There were 3 Neanderthals, Uhg, Ooof and Raag. Raag spent most of his time up on the hilltop watching the movements and recording the patterns of the wooly mammoths and deer below. Ooof spent his time making clubs and moving rocks around. Uhg spent his pro-creating with Bertha Lou. One day they found they were low on food and held a meeting. “What are we to do?” asked Ooof. We will starve over the winter if we cannot find meat to eat!”, he exclaimed. Raaf said, “I will tell you where the food is if you go get it and bring it back. Then you can keep 1/10th and I shall have the rest.”. Ooof said that it was not fair for him to assume all the risks for only 1/10th of the food. Raag said that was true but that if Ooof did not agree to the terms then he would not tell them where the food was and they would all starve. Raag knew that even if Ooof refused, he could eventually convince another to agree. Ooof asked, “and what of Uhg and all of his children? They need to eat as well.”. Raag said that Ooof must feed Ooof’s clan out of his 1/10th as well. Although he resented the arrangement, Ooof eventually agreed and the cycle repeated over and over again throughout the years with Ooof and Uhg barely getting by while Raag amassed a vast stockpile of spare food hidden in a cave. Eventually, a time came when the animals were scarce and too far away to be hunted. Raag was not worried because he had stored plenty to survive for many years. However, Ooof became worried and asked Raaf what they were to do. Raaf said, “I will let you eat some of my food but when the animals return, you must repay me twice what I let you have from your usual 1/10th. He said that he would cut Ooof off should he not repay as agreed. Again Ooof resented the arrangement but knew that without it they would starve. He also knew that if any harm came to Raaf, they would starve still so he became Raaf’s protector from the others that resented the deal as well. So Raaf lived like a king, Ooof continued to risk his life and did all the work while Uhg copulated increasing the strain on the food supply but they all survived. No one disrupted this arrangement because although they thought it unfair, it did indeed work. Occasionally, when one would ask Raaf how to find the food, he would give them false information or refuse to answer altogether. Raaf passed his knowledge on down to his children. This is called LEVERAGE. It is how the world works. Although it is based on the greed of the individual, it works. It would also have worked if Raag had shared his information and worked cooperatively but he was unwilling to give up his virtual guarantee of prosperity. He knew that if they if all had sat on the hill and recorded, they would starve, if they all hunted, they would find nothing and if they all followed Uhgs example, well…. You already know they moral of the story…. RBW
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 18:13:09 +0000