In lunatic asylums it is a well-known fact that patients are far more dangerous when suffering from fear than when moved by rage or hatred. In fact, the greatest threat to civilization lies not with the forces of nature nor with any physical disease or the ever-changing climate, but with our inability to deal with the forces of our own psyche. We are our own worst enemies, or as the Latin proverb puts it, "Man is a wolf to man in civilization in transition." This proverb is sad. Yet, it's an eternal truth. Man's wolf-like tendencies come most prominently into play at those times of history when mass mental illness becomes the norm.



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