Just reading Locust and grasshopper are same species, its just that grasshopper change shape & form and behaviourally on crowding.
Hmm.. So the enviornment and esp crowding has a lot to do with the behaviour - atleast for locusts.
There are behavioural switches in humans as well, maternal behaviour or PMSing behaviour change is something genetically hardwired in human females (this one deserves a separate blog post for sure). The secration of harmonses changes the person so much, tat it is diffcult to believe that you are dealing with the same individual. There are other non violent behaviour changes driven by environment - I am given to understand that we are even genetically hardwired to reciprocate after being given something.
Speaking of hardwiring of human brain, we are hardwired to survive - at all costs. Even if it means killing others. We kill others to ensure our survival with a utter disregard for their right to survive - (eggs or chicken on day to day and other humans during war times). This is not unique to humans, all animals have this trait, which is is a manifestation of life's most basic instinct of Survival.
This fight for survival is at the base of every fight for territory among animals, or wars that humans fight. War waged by western world for democracy in Libiya or Iraq or against AlQuaida is not all about eagletarian objective - deep down it is a fight for resources , fight for ensuring survival.
So this brings me to the question - are some cultures more violent than others - is it possible that they are more violent because of the kind of genepool that they inherited ?Specifically does this mean Islam is more violent due to what they inherited in gene pool. I dont think so.Evolution is a very very slow process. Islam or any religion for that matter has not been around for enough time to have impacted the genepool.
But then why ar so many muslims all over world sounding like fanatics - not only in Afganistan or kashmir,but even in UK or Delhi for that matter? Even more surprising is the fact that the same person who was a liberal is changing .. becoming somewhat more hardened.
Does it have something to do with crowding - or behaviour of mobs.
War too is a behavioural switch - we (or for that matter any other animal) are not fighting at all times. They are fighting in regions where they are threatened for their survival. Afterall we are genetically programmed /hardwired to fight when we are threatened for survivial. The problem is accentuated all over the world because western world tries to put all muslims in one basket. When fighting against AlQaida in Afghanistan, it should be projected as a fight against the terrorist in a particular region, rather than be projected as a fight against the muslim world.
So any religion / any genepool would behave in the same fashion the way current muslim world does, if they are put in the same situation.
Any thing that really sets "them" apart.. anything that makes western world feel threatened from muslims? yes the fact that their numbers have swelled suddenly, that means your genepool would have lower probability of survival over next few thousand years. You may not take a concious call on it, but you are hardwired for it.
So why was there a sudden increase in population?
One of the precipitating factor that I see, is the fact that muslim world was relatively backword/mired in poverty till recent times. and that meant you have to have more kids for a fair chance of having a offspring surviving to give birth to next generation ( or preserve your gene pool). Sudden discovery of oil meant prosperity coming to the middle east, predominantly to muslims in that region. This meant access to medical facilities, better nutrition and better chances of survival. Since muslims were being clubbed in basket, it meant the middle east muslims start supporting other muslims countries (this would increase thier chance of being able to fight back and survive - incase there is a fight for survival).
There have been wars whenever there has been overcrowding, and a fight for resources. The muslims too fight among themselves, shia vs sunni. For that matter I am told among Hindus as well Shaiv vs Vaishnav riots were common in ancient times. Christians to have had spilled the blood of their fellow christians- religion has got not much to do with our cruel ways.
Infact discovery of America / Australia have taken away the overcrowding from the Europe in a big way.
The behaviour of a mob is very different from the behaviour of individuals. During peace times we all trust each other, during a riot - and esp if there is a possibility of you being impacted, your response would change dramatically.
Just wondering what does this mean for
- India, whose population density is among the highest in the world / and overcrowding is making the resources scarce.
- USA/ developed world - whose territory is being claimed by others.
