the last cookie

Back in 1997 I finally was able to formally present my technological concept that had the potential for giving humanity a way to greatly expand healthy civilization, and it would require the unified working together of the people of the whole world in united purpose, to make the wonderful thing physically happen for high value for them all. But to my amazement, I only received hostility from the very group who had their stated purpose of promoting just what my technological offering would finally enable them to do. While at the picnic that was the end of that year's conference, I learned that people would not attend a movie unless it portrayed conflict; this seemed to address what I was finding there, that my proposal would have required the end of conflict so that everybody could have a far better future. So, more important than a good life for all, was the craving for conflict. Thus started my search to find out what this "people's overwhelming craving for conflict" thing was that was blocking rational consideration of my proposal.

Today at church, there seemed to be some relevant material. The bulletin had text that might be summarized as "We crave the activity of conflict among our divisions and distinctions, so that our life will have meaning and the world will make sense." The service's scripture also seemed to contain lots of conflict related descriptions and wisdoms. Page 370 of the 1990 Book of Common Prayer seemed also to address this all in "... God of all power, Ruler of the Universe ... At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space ... our island home ... From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill. You made us the rulers of creation. But we turned against you, and betrayed your trust; and we turned against one another... open for us the way of freedom and peace...." The problem seemed to have been rampant back thousands of years ago, and still carries on rampant. It appears that being blessed with "memory, reason and skill," has not been enough.

Or maybe it is the instinctual pattern playout of the mixture of the kind of males who assault the other males so as to be the only options left for the females at breeding time; and the females caring not which males remain to breed, their only concern is for their individual portions of the resources for bearing and nurturing the next generation.

What a tragic waste of the human potential. It is like two people fighting over possession of scraps, instead of joining together to convert the scraps into abundance for them both. I wonder about the rationality of that decision. Maybe it is rational, to grab while the getting is good; but what is missing is the wisdom. The operant factor seems to be the expression of "the craving for conflict." Is that just to be the one that gets the last cookie; or is it really so that life will have meaning and the world will make sense?