h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I dont know... When your survival depends on your relationships with your family and friendship groups, protecting others becomes extremely important, surely? Perhaps what appears to be cruelty to us is necessity in that situation? And when I talk about religious silliness, I'm talking adopting customs that harm people's abilities to be healthy, strong, helpful... All the things necessary to survival, because religion has become a thing of manipulation and power instead of a system of social cohesion and perhaps for explaining that which is hard to explain...

I'm by no means saying you wont get problems, that would be even more naive than I already am, but I cant help but wish people would occupy their minds, channel their mental energies, instead of just letting those tentacles flail wildly...

So instead of having people commit acts of cruelty, you want a society where people do the same things but out of necessity? In a society where people live hand to mouth, I´d imagine kids would be forced to marry and reproduce as early as possible, for example at 12. And raping the women of the neighbouring tribe would probably also become a rather everyday thing.

I´m not saying some people don´t commit crime out of boredom. I just don´t think child abuse and such things belong in that category.

yeah, I'm not expressing myself well at all.

I think boredom is a small part of what I mean. We create problems for ourselves, when we dont have direct threats. When we have enough resources, we create an economy, when we have enough people in one place, we have to create formal government and rules. I could be extremely wrong. I accept that, and I agree... The model of, for instance, an ancient european society does involve hard lives, high reproductive rates at young ages and so on.. But equally, those who are not capable of surviving, dont. Those who hurt others would fairly soon find themselves in charge (no change there) or isolated and therefore in actual danger of their lives. It's hard to live on the fringes, you are more vulnerable, when there is real and present danger. Which is surely more of a deterrent than jail?

I'm not trying to suggest it's a solution, I was presenting a thought I'd had. That's all.