I was a tree climber in southern BC for 9 years. Every day I went to work with my crew, identified my victim and used all my skills and resources until my victim was dead and gone. Then my crew and I went to the bar or parking lot to celebrate our victory. For nine years I set out with my crew, defeated the enemy and returned.

This was a very manly job. It felt great. Why?

The way of man is the way of the tribe. We are programmed to hunt. To conquer. To protect the tribe and to fend off enemies.  We have always needed to sharpen our skills/weapons, develop our methods and protect what is most important to us.  If we do not, we die. Men have always needed to be this way. There have been many threats. Beasts, other tribes, natural threats like weather events or seasons among many other things that can wipe us and our tribe out.

Its has been like this for all of human history.  All history except modern. The internet was invented the same year I was born in 1983. I remember the ‘new computer lab’ in school growing up. Two generations ago immigrants took wooden boats powered by nothing but the wind across the oceans to discover new land. The automobile was invented in 1885 and only brought to common use in the past 100 years.  Luxuries have taken a huge leap only very recently. We need to acknowledge this!

Humans have been around more than 2.5 million years. If a football field length represented human history most or our modern comforts have been around for about 6 inches. This is hardly long enough for us to evolve to this new reality of creature comforts.

This short time has not changed the building blocks of our brains. We are still conditioned to hunt. To kill. To conquer. We are still men of the tribe. If you are a weak hunter, a poor protector or cannot bring resources in or be of value to the tribe you will be alienated at best and more likely, one way or another, die.

Only recently have men been able to be weak, stupid, lazy, unfit, cowards and still quite easily be able to have a nice car, a good house, earn an average salary and raise a family successfully.

There are simply no threats to the modern man. The worst threat is poverty and in our culture even poverty has the government to help out.

We cannot suppress who we really are. We can be distracted by worldly things like possessions or addictions that numb us but we will always be cavemen of the tribe. This lack of threats leads men to create conflicts that modern culture snuffs. Men create ways to be tribesmen.  We create enemies. We create gangs. We create us versus them. The other side of the fence, different nationalities and people with different beliefs. We establish borders and we guard them with our strongest hand. We are naturally drawn to the way of the caveman.

For the past 3.5 years I have worked in a leadership role within the government.  My job was managing people. I find developing people is very fulfilling. However, after some time I discovered all the broad stroked rules of the unions that made everyone equal, the red tape of the union exempt employees limited creativity and creates limitations to trim fat where needed and develop the strong.  Essentially discovering that if one decided to, one could show up, do the bare minimum (or less) and collect a very generous paycheque.

There was no need to hunt, no one trying to conquer me, no beasts, no enemy and no risk. No threats except one. Being laid off.  Something I had absolutely no control over. I had no need to hunt and I had an uncontrollable threat. I started to feel numb.

I was growing my business successfully on the side. This gave me great joy. Very part time. I became a weekend warrior savoring micro kills when able. With a wonderful wife and a perfect daughter, these girls lit my fire to be a better man.  A tribe to protect. A tribe to bring resources to. A tribe to hunt for.  Keeping a happy healthy family takes energy. So when my real estate business started to bear fruit I realized my unmatched return on my energy there.  I had the ability and purpose to set out on a mission, hunt the deal, execute a plan and bring home the kill.

This fed my cave man reptilian fire to be a man. I had my ‘why’ in focus.  A man with a strong enough ‘why’ can brave any ‘how’. Call me dumb or call me brave, I quit my job.

I am now set loose on the world. I now think about everything differently.  I’m wiser with my resources. I’m being more frugal. I’m more careful about my tactics. More thorough risk calculation. I’ve found better hunting grounds. I moved to a larger city. I’ve grown my tribe. My move put me closer to family.  And through studying, coaching, reading, practice and experience I’ve sharpened my hunting skills.

I’m aligning my life with my personal values and the way my brain has been programmed.  To hunt and protect for my tribe. To live the way of the man. The way of the tribe. The way of the caveman.

I quit my job to become a caveman.

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Brendan