..from fear. Folks whose ideas or beliefs are different have always been afraid of the other. Fear breeds intolerance and violence as a response to different beliefs. Strip away the clothing, the homes and the rest and you have a bunch of naked animals, of varying intelligence preying on each other. Yes - preying.

Getting a job, making money, starting a family, buying a home all are part of staking your claim in the world. If someone comes along who disagrees with your faith, looks different and encroaches on your territory, it triggers a negative, emotional and violent response.

When one or more animals are feeble or weak they learn to gather together in packs to survive from the more powerful animals. The wolf cannot singlehandedly deal with a bear and so the wolf gathers among his own kind to attack in a pack.

Here the big game can be identified by how many predator packs they have seeking them out. For example TB's prolific posting is a threat by its perceived ability to sway others to his beliefs. This is a threat to the pack. He perseveres like a bear and only gets bogged down when the wolves gather en masse and even he can't answer all the bared fangs and drooling mouths.

A Johannes or a Lindy is a threat not on their prolific nature, but by the devotion to their beliefs. Any identified animal that does not conform to others beliefs and is perceived to encroach is a potential danger and will generally trigger a hostile response, ridicule or isolation - anything to diminish any influence their convictions may have on others.

So here we see people behaving not much better than animals with only a bit more refinement and sophistication masking the animal instincts. Beware Martha - if your particular brand of thinking is not favored, or supports the natural predators of the packs - the packs will soon bear down on you.

Fun stuff eh?

;-)