I recently conducted an interview for an upcoming podcast with the co-author of the new book See New Now. During the discussion, Jerry de Jaager highlighted one of the chapters in this amazing work entitled The Baboon Reflex. It focuses on a discussion between Robert Sapolsky and the EDGE website.

According to Dr. Sapolsky, “When baboons hunt together they’d love to get as much meat as possible, but they’re not very good at it. The baboon is a much more successful hunter when he hunts by himself than when he hunts in a group because they screw up every time they’re in a group. Say three of them are running as fast as possible after a gazelle, and they’re gaining on it, and they’re deadly. But something goes on in one of their minds—I’m anthropomorphizing here—and he says to himself, “What am I doing here? I have no idea whatsoever, but I’m running as fast as possible, and this guy is running as fast as possible right behind me, and we had one hell of a fight about three months ago. I don’t quite know why we’re running so fast right now, but I’d better just stop and slash him in the face before he gets me.” The baboon suddenly stops and turns around, and they go rolling over each other like Keystone cops and the gazelle is long gone because the baboons just became disinhibited. They get crazed around each other at every juncture.”

Infighting derails the pursuit of happiness? Go on!

That the media would rather cover two baboons clawing at each other is fairly obvious. Turn on any news program of late and it is easy to see how we are all acting like baboons. (No, I’m not calling anyone a monkey). What may not be as obvious is the overall and long-term benefit for those in certain political circles and media outlets when they continually stoke our inner baboon. They seem quite happy inflating and inflaming contentious agitations of race, social status, political affiliation, environmental and economical positions, foreign affairs and other “foreboding threats,” all the while distracting us from the affairs at hand. In the ultimate bait and switch, once preoccupied with the clash (they believe and hope), the electorate will grow disinterested and apathetic towards topics of merit; namely personal liberty embraced by a profoundly free and radiant market.

We have a few hurdles ahead of us as a community and a country, that’s fairly certain. Equally certain we will prevail, survive and ultimately thrive. In the meantime we cannot afford to be distracted and turn our focus away from the issues which matter most to a free people.  As we acquiesce and concede to the diversion, our freedoms are fading away. With each impending disaster, a new decree is issued to save us from ourselves. With each capitulation we grow more captive.

Our democracy is quickly becoming an exercise in distraction. While we battle, they put more laws on the books. While we wrangle, they write more regulations and ram them through Congress. While we argue, they move to amend our Constitution.

In the end, infighting only aids gazelles and governments.