“Mental illness does not account for several violent behaviors”
“The possibility of mental illness plays a foundational role in the propensity for cruel behaviors and psychological disturbance that further enhances aggression includes but is not limited to "borderline and antisocial personality disorders". Though disorders alone do not always lead to violence, when they do the outcome of these behaviors can include spousal abuse, job loss, assault, rape, and murder. Among violent offenders, forty-seven percent of men and twenty one-percent of women reportedly have antisocial personality disorder. These issues further inspire an overdeveloped impulse for verbal and physical aggression in some humans that suffer related mental problems. This is just a portion of the larger issue and one academic report offers that classifying "violence narrowly from the perspective of psychological dysfunction shirks the larger truth that the biological roots of rage exist in all of us. The leading risk of death throughout the prime of life is not disease. It is violence." - Chapter 1, Human Time Bomb: The Violence Within Our Nature
“Useful aggression offers coping and problem solving abilities”
“Overt violence is not the only expression of dominance desire and aggression, one aforementioned study in addition reveals that dominance competition does not require violence and has vital benefits. Human societies contribute to the limitation of overt and uncontrolled violent aggression by channeling this desire to benefit those seeking to express it more productively with competition. The modern inclination in some countries to remove reasonable competition from education and sports and seek to reward all participants might lead the expression of dominance via means that are more destructive. We should not confuse attempts to shield children from harm with beneficial adversity such as high educational standards, behavioral ethics, and normal means of competition to harness useful dominance and aggression. Some in modern society believe the prevention of most normal pressure and social challenges is required for a healthy child. They do not consider the biological need for adversity, responsibility, and natural desire for earned rewards and this misplaced sympathy denies children defensive skills necessary for adult life. Thus, seeking to modify a critical social outlet that has existed for most of history will likely have some long-term negative effects by suppressing a natural desire for genuine competition and earned rewards that can lead to violence and crime. If we fail to harness the competitive desire naturally present in humans, it likely will negatively express itself via other means.” - Chapter 1, Human Time Bomb: The Violence Within Our Nature
“Most digital environments are fueled by unceasing arguments”
“Mistaken online perceptions and information can easily sway users and potentially influence depressive symptoms based on false indicators. The chance for a mistaken impression or miscommunication increases the more emotional and visceral a subject and can lead to escalating arguments, personal attacks, and even threats of violence due to the digital environment seeming to present no direct consequences. Consider how many destroyed careers or personal lives have resulted from a comment made on social media that offended even an anonymous detractor. Years of study, work, and success can vanish due to a single comment; one forever memorialized for others to audit that feeds their disgust mechanism and fuels outrage.” - Chapter 2, Human Time Bomb: The Violence Within Our Nature
“Technological advancement has drastically increased the potential for violence”
“Brooding underneath complex diplomacy, brutality, and political sentiment for increased domination is part of the lower brain with its territorial responses feeding our desires for increased control of the world around us by any means necessary. We have provided the lower brain with all the innovations of our age and humanity should rightly tremble at the possibilities for violence on a mass scale. Empowered by modern advancements in weaponry and uncontrolled access to armaments, collective violence has a greater effect currently than its prior historical counterparts did. The once angry mob that could burn down a town and kill its rich inhabitants now can develop a chemical or explosive attack that might endanger the entire population of a large metropolis. One news report on the matter states nearly one hundred and ten million people died from wars in the twentieth century and based on related estimates this represents more historical warfare deaths than all prior historical periods.” - Chapter 2, Human Time Bomb: The Violence Within Our Nature
“The benefits of choosing free speech over comfortable speech”
“Civilized people allow dissent and should err on the side of free speech because suppressing criticism based on facts is not rational. Humans require the ability to openly socialize and learn about new information they consider important, when people attempt to restrict speech or knowledge it psychologically inspires a greater desire in others to seek the restricted content. Secret information would not be so inviting if people did not make it secret and gain status by learning such information. The same rationale applies when people attempt to censor legal free speech; if it is perceived as unjust additional disgusted people will oppose and bring attention to related censorship. If some deem words offensive humans will find ways around censorship and create replacement words, the only way to ban offensive words is to ban all speech and thus all thought. To restrict speech based on offense or government fiat is nothing less than embracing the censorship that was pervasive in Russia during Stalin's tyranny and America during the Red Scare. Our minds naturally shriek out at perceived unfair treatment and in the case of genuine obvious mistreatment, they rail even louder. This widespread fight between censorship and free thought occurs now also beyond the bounds of reality ceaselessly in digital space.” - Chapter 5, Human Time Bomb: The Violence Within Our Nature
