Congirl vs Cavegirl

Perhaps you've heard of "The Hollywood Formula." It's a list of characteristics that, if all are included in a script, should help a movie be successful. The list includes believable characters, some sort of action or conflict, a romantic relationship, a bit of comic relief, and a happy ending. Sometimes one or more of these items is played-down in a screenplay, but rarely are these movies as successful as the ones who include them all. Yet there is one type of movie that consistently does well without the characteristic of romance - The Buddy Flick. Flicks like "Men in Black," "Lethal Weapon," or "Rush Hour". Dudes love 'em, ladies love 'em, and kids love 'em. They are so popular they are almost cliche. But I think buddy flicks are important. I think these big-screen relationships between friends should be considered a window to our paleolithic past...a time when we were solely dependent on our friends and family for our surv...

I recently went on a vacation and I took Claire with me. You may remember about Claire – she is what I call my inner cave girl and she is in charge of my instincts. Normally, I don’t give her much thought…she does her job and I go about my business. But this trip was an all-inclusive cruise, and I thought things might feel more “primitive.” I guessed that social interactions would be less complicated if the exchange of money was removed from the mix. I imagined a week of simple living: being isolated on a boat in-route to some equally isolated islands, and that it would be fun to get a glimpse at things from a cave girl's perspective. But I could not have been more wrong.  The ship was 17 stories tall. It had 3 floors of common dining, 3 public areas (one with two rock-climbing walls and a carousel,) 12 restaurants, 5 bars, 4 theaters, a casino, 5 pools, 6 hot tubs, a track, a gym, an ice skating rink, a few stores, and a professional photography studio. Like Claire might have...

Being a cave-dweller was not easy. Our primal ancestors had to fight for survival each and every day. Even at night there was a very real chance they could be eaten by something bigger than they were, so groups who were able to rely on each other for protection were more successful. These groups most likely had a dominant leader who barked out orders and others followed them. As a result, a “top-down” hierarchy become an effective way for humans to survive. Surprisingly, this simple dominant style of leadership is still a part of our culture in many areas - but since not following a leader’s orders no longer results in death by saber-toothed tiger, there are those modern-day humans who prefer a more evolved style of leadership. I am one of them.           I have never felt completely comfortable in my social surroundings. Sure I had friends growing up, but only because they were socially obligated to hang out with me; we carpooled or o...