The Modern Caveman

     He moved into position and readied himself…mind focused, eyes sharp.  His heart beat in his chest and he slowed his breathing as he cleared his head of any and all distractions.  What happened in the next few moments meant the difference between life and death.  In just a matter of seconds, he would either prove that he was the man he claimed to be, or he would fail…and possibly lose everything he had ever worked for.

     The moment loomed before him.  As he moved, life slowed.  His entire existence hinged on this.  He leapt into action…springing forth in a swift assault.  His bare feet gripped the soft ground beneath him as he pushed his body weight forward and up.  He twisted, and jerked his arm forward, launching a hand carved spear as he exhaled.  His eyes watched, took in every detail of the next few seconds.  The flight of the spear on its trajectory…the sound of the air around him rushing past his ears as he launched himself….the sweat from his face trickling over his lip, and into his mouth…The muscles of his prey, rippling under its skin as it raced to retreat from this primal hunter.

     And as quickly as it started, it was over.  He stood over his quarry, now lying lifeless at his feet.  Removing his hand carved spear, he looks around.  He is alone with his prize.  But it’s not a thing for sport…he did not kill this animal for the sake of killing…his job was just beginning….

     She looked up as her children squealed and ran past her.  She stood, and watched them run to him.  He approached, skin dark from the sun and covered in dirt.  He dragged behind him the spoils of his hunt.  Without a word, he began to cut the carcass…butcher it and give it to his woman, his children.  His kill would keep them fed for some time…and clothed as well.  The pelt would serve to make clothes or shoes, while the bones would be used for tools or weapons.  He was the provider, the protector…he was the Caveman.

     I like to think that we’ve evolved a lot from those days…that the need to simply meet base needs is not ALL that drives us.  While we as the human race will always work to provide ourselves with the basic needs, our means of doing so have come a LONG way.  Along with such change comes a changing of roles.  Men are not just the hunters and protectors, women no longer only gather and birth children.  But while we have come a long way…I still find that I look to the Caveman at times and think, “He got some things right.”
     
     First of all, Cavemen have the word in their name…MEN.  They were men in the strictest sense of the word.  They were hunters, protectors, meat eating alpha males who provided for their tribes and kept them safe.  Failure to do so meant the death of the tribe or the family.  It was literally a matter of life and death on a daily basis.

     In a world of 'survival of the fittest', the Caveman had to be fearless...had to be violent...had to be the primal man.  His home was constantly threatened by dangerous animals, harsh environments, and other Cavemen that wanted what he had.  His life was hard and in order to survive, he had to be harder than his life.

     When it came to the family or tribe, it was his way or no way at all.  He knew how to survive and he led his tribe specifically for that purpose.  He dictated; he ruled his domain.  And...in that time, it was not only acceptable....it was necessary.

     Today, the Modern Caveman is faced with many of the same challenges of the original Caveman. He faces dangerous animals in the form of terrible drivers, cut-throat co-workers, and bosses from hell. His harsh environments are his workplace, the bar, or just a night out on the town.  And of course, other Cavemen continue to threaten to take what is his.

     And, there are aspects of the Caveman that we cling to still today.  The Modern Caveman is still a hunter.  He still has his single minded focus as he sets out on the hunt.  When the Modern Caveman sets his mind to something....he will not stop until it is his.  He will work tirelessly to attain the job he wants, or save every penny for the car of his dreams...or spend every free moment of his time to see his dreams come to fruition.

     The Modern Caveman will protect what is his.  He will spend hours washing, and waxing his car to the perfect shine.  He will defend his home, his domain...his cave...to the death, or at least install a state of the art security system.  And many times, when the Modern Caveman is threatened...he will fight back.  Alas, many of the Modern Cavemen I see are quick to anger, and sadly....perhaps too quick.

     What can cause such an evolved creature as the Modern Caveman to revert to his primal nature and be so quick to anger?  What can cause the primal Caveman to surface when he has progressed so far in so many other aspects of his life?  There are many things....but among them...one stands above them all.  It is a simple answer that is more complex than life itself.  It has started wars, crumbled nations, and pitted brother against brother for all of time.

     That reason...is Woman.

     When we think of the Caveman, and his interaction with the Cave-woman, it conjures images of a club carrying Neanderthal hitting a woman over the head and dragging her back to his cave.  While I agree that he may have lacked as certain finesse with the ladies…I will say that the Caveman’s treatment of women was rooted in the right place.  Am I saying you should go out and club the prettiest girl you see over the head and try to drag her back to your place? Hell no.  What do you think I am…a Caveman?  When I talk about his treatment of women, I’m talking more about his attitudes toward them.  The “WHY” behind how he viewed the creature that is woman.

      

     To the Caveman, the woman was a beautiful and magical creature.  She kept the home while he was out hunting.  She created life.  She raised the children.  Where the Caveman was so focused and skilled at the hunt and the protection of his woman, She had the ability to multitask…to show compassion, to be the heart of the tribe.  These were things the Caveman knew he needed but could not posses without her.  Therefore, he cherished his woman.  And he would do anything to provide for her and protect her.

      

     That’s the part he had right…the cherishing.  I think it’s something the modern Caveman doesn’t do enough.  We hunt.  We focus on the prize…the goal.  And more often than not, today’s Caveman sees the Woman as the prize itself.  In doing so…when he gets the prize…he no longer puts the effort into her.  He doesn’t cherish her as the Caveman cherished his woman.

     So what does it all mean?  It means that deep down...we all have a little Caveman still lurking inside us.  I don't see it as something to be ashamed of.  I think we should embrace the fact that we are Modern Cavemen.  Be strong...be a man.  Go get what you want....hunt it down until it is yours...and if you're lucky enough to have a woman in your life...cherish your woman.  Because let's face it....without women, we are just a bunch of Modern Cavemen.

Sarge,
Out