Despite the various technological advancements we’ve seen over human existence, I think a possible constant is a human aggression. Aggression that many would consider rather primitive.

The popularity of the UFC in our life seems rather similar to the gladiatorial rings of the Romans. Sure, the fighters are paid now but for the spectators there really isn’t much difference. There’s a reason why UFC fighters make more than dart throwers. Both are competitions but provide a different…release for spectators.

It’s not that humans are hateful. I once asked a friend who is a Muay Thai fighter in Thailand if he had to dislike his opponent or want to hurt someone to win. He noted it was as simple as merely dominating another.

But someone can dominate another intellectually like in a game of chess. I think humans will inevitably need something more. There is a kind of violence that seems to need release.

It could be in the bedroom, as I’ve learned quite a number of individuals have a ‘rough’ sex-life, or by going into those rage rooms where you pay someone to let you break things. There are various boxing classes one goes to destress.

There are all kinds of stress toys one beats up. The existence of contact sports and people’s distaste at seeing those aspects being limited. The many riots that turn violent not for a cause but for the sake of violence. By this nature, I see mob behaviour as another form of socially acceptable release people have to exert the aggression they contain.

As society has evolved, we have thankfully lowered the act of murder drastically. The beating of children and abuse of the meek, in general, seems to have declined as well. The last half-century has also experienced a period of relative peace compared to the carnage experienced in the first half of the 20th century from the two world wars.

I assume the world wars and the ensuing Cold War curbed the populace’s appetite for violence to a degree. Much like a sugar crash one experiences after eating too much cake.

Though much of the conflict is moving to cyberspace and the physical world moves towards using robotics/drones to limit the suffering of human life, I daresay there will always need to be an outlet for the aggression in people.

Despite our intellectual disposition that sets us apart from other animals, we still possess violent animal instincts too. I wonder if this will continue to manifest in the two-way form of legal and illegal sport.

Whether it’s the Hunger Games books or popular battle-royal themed games like PUBG or Fortnite, the element of hunting humans is ever so reintroduced slightly. This isn’t new as the wealthy have hunted humans for sport and I daresay I imagine there are a few who still do this.

As the world becomes more and more intellectual, I wonder where the aggression will come out. Will it be the bedroom? Will it be the use of more drugs to enter an alternate state of mind? Will it be VR/AR where you can get as close as you can to violence via games?

Much like the basic human instincts that encapsulated the seven deadly sins in Christianity, I think human aggression and violence won’t disappear. Rather, I imagine we will move to a world we find more and more socially acceptable ways to be violent. I even think this will soon become accepted as another basic mode of humanity that is no longer labeled as primitive but a core part of our psyche.