On Wednesday, Aug 11, 2004, at 17:00 US/Pacific, Anna Kihrani wrote:

>> I also think, off topic, that we probably have never been
>> emotionally
>> well-equipped for "pack" life, and keep messing up because
>> of that:)
>
>> ginny
>
> I'm curious about this.  Could you elaborate?  (Maybe off-list, if
> you think it's too OT.)

Well, actually, I was thinking that we can do well in very small packs,
but not so well in larger groups. This is not uncommon in other species
as well. When groups become large, infighting divides them. When it
doesn't, inbreeding weakens them. Crowding causes all kinds of stresses
which would point to its not being natural for some species.

Speaking just of humans, one has only to look at the real hatred
between groups or races, the fighting over territories and/or women or
property, the struggle between our urges and those things called
morals, which are just impositions of rules to keep us from expressing
our natural animosity. The whole social structure is based on keeping
us from killing each other when agriculture forces us to live in groups
too large for our drives.

The H/G model would keep us wandering and apart from others more of the
time, with only close family around. I think many of us would do quite
well on that, and be far happier and healthier without the stress of
crowding.

ginny

All stunts performed without a net!