Group Cruelty Stems from Inherited Loyalties

Your Lot and Parcel · Sep 17, 2026 · 37m

The root cause of group inhumanity is our unconscious loyalty to inherited identities, not just tribalism or fanaticism, he says. Toward the Turning reveals how these identities divide and inflame us, using 9/11 and the “War on Terror” as examples. The book argues that global conflicts are not battles of good versus evil, but “deadly dances” driven by our attachment to identity. These identities help us cope with uncertainty but also lead to violence and misunderstanding. At the heart of the problem there is a mistaken belief that the self is separated from the world, making identity seem…