The Bonobos

Image Source: http://www.primates.co.uk/bonobos/bonobos-sexual.html

I am willing to bet 'bonobo' is not the first word which comes to mind when I mention 'sex'. More probable would be words such as pleasure, enjoyment, or maybe words like procreate or reproduce. I would also be willing to bet the term 'conflict resolution' did not come close to entering your mind. Maybe it is time that we, as civilized humans, re-evaluate our ideologies on the matter of sex and begin utilizing its benefits for the betterment of mankind.

We would serve well to sit back, relax, and take note of the uninhibited lifestyle of the Bonobo, also known as the Pygmy Chimpanzee. Why the Bonobo you ask? Humans and the Bonobo apes share slightly over 98% of the same DNA; no other two species come closer. But the extraordinary likeness of the DNA is not the main stimulus we should focus on. The every day life of these Congo inhabitants is much more fascinating.

This species, discovered in 1929 by Ernst Schwarz, a German anatomist, substitutes sex for conflict. They welcome the opportunity to gather for a quick rendezvous in the trees, and the gender of the companion is of no special concern. They do, however, prefer members who are not of immediate family status. The Bonobos partake in sexual liaisons for enjoyment as well as reproductive purposes - all the time. Sexual encounters are sought after by the Bonobos to maintain peace and harmony by defusing social tensions which may arise throughout the day. Instead of harboring feelings of animosity toward one another, which only creates a negative surrounding, they prefer a "quickie" which quickly alleviates any disagreement and, somehow, solves problems.

If you are wondering how this new insight may help us humans to resolve conflict, here are a couple of experiments for you to try. The next time you are patiently waiting in a long grocery store line and some creep just walks up in front of you, don't get mad - commence to having sex and you will be amazed at how quickly your anger dissipates. Of course, I would recommend purchasing a handful or more of condoms, depending on how many lines you wait in; we wouldn't want to create a problem whilst we are trying to solve one.

If handled in the proper manner, road rage could soon become a thing of the past. But we must be careful; some people go to great lengths to engage in sexual activities and would take to running people off the road just for this purpose. So, some lines would have to be drawn and I leave that up to society to determine.

Imagine for a moment, if you will, what the current situation in Iraq would be if only George Bush, Jr. and Osama Bin Laden had taken some lessons from our closest animal relative. For thousands upon thousands of years we have been going through the process of obtaining world peace all wrong. I suggest we all try something different. Who knows? A quickie here, there and everywhere just might make all the difference in the world! If for some reason my theory proves illogical, just think of all the fun we had trying.Not to mention all of the trillions of dollars and precious lives saved by not going off to war.