Humans have an inborn tendency for some violence, because we evolved a fight or flight response that is still evolving.

We have so recently made the critical adaptations to language, and abstract thinking, that we are virtually newcomers to this great plain of modernity over which we have much influence, but still are bound to our animal instincts.

If we were completely ruled by our animal instincts, we would most likely have less war. War is rare in the animal kingdom, yet quite common in the human societies we create.

Why we have war then, why we fight each other, is because we have thoughts that often get in the way of trusting our sense to just walk away and/or live with caution. This is not to say that we never do walk away, of course most of us will choose to opt out of a fight if we are using our reasoning, and even distorted, pre-programmed minds well.

We fight, also, because we are programmed, especially our little boys, but more recently as our Angelina Jolie wannabe butt kickers are, to fight.  We watch violence for entertainment, and are wildly enthusiastic for video games, and tests of martial arts and athletics which seem to promote the message the tougher you are, the better you are.

There is always some debate as to whether violence as entertainment is a great venting mechanism, or whether it promotes more violence in the real world.  Certainly there are such things as copy cat crimes. But far more often is the insidious kind of violence of bullying of those types of individuals we see as “different” to ourselves.

Racism, sexism, religious wars, and all other forms of dominance of one “kind” over another, come back to the idea of hierarchy.

We all wish to be high on the hierarchical ladder of success, to be seen as winners. Only quite recently have we begun to realize in our science and societal education, that cooperation is always more effective than having a few rich and powerful in charge with all others subservient.  Yet our culture still worships and wishes to emulate the famous, rich, powerful, athletic, and even mean people!

When one enters a war or a prison, or even a school classroom, divisions and decisions are made as to “who is the one on our side, or who is tough enough to have the right stuff.” This mentality goes back to our abstract thinking and not our natural sense conditioning as animals who always take the safest and most direct route possible to survive, if they can escape a predator through flight.  Or if it is too late, they will put all available energy adrenaline, and bodily responses into fighting off the predator.

Humans are different only in that we have “stories” in our head which pre-judge and instantly try to identify a stranger as either threat, or ally.

This is why humans fight each other, because we want to belong to the right group, and have only now begun to realize all organisms are part of our right group.