it seems to me for too long I haven't been able to seperate this old mentality of mine that everyone seems to have that I have a group around me i agree with and everyone else is the mythical 'them'. I know biologically speaking we are primates and as such we are social creatures that form bonds and maintain tribes and it is of survival value to identify with a tribe and to not identify with eveyrone else. the population problem would be even worse if we never had enemies. I usually see war is being humanities apex predator, thinning out our numbers and keeping our populations under control by killing us at a steady rate. of course, it's not fast enough, we still have a problem. that is why peace activists always confuse me, I wonder if they realize how many people would starve for every person we didnt kill in anger or rightous nonsense or for let's face it, controlling resources. we're all programmed to be self preserving, and peace doesn't work, it starves us all. but getting back on topic, I've never been able to rid myself of this feeling. I know logically that all of humanity is not my enemy and that things are on an individual basis, no sweeping judgements are fair, but I can't help it. I encounter quite a bit of this in my country. americans are very big on this nonsense. first with out idea that it's our country bersus the world, a world that everyone seems to think is out to destroy us for some sentiment on a peice of parchment or otherwise take our money and or jobs. i know it's not everyone, but I encounter it alot. even worse is this party mentality we seem to have. everyone seems to want to divide other americans this way. everyone is into this bi partison politics nonsense. those conservatives are evil thsoe liberals are socialists blah blah.absolutely everyone is hostile to those outside thier party and if they are an indipendant party or not in a party, they usually group them with the other party. it seems autamatic to feel like others are 'them'. I know we aren't the only country that does this nonsense, but I can't go anywhere else to find out, I'm broke. I know if everyone was cured of it we'd probabbly starve in a giant humping pile of love, but I really feel like I should be able to transcend this. maybe I'm too idealistic.