Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

Politicians consistently speak about “our enemies”, our churches regularly tell us that we
will be punished for our “sins”, and our TV programmers & move producers are
continually increasing the “jolts per minute” with which their ever-more-violent
programs shock us. As such, our bodies are exposed to an “adrenaline cocktail” far too
regularly, and many of us have become literally hooked on the rush it provides.
SOURCE #03: POWER …
As social beings – “herd animals”, if you will, it can be no great surprise to learn that the
final source for our fracas-fetish is a sociological one. Basically, we not only like to bond
ourselves into groups for enhanced security, we also like to acquire & maintain positions
of influence within our own group — and conflict is one of the main methods we use to
do both that acquiring and that maintaining.
*If we don’t feel like members of our “herd” (our friends, our family members, fellow
Christians, fellow Democrats, etc) are listening to us, we often engage in some form of
conflict-based provocation until we feel understood or appreciated …
*If we are involved in any form of competition, we strive to win (and thereby be accepted
– if not downright worshiped – by our “herd”) …
*If either we (or our values) are rejected or ridiculed, we attack the source of the same
(lest the rest of our “herd” shun us as well) …
*If we witness a member of our “herd” straying into actions or beliefs or opinions that
not “normal” or that are “inappropriate”, we confront him or her (often with rejection or
ridicule) in order to encourage those “strays” to return to the fold and “act normal”.
*And, of course, if our own “herd” is attacked by another clan (be it a nation, a political
party, a rival sports team, or a clique at school), we tend to mobilize our forces in order to
collectively destroy that enemy.
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