parable Of The Cow: You Are Not Your Thoughts. There is also the latest more spiritual one The Parable of the Nugget of Truth.
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| The No-Mad Lunatic |
The saga of the young big cats, used here as an allegory, deals with one of the main problems facing many young humans: Never getting the chance to be nomad lions. They leave the pride ― the family home ― only to get married and to start a family of their own without exploring unknown territories or experiencing true independence.
This usually happens when young ones cannot afford to live by themselves or to travel away from their home towns/cities/countries. Others are possibly are afraid to leave their comfort zone of familiarity, so they end up by settling for certainty; for the safety of the territories they already know. In the process, they could lose their individuality while grow up to become another replica of their parents ― as explored in Who Are We?.
A third group are those who have controlling parents who force them to stay, either by threatening to cut them off or by using emotional blackmail to dominate them. Yes, this does and still happens today... in the human world. Such infantilisation is caused by the attachment of the parents to their offspring. More about that is covered in On Love and Attachment as well as What is Fear of Abandonment and How to Overcome It.
You see, unlike love, attachment is selfish. Many parents want the children to have the life they have imagined for them, which, oftentimes, contradicts what the “children” may have in mind. So they attempt to dominate and control them. Oh and “children” is quoted because some can be in their 20s if not 30s. This is a grave problem because over the years the young ones become conditioned that they are dependent on the parents’ control, likely rendering them susceptible to becoming weak, unhappy adults who lack a healthy dose of confidence and self-esteem.
Other parenting articles are The Parents Dilemma, Dear Single Parents, Do Parents Know Best When it Comes to Our Life Choices?. So much for someone who isn’t a parent, huh. Ha.
In the more recent Rebel in the Rye: a Personalised Review of J. D. Salinger’s Life, the complex relationship between father and son in particular is discussed.
There is likewise the more personal Why I Choose to Remain a Non-Dad for Now — Reflections on Being Childless.
As we have seen, the sudden transition from a young, dependent member of a pride to a pride leader doesn’t give the necessary strength, confidence, perseverance, or tools needed to endure a novel life away from the family. How would they know how to properly take care of their own pride if they haven’t tried taking care of themselves first?
Similarly, in the human world, without surviving the unknown and conquering [some] difficulties, the young do not get to know their true selves nor discover their full potential. The lack of experience tends to render them feeble, unfit, and insecure to be successful family leaders. This consequently causes significant amount of distress to their relationship and new life, which in many instances leads to unhappiness and divorce.
Lion or Man, to be the King of the Jungle, well-worthy of the title, one has to first wander like a nomad. This is the natural course of things. This has always been the Tao.
This usually happens when young ones cannot afford to live by themselves or to travel away from their home towns/cities/countries. Others are possibly are afraid to leave their comfort zone of familiarity, so they end up by settling for certainty; for the safety of the territories they already know. In the process, they could lose their individuality while grow up to become another replica of their parents ― as explored in Who Are We?.
A third group are those who have controlling parents who force them to stay, either by threatening to cut them off or by using emotional blackmail to dominate them. Yes, this does and still happens today... in the human world. Such infantilisation is caused by the attachment of the parents to their offspring. More about that is covered in On Love and Attachment as well as What is Fear of Abandonment and How to Overcome It.
You see, unlike love, attachment is selfish. Many parents want the children to have the life they have imagined for them, which, oftentimes, contradicts what the “children” may have in mind. So they attempt to dominate and control them. Oh and “children” is quoted because some can be in their 20s if not 30s. This is a grave problem because over the years the young ones become conditioned that they are dependent on the parents’ control, likely rendering them susceptible to becoming weak, unhappy adults who lack a healthy dose of confidence and self-esteem.
Other parenting articles are The Parents Dilemma, Dear Single Parents, Do Parents Know Best When it Comes to Our Life Choices?. So much for someone who isn’t a parent, huh. Ha.
In the more recent Rebel in the Rye: a Personalised Review of J. D. Salinger’s Life, the complex relationship between father and son in particular is discussed.
There is likewise the more personal Why I Choose to Remain a Non-Dad for Now — Reflections on Being Childless.
As we have seen, the sudden transition from a young, dependent member of a pride to a pride leader doesn’t give the necessary strength, confidence, perseverance, or tools needed to endure a novel life away from the family. How would they know how to properly take care of their own pride if they haven’t tried taking care of themselves first?
Similarly, in the human world, without surviving the unknown and conquering [some] difficulties, the young do not get to know their true selves nor discover their full potential. The lack of experience tends to render them feeble, unfit, and insecure to be successful family leaders. This consequently causes significant amount of distress to their relationship and new life, which in many instances leads to unhappiness and divorce.
Lion or Man, to be the King of the Jungle, well-worthy of the title, one has to first wander like a nomad. This is the natural course of things. This has always been the Tao.
“Ah! Young people, travel if you can, and if you cannot ― travel all the same!”
― Jules Verne
― Jules Verne
ALSO VIEW:
The Parable of the Elephant
The Parable Of The Cow: You Are Not Your Thoughts,
The Parable of the Nugget of Truth
Dear Single Parents
Do Parents Know Best When it Comes to Our Life Choices?
The Parents Dilemma
Why I Choose to Remain a Non-Dad for Now — Reflections on Being Childless
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