Territory

Humans are territorial. We tend to believe that with our moral value and advance rational thinking, we aren't but the fact is we are no more difference than a wolf or a dog marking their territory by spraying their urine.

Well, we use better methods since we don't possess the sharp smelling nose like wolves or dogs. We close our arms when someone poses questions that threatens our belief system; we scorn when a motorbike accidentally scratches our car side mirror while weaving in and out of traffic; we kept an arm-length distance towards someone we barely knew; we invite certain people that we like towards close sensual proximity - most invite opposite sex, some similar sex while some both; we irk when our brilliant thought of ideas are being stampede by the board; we are scared when we are thrown into some territory that doesn't belong to us - say a prison; I can go on and on....

In an empty room for a free seating seminar, ever notice that the room is filled up by someone taking the bottom left corner seat, followed by bottom right corner, followed by bottom middle, etc etc? Everyone taking the farthest position away from each other. Why is that so? Territorial behavior.

We human take ownership of what we do or create. It gives us purpose and meaning of life but when that something is being challenged, we have the strong tendency to defend it as if someone just step into our territory. We react consciously or unconsciously - creating gates, doors, electric fences, pepper spray and even training up armies, creating borders, developing nuclear warheads with only one purpose in mind. Defending our territory or expanding our territory.

Looks like we are not so different than most territorial animals anyway.