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China 11C. Wild Man, first domesticated Animal

Domestic services used to tame

Of course once the man was hanging around waiting for sexual opportunities, the early female may have provided other advantages associated with homemaking, possibly including cooking and comfort, that could have lured the man to stay close to the nest to provide services. The male focus on the hunt probably limited his plant gathering ability. Thus his diet would have been nutritionally deficient without the woman to assist in the accumulation and preparation of food.

Man tamed by woman

Hence in all probability the first animal that woman was domesticated was man. Of course this is in direct opposition to the patriarchal Biblical story. However we see this theme in a diversity of sources including Rudyard Kipling, Mark Twain, and the Tarot Cards through the card of Strength. It is also explicitly dealt with in the book Taming Your Beast.

Domestication of the male continues

Let it be pointed out domestication was in not ways permanent, but was ongoing. The wild side of the male was always at risk of emerging. Although dogs have been disassociated with the Pack for 10,000 years they still exhibit pack behavior and must be further domesticated after birth. In a similar way with men. They need to be constantly tamed or they have a tendency to go wild. Hence it was to the advantage of the mothers to transmit as much Tribe consciousness as she could before her sons became Hunters, hanging out with the other semi-wild men of the tribe. Hence the male was domesticated from his predatory wildness by mother-love and all the advantages that the female could provide. Left to himself the male could easily neglect his tribal duties, including protection and cultural transmission. The Wild Male would just as soon be off Hunting with his buddies, except for the cultural conditioning of his mother combined with the domestic advantages provided by the female in exchange for his services.

The Balance of Wild and Tamed

Another modern aside: while the woman domesticates the man, normally she doesnÕt want a sheep. For one a sheep isnÕt very good at protection; also they arenÕt very interesting. Hence while the womanÕs thrust is to tame the wild man, she doesnÕt want him too tame. Thus, in terms of the woman, the true goal is to bring the man to the edge of Wild and Tame. He will be a better hunter, protector, and more unpredictable, and therefore more interesting if he is a bit wild.

On the cusp of Wild and Tame

On the male side, the tendency to be tamed must be mitigated against wildness. Males that have the potential to be tamed have been chosen for, while those with no potential for taming were probably excluded from the tribe and then eventually didnÕt breed. But this was probably a much later development. However part of the cultural conditioning for the man is the tendency to be tamed by the woman. This tendency must be mitigated for the good of the relationship. The Tamed Man is totally conditioned and predictable, hence has difficulty adapting, while the Wild Man is unconditioned and unpredictable, hence undependable. Thus the cusp of wild and tame is where we want to dwell.

Tai Chi: Raw and Refined Wild Energy

In terms of TÕai Chi, the repetition of the form is the taming of the raw wild energy. While the wild energy is drained of its excesses, simultaneously it is stored and focused. The raw wild energy becomes refined. Hence the wild energy is channeled rather than dissipated like it might be in sex. Of course as the wild energy is focused, it also becomes incredibly attractive to the woman. This is why Tripitaka in The Journey to the West was so attractive that women sought to steal his unpolluted Yang essence in numerous circumstances. This is what Master Ni was referring to when he said that as two demons are fed when one does TÕai Chi, the demon of the crotch and the demon of the brain.

Sex and dissipation

Briefly the Taoists, with the Buddhists in congruence for other reasons, feel that ejaculation drains the male of his vital bodily fluids. With too many ejaculations a man imperils his health, shortens his life, and seriously diminishes his vital power or chi. This is why Tripitaka always avoided these sexual encounters. He needed to retain his vital yang essence in order to have enough power to finish his mission-quest. Hence while these pre-tribal women were able to bind the male to the family through sex, too much sex would drain him of the necessary energy to perform his very important duties. Hence as always a balance was needed between tamed and wild. Enough for now.

 

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