reflection on "the other" I think people have a deep seated need for people to have an overwhelming opposition, "the dark forces" that are working to oppose you and crush you. This is probably why fantasy is so popular, and some sci-fi like Star Wars, where there exists a very obviously evil enemy who is out to dominate. Who also tends to have overwhelming superiority (of numbers at least). Left, right, conservative, progressive, business person, environmentalist, probably all feel like they are beset, beseiged on all sides, by their particular enemy, never recognizing that in some areas, maybe they do have the upper hand. Maybe its true though, everyone who does not think like you is your enemy. The enemy of your friends is not your friend!

What does this say? Who knows. The recognition maybe that there is no absolute evils in the world -- or very few at least, and the people who have them are lucky. The rest of us need to look for those grays I think. How much of strife these days is due to a feeling of rightiousness, your cause being the only good one(sp?)?.

It sucks though no doubt about it, seeing both sides of a story. Its easier to be one sided, more comfortable. Most people recognize the gray though, I think, and so sink into fantasy novels to regain comfort perhaps...