Fanning the Flames of Hatred

We love to hate.

I know this is somewhat in direct opposition to the Symbiosis posting I just made, but something happened today that set off quite a rant in me.

I heard the news that after a month of negative ads by the McCain campaign, Obama's numbers have slid downward to below McCain's.

It's as if the country was asked to believe the worst accusations about a person and they came right out and jumped right on the task.

One thing that I have really despised about the Bush era in general, but some of their biggest supporters in particular, is their constant and persistent call to find something to hate about "the other side". It's somehow even better if it's not true, all it has to do is appeal to what people want to believe, not what they can be convinced of by facts. And just as hordes of people obediently forward emails of stories that are unbelievable at first glance, they usually don't take the time to dive into the stories they hear to determine whether they have any semblance of truth in them.

The sad thing about this is how easy it is for good people to fall prey to the siren song of hating your fellow man. I had a good friend years ago. He was a free spirit, probably lived outside of the law in some respects, had a healthy dose of disrespect for authority, and was fun-loving and funny. The last time I talked to him he told me, "I've been listening to a lot of talk radio lately. I really hate liberals." What I didn't say that day, partly because I was stunned by the statement, and partly out of respect and a desire not to have a fight with my friend was "What do you mean you hate liberals, you ARE liberal." Seriously, this guy was one of the most tolerant and liberal people I've ever known. Where did this sudden blindness to all that he believed in and loved turn into this hatred for "liberals"?

People are not shy to speak up about their hatreds. They feel vindicated and justified in thinking and believing that other people are somehow worthless and reprehensible. I'm talking about the divide in America, not about how Americans feel about other people in the world or how they feel about us. The bad thing about this trend is that I hear many people of faith spewing out this hatred, feeling perfectly justified in doing so, and not at all able to see the hypocrisy of being told by their religion to love one another, but feeling free by their associates to hate any and everything about those "others".

When we see radical Islamic fundamentalists espousing hatred toward America, we feel alarmed and repulsed. How can these supposed men of the cloth preach such tenets that are obviously contradictory to their religion? Yet we are blind to the hatreds we hold ourselves. Why is it so clear to see hatred in others, and so hard to recognize it in ourselves?

This is a trend that has to be recognized and reversed. Everyone hears how those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it. I think it's much worse than that. I think that many that are perfectly aware of history are more than willing to repeat it, because they think "This is different." We look back on the 1930's and we dissect the rise of Nazism and smugly say, those Germans were sure stupid to follow Hitler. We even have this parable crafted for children about standing up to oppressive tyrants. You've probably heard variants of "I stood aside, because they weren't coming for me" stories. The punch line was when they came for you, no one was left to stand for you. Hitler had the perfect tool to recruit millions to his cause. He gave them what they wanted: something to hate.

Symbiosis

I've been hearing a lot of cases of symbiosis lately.

The concept is something that is not hard to describe. Two organisms live together and feed off of one another, helping each other to survive. To say that they feed off of each other isn't quite right, it's more like what one casts off, the other needs, so together they make a closed loop where they benefit each other.

Beatrix Potter, the author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was one of the first biologists to find a symbiotic relationship in nature. She put forth the theory (and apparently some beautiful drawings) that Lichen are actually a symbiosis of Algae and Fungus. Unfortunately, she forwarded her theory during a time when women were not taken seriously, and she was never recognized for her discovery during her lifetime. Almost 90 years later, Britain's Royal Society finally recognized her work and apologized for ignoring her.

I also heard a story about a slug that ate algae, which continued to live for a while inside the slug, continuing to produce energy through photosynthesis until they were digested.

From the world of basic cellular biology, we also know that most cells have structures in them called mitochondria (also known as the powerhouse of the cell) that some speculate were other primitive organisms that were absorbed and preserved in early bacteria. So the basis of most live might be in itself a symbiotic relationship.

One cool story that I keep hearing references to is that humans are themselves a great example of symbiosis. Apparently, there are 10 times more bacteria than human cells in your body. The bacteria cells are all much smaller than the human cells, so it's not like they are some huge visible lump. Still, the first time you hear that number, it's a very scary and strange thought.

Recently, I heard about a strange three-way symbiosis between this plant and a virus and a bacteria. This combination not only allows all three to live together and benefit each other, but it also allows the plant to survive in geothermal soils (that's hot - think Yellowstone and geysers).

I heard a comment by a microbiologist that was tracking the relationship between a bacteria, pylobacter, and stomach ulcers. Just when they found the relationship and started being able to treat people with chronic ulcers by attacking the bacteria, they found out something else new. They found out that pylobacter, which probably has been with humans for thousands of years, and co-evolved with us, is becoming extinct. They think that its disappearance is responsible for the rise in asthma. This means that they believe that the pylobacter, besides making us more susceptible to ulcers, makes us less susceptible to asthma. A strange symbiosis, to be sure. Along the same lines, they believe that human herpes viruses have historically made humans better able to fight off the plague. Scientists studying this field, where our bacteria that live with us create a benefit call the field probiotics.

These two examples of herpes and pylobacter are less cut and dried from the basic definition of symbiosis. It's not pure benefit and no detriment. It's a payoff. There are some problems that come with the gain.

This morning, I was learning about plant root cellular biology, and the instructor was describing how a plant manages to keep harmful bacteria or other organisms out of the roots while allowing nutrients and water in. First, he described a portion of the cell wall that was an impenetrable barrier and wrapped each cell and the entire root in a protective layer. Within this layer were porous parts that allowed nutrients and water to pass, if they wanted and needed them. So you have two types of membranes, one for keeping things out, and one for letting things in. Completely different functions, yet working together, they make the plant thrive.

It occurred to me that society is like this, in a way. You hear people of certain political persuasions saying that the world (or our country) would be better off without those of the opposite persuasion. However, if you think about it, different groups of people act like the root membrane does. Some are willing to think about new ideas and different ways of doing things. Others resist anything new or different from the way they've always done things or the way they've always understood things. If it weren't for people willing to be open to new ideas, you wouldn't have advances in science and society. If it weren't for people resisting new ideas, you would have every harebrained crazy idea sweeping society like the latest fad. Resistance to change and new things keeps society on an even keel and prevents us from discarding important traditions.

As the biologist said, they think that most species will be found to be symbiotic in one way or another. But the concept is so woven into the basic fabric of our lives, that it's not crazy to expect to see it expressed in how we interact with each other. The trick is to recognize it when it's right in front of your face.