Violence... The story so far

Myths may start out life as proverbs and truisms, obvious or at least soothing to the human psyche. Like hang-ups, they may become dysfunctional as technology and society evolve. This is especially true when the former runs ahead of the latter as it is in our times.

There are many such myths, economic, secular and religious. Once useful, some are now threatening. Go forth and multiply is one example from Monotheism. This is especially critical in cultures too poor or uneducated to control their own fertility. Papal dogma proscribing birth control is aggravating many of today's conflicts over resources. Rwanda is a prime example. The allegory of the wine bottle, where microbes die in their own effluent, an actual fact, is a metaphor for human destiny. See Population Pressures and World Crises for more on that.

No matter how we slice it, Rwanda is overpopulated with a population density well beyond any ability of its arable land to sustain. Rwanda's birth rate only makes the situation worse. Who can do something about that? The Pope? Given the time it took his office to legitimize Galileo, not likely any time soon.

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