Being The Alpha by Owen Grady
Chapter 2: If We Could Talk to Animals
Remember the story of Dr. Dolittle, the man who was able to speak and understand the language of any animal he happened to meet? From the Hugh Lofting books to the 1928 silent film, to the thirties radio series, to the 1967 movie musical and seventies cartoons, to the blockbuster Eddie Murphy comedies, this wonderful tale and its main character have appealed to children and adults generation after generation. Just think of the countless worlds that would be unlocked if we saw things as animals see them. Imagine looking down at the earth through the eyes of a soaring bird, moving through life in three dimensions like a whale, or "seeing" the world through sound waves, the way bats do. Who hasn't dreamed of such thrilling possibilities? The attraction of the Dr. Dolittle story is that it brings animals to life, in big-screen living color.
What would you say if I told you that Doctor Dolittle's secret was more than just creative fiction?
Perhaps you're imagining this secret from a human perspective.
You're wondering if I'm telling you that there's a verbal way to talk with animals, perhaps with the use of a phrase book that translates your language into theirs. What would their languages look like, sound like, you wonder? What words would it include? Would you have to shout the translations, or could you whisper them? Would you have to learn how to bark, whimper, hiss or squawk? Sniff a dog's behind? And how would the animal answer you back? How would you translate what he was saying? As you can see, creating a animal-to-human phrase book, or even an animal-to-animal phrase book—the way, say, an English-to-Spanish phrase book is created—would be a very complicated effort indeed.
Wouldn't it be simpler if there was a universal language that every species could understand? "Impossible," you say. "Even human beings don't all speak the same language!" True, but that hasn't kept people from trying to find a common language for centuries. In the ancient world, all the higher-class, educated people learned Greek. That way, they could all read and understand the most important documents. In the medieval era, anybody who was anybody knew how to read and write Latin.
Today, English is at the top of the language food chain. Growing up in California, right near the Mexican border, I saw people learn this the hard way. Believe me, if you're not born speaking it, English is a monster of a language to learn from scratch—yet everyone from the Chinese to the Russians now accept it as the international language of business. Humans have sought other ways to breach the language barrier. No matter what language you speak, if you're blind, you can use Braille. If you're deaf, you can understand any other deaf person using International Sign Language. Mathematics and computer languages cross many linguistic borders and allow humans of different tongues to converse easily with one another, thanks to the power of technology.
If humans can succeed in designing these collective languages, can't we create a way to converse with the other species on the planet? Isn't there a language we can learn that means the same thing to every creature?
Good news! I'm happy to report that the universal language of Doctor Dolittle already exists. And humans didn't invent it. It's a language all animals speak without even knowing it, including the human animal. What's more, all animals are actually born knowing this language instinctually. Even human beings are fluent in this universal tongue, but we tend to forget that we are because we are trained from childhood to believe that words are the only way to communicate. The irony is, even though we don't think we know the language anymore, we are actually speaking it all the time. Unknowingly, we are broadcasting in this tongue 24-7! Other species of animals can still understand us, even though we may not have a clue how to understand them. They read us loud and clear, even when we're unaware that we're communicating!
This truly universal, interspecies language is called energy.
Energy in the Wild
How can energy be a language? Let me give you some examples. In many situations, different animal species intermingle effortlessly. Looking out my office window, now, I can see a large watering hole where different plant eaters, such as sauropods, dryosaurs and stegosaurs, wandering around, happily drinking out of the same crystal-clear pond. All is peaceful, despite the many different species sharing the same space. How do they all get along so smoothly? And for a smaller example, in our Cuban Canopy, we have macaws, ivory-billed woodpeckers, hummingbirds, solenodons, even iguanas and tree frogs, all happily coexisting. There's no trouble until someone wanders off the path.
Why? Because all these animals are communicating with the same relaxed, balanced, non-confrontational energy. Every animal knows that all the other animals are just hanging out, doing their own thing—drinking water, foraging for food, relaxing, grooming one another. Everybody's feeling mellow and no one's attacking anyone else. Unlike us, they don't have to ask one another how they're feeling. The energy they are projecting tells them everything they need to know. In that sense, they are speaking to one another, all the time.
Now that you've got this peaceful vision in your mind, imagine this: Suddenly, a new animal enters your backyard, or approaches our imaginary jungle waterhole, projecting a completely different energy. This new energy could be something as minor as one macaw trying to steal another's fruit, or a camptosaur jockeying another camptosaur for a better drinking position at the oasis. It could also be as serious as a male stegosaur challenging another male to a territorial fight. Ever notice how a whole group of peaceful animals can turn scared or defensive in an instant, sometimes even before a predator has shown itself on the scene? They probably got a whiff of its scent—but it's also probable that they sensed the energy the predator was projecting.
What's always amazing to me about the animal kingdom is that even if a predator is near, all the other animals can usually tell if it's safe to stay around it or not. Imagine being introduced to a man you knew to be a serial killer. Would you be able to relax in his presence? Of course not! But if you were another kind of animal on this planet, you would probably be able to sense whether the serial killer was on the prowl or simply kicking back. Animals immediately recognize when a predator is projecting a hunting energy, sometimes even before they spot the predator itself. As humans, we are so often blind to these nuances in animal energy—we think a raptor is dangerous at all times, when, really, if he's just eaten a three-hundred pound meal, he's probably more tired than treacherous. The moment his tummy gets empty, however, he's a different animal—all instinct, all survival energy. Even the smallest of animals will pick up on this subtle difference. Yet we humans tend to be blind to what, in the animal kingdom, is pretty much a flashing red light.
Here's an example of animal energy that folks who live in the American South can probably relate to. On a sunny day in Florida, Louisiana, or the Carolinas, you'll see giant alligators sunning their leathery bodies on the banks of swamps—all over expensive, exclusive golf courses! Meanwhile, golfers are teeing off a few feet away. Herons and cranes and turtles are happily sunning themselves right next to these terrifying reptiles. Eighty-pound old ladies are walking their teacup-size dogs on footpaths just inches from the alligators' swamp. What's going on here? It's simple. The other animals—from the turtles to the teacup Chihuahuas—are aware, on an instinctual level, that these fearsome predators aren't in a hunting mode at the moment. One thing you can be sure of—when the same big creature's tummy starts to rumble and his energy shifts into hunting mode, the rest of the animals will be gone in the blink of an eye. Except maybe the golfers. But they are one of the strangest species in nature, and even modern science hasn't figured them out yet.
Energy in Humans
When it comes to energy, we humans have much more in common with animals than we usually like to admit. Imagine one of the most ruthless jungles in the human world—the high school cafeteria. Picture it as a watering hole where different species—in this case, the cliques of jocks, nerds, and stoners—peacefully intermingle. Then a bully "accidentally" bumps into a smaller guy's food tray. The energy released by that interaction will ripple right through the entire room. Ask your teenager if this isn't true. And exactly as in the animal kingdom, this energy shift doesn't even have to be as blatant as a shove. Let's say the little guy in the cafeteria is having a really bad day. He's failed two tests in a row, he's worried about his sick mom, he's found out his girlfriend's cheating on him with his brother; in short, he is in a weak state of mind. He happens to look up and accidentally catch the eye of the bully. Maybe the bully was just minding his own business, but as soon as he picks up on the weaker guy's diminished energy, the whole dynamic between them changes in a split second. In the animal kingdom, that's called survival of the fittest.
Let's take this concept beyond the school lunchroom and think about our society as whole. Right or wrong, we in America expect our leaders to project a dominant, powerful energy, like that of a Bill Clinton or a Ronald Reagan. Some powerful leaders project a charismatic energy that infects and energizes everyone around them—consider Tony Robbins. Martin Luther King, Jr., projected an energy that was what I call "calm-assertive"—the ideal energy for a leader. Though Gandhi was also a leader, his energy was of a more compassionate nature.
It's interesting to note that Homo sapiens is the only species on the planet that will follow a wise, kind, compassionate, or lovable leader. Humans will even follow an unstable leader, but that's another book in itself! As difficult as it may be for us to understand, in the animal kingdom, a Fidel Castro would win out as leader over a Mother Teresa any day. In the animal world, there is no morality, no right and wrong. Conversely, animals never cheat or lie their way to power—they can't. Other animals would figure them out in a heartbeat. Nature's leaders must project the most obvious and uncontestable strength and skill. In the animal kingdom, there are only rules, routines, and rituals—based on survival of the strongest, not of the smartest or fairest.
What Makes An Alpha?
Now that I have explained the powerful "language" of energy, I have to help you understand what energy an alpha has, or needs. It takes only a few seconds to determine what kind of energy you are projecting, so it's important that an alpha's energy has to be consistent. The best energy an alpha needs to project what I call "calm-assertive" energy at all times. A calm-assertive leader is relaxed but always confident that he or she is in control.
Now, the word assertive has gotten an unfair bad rap lately. Maybe it's because it is so similar to the word aggressive, but their meanings are worlds apart. Think of people in popular culture. No matter if you agree with his politics (I personally don't), you've got to admit that Bill O'Reilly is angry-aggressive. He yells "Shut up!," interrupts other people when they are speaking, and tries to get his way through bullying. In most everyday situations, being angry-aggressive can work against you—it's simply not an energy-efficient way to get things done, and it's really not good for your blood pressure. Worse, using aggression for every problem you face is a sign of a poor psychological state and an inability to read the emotions of others. In short, an angry-aggressive type would not make a good alpha because the others in the pack would perceive him as mentally unstable.
I haven't come across many people who are "calm-aggressive" in my job, though I suppose you could describe Hannibal Lecter that way—he's talking about how he killed someone and ate their liver in the manner most people describe what they had for lunch. In any case, "calm-aggressive" is not an energy state that's natural to the nonhuman creatures in the animal kingdom.
But calm-assertive personalities? They are the leaders of the animal world. In our human landscape, they are few and far between, but they are almost always the most powerful, impressive, and successful people on the block, both now and in history; consider Martin Luther King Jr. or, today, Oprah Winfrey. They are relaxed, eventempered, but undeniably powerful, and always in charge. People everywhere respond to their magnetic energy, which makes them influential and successful. If you're looking for a role model in calm-assertive energy, turn your channel to The Oprah Winfrey Show and watch her interact with her guests and her audience. That's the kind of energy an alpha has. That's how they interact with their pack.
Fake It Till You Make It
What if you're not naturally a calm-assertive person? How do you react when a problem pops up? Are you panicky and excitable, or defensive and aggressive? Do you tend to handle problems as if they were a personal assault upon you? It's true that energy doesn't lie, but energy and power can be focused and controlled. Biofeedback, meditation, yoga, and other relaxation techniques are excellent for learning about how to better control the energy you project. Spending eight years in intensive judo training as a boy made controlling my mental energy second nature for me. If you're high-strung, anxious, or overly emotional—dead giveaways when animals are reading your energy—such techniques can make a big difference for an alpha. Learning to harness the power of the calm-assertive energy within you will also have a positive impact on your own mental health—and on your relationships with the humans in your lives. I guarantee it.
There are a lot of wonderful animal behaviourists and psychologists who have influenced me. Some of the behaviourists who have most influenced me are Jane Goodall, Desmond Morris, Sarah Harding and George Schaller. Psychological theories such as those pioneered by Daniel Kahneman and Walter Mischel are also excellent tools for transforming the way you relate in the world.
Calm-Submissive Energy
The proper energy for a follower in a pack is called calm-submissive energy. This is the healthiest energy for a follower to project in a relationship with an alpha. When people see me working with my animals, they are often astounded at how mellow a group of raptors can be 90 percent of the time. That's because the pack is made up of calm-submissive, mentally balanced animals.
The word submissive carries with it negative connotations, just as the word assertive does; possibly due to its use in certain sexual kinks (damn you, E.L James!). Submissive doesn't mean pushover. It doesn't mean you have to make someone into a zombie or a slave. It simply means relaxed and receptive. It's the energy of a group of well-behaved students in a classroom, or of a church congregation. When I give my behavior seminars, I always thank my audience for being in a calm-submissive state—that is, open-minded and able to converse easily with one another.
For a pack to truly communicate, the lower-ranking member must project a calm-submissive energy before an alpha can get them to obey him. Even when a pack member is hunting, he's not assertive—he's active-submissive. Though that pack member is sprinting through the environment, pursuing the prey, the alpha will first sit the pack down and wait until they are in a submissive state of mind, and only then will give them the signal to begin the hunt.
Body Language
Any member of a pack is constantly observing another, reading their energy. However, they are also reading their body language. Animals use body language as another means of communicating with one another, but it's important to remember that their body language is also a function of the energy they're projecting. Energy feeds the body language, and in turn, the body language reinforces the energy. The two are always interconnected.
Animals learn to interpret the body language of others by the visual clues he or she gives you, but it's important to remember that different energy can determine the context of a posture. It's like those pesky words called homonyms in English—words that sound exactly the same but mean different things. Like read and red, or flee and flea. For the non-native English speaker (or, indeed, the dyslexic), it takes a little while to learn how to distinguish between such words. But of course, it all comes down to context. How a word is used is what determines its meaning. It's the same with dogs and body language. A raptor baring his throat may be signalling calm submission, which is the appropriate energy for a follower in a pack. Or, he may be signalling that he is afraid. One raptor nipping another may signal dominance, or it may simply be play behavior. The energy always creates the context.
May I Sniff You?
As I mention earlier, for some animals, scent can also function as a language. For most mammals, their nose—millions of times more sensitive than yours—provides him with a huge amount of important information about his environment and the other animals in it. In nature, a mammal's anal scent is his "name." When most mammals meet, they'll sniff each other as a way of introduction. Since they don't have phone books, these animals can tell other animals where they live and where they've roamed by urinating on a "signpost"—a bush, a tree, a rock, or a pole. When a female is in heat, she'll deposit her scent through urine all throughout her territory, placing a kind of personal ad for the male animals in the neighbourhood (This, most notoriously, applies to pet dogs, admirers of whom who may show up on her owner's doorstep the following morning, without her poor human owner knowing how in the world they got "invited.") Through scent, animals can also find out if another animal is sick or what kind of food it has been eating. As in the studies of dogs and their ability to "sniff" out emotional changes in humans, scientists have for many years been trying to understand the miraculous power of the animal nose to discern all sorts of subtle information. In September 2004, the British Medical Journal published the results of a Cambridge University study that proved that dogs could "sniff out" bladder cancer in urine samples at least 41 percent of the time. For years, there had been anecdotal evidence of such miraculous feats, but now science is actively working to research how dogs can help detect diseases at much earlier stages than even some high-tech equipment can detect it.
You know those whole-body CT scan machines, where you lie down for a few moments and supposedly get a complete diagnosis of all your bodily systems? That's pretty much what animals do when they first meet each other. They use their noses to give you a whole-body scan, check you out, find out where you've been and what you've been doing lately. It's good etiquette to let them do it. With my raptors, when a new raptor enters the pack's territory, it is only polite for him to remain still while everybody in the pack comes up and smells him. If he stands quietly, allowing the others to finish sniffing, he will be accepted more easily into the pack. If he moves away, the others will chase him around until they're done sniffing. A sign that an animal is antisocial toward others is that they are uncomfortable or aggressive about being sniffed. Those are animals that haven't learned any manners—like a human who won't shake hands upon introduction. When a person enters the gate of the pen and walks through the pack, they will do the same thing to her. That's the only way they can become comfortable with a new animal of any species—by learning to distinguish her by her scent. I'm not "Owen" to the raptors. I'm their pack leader, which is Owen's scent and energy.
However, while smelling me is a way for them to recognize me, projecting the correct energy is the key to becoming a good alpha. We'll go deeper into the alpha concept—it is the cornerstone of many healthy relationships. But first, it's important to remember that an animal doesn't see the world the same way you do. Once you learn to experience an animal as an animal first, and not as a differently-shaped human, you will be better able to understand their "language" of energy—and truly "hear" what they are saying to you.
Here's an extract from Being the Alpha, Owen Grady's book which we last saw mentioned (and of which Nathan possesses a copy) in Chapter 1. The book is largely based on Cesar's Way, because I (like many others) noted similarities between Owen and Cesar Milan (both being people who have developed a respect and connection with animals most people would consider dangerous.