Years ago in a college interview I was seriously asked "If you could be an animal, what animal would you be?" (Yeah, it was a psych major who asked it. By the way, there is a correct and an incorrect answer to this question if you are asked. Say you would be a horse - both powerful and graceful, and possibly either tame or wild. Do not say a jellyfish - no spine.)
Over the years I've come to ask my own more conversation-making philosophical question: Do you believe we live in a benevolent or a malevolent society? I've always said America is basically a benevolent society. The vast majority of us will go out of our way to avoid trouble and confrontation, not seek it out.
Unfortunately, I'm about ready to change my mind in at least one or two areas. For example, it's hard to look at the behavior of people in today's political and media environments and say they are benevolent. Many of those folks are just publicity hounds and therefore almost always malevolent by design. Their confrontation and rhetoric sells, and can make them rich and famous.
But they are simply warts on our otherwise generally docile and civilized behavior. We're not malevolent, we're benevolent. I said benevolent, dammit!
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