That's the most powerful quote I've read yet....thank you. And while I grew up on the great classics of English literature (with a few Russians to top it off,) it was so long ago now that I remember few of the specific passages. This one made me realize that my early experiences reading great literature most likely generated my lifelong questioning of human behavior. There is much more truth in our greatest fiction than is found in daily life. My main takeaway is that I am so profoundly sorry for the insanity of our species. Watching through the eyes of the friends and family of those who have lived through the mass formations in societies that murdered millions I can only frantically search for deeper understanding and some small rays of hope that we, as a species, can find a way to heal the human failing that allows such evil to rise.

One thought is to go back to Matriarchy or at least a real 50/50 balance of power between the sexes. Radical thinking, and perhaps it would not fix things but it has not been tried in a long time. Estrogen, progesterone and oxytocin are a very different mix than just pure 100% testosterone that never stops! Ending the "war culture" as a "norm" in society and the competition model in biology would help us tremendously, as well, I think, whatever our male/female governmental makeup. War is a form of insanity wrought by starvation and death from severe climate change 6000 years ago in North Africa. (James Demeo, PhD, "Saharasia.") His work is seminal and earth shattering in it's implications, imo. And of course through the years it's men who mostly carry it out. Psychopathy, Sociopathy and Narcissism is common, one in 20 or 25, in Caucasian and Eastern Mediterranean males. These individuals rise to the top of the power structures in society as they will act in ways the rest of us will not to accomplish their goals. Then they rope in others through their influence. "Political Ponerology" is another great book on the topic. And then Lynn Marguils, biologist, basically proved that nature at it's foundation is cooperative, not competitive, as the boys have been claiming for centuries. It took a woman to see the obvious. She could see it because she isn't looking through the male, testosterone fueled, inherently competitive mindset. IMHO. (Hence the need to balance those two perspective views in the running of a society.) And the Milgram Experiment needs to be taught over and over and over again, until we each have the moral courage to stand against an immoral directive from an authority figure. There is the concept of a "force" for evil that can "infect" a human being. Wilhelm Reich would call it "emotional plague." Perhaps that's it. But I wonder. A life long friend working in law enforcement changed my basically agnostic views over time....and while 'human frailty' is an incredibly generous and kind perspective to cover the sort of human behavior we are discussing.. I personally feel there is something darker at work as well. Given the harms wreaked by our species upon each other, I cannot help but look for cures. Perhaps they do exist.

Thank you again for the Hawthorne quote. It really nails it.