Divide, Multiply and Rule

Of all mammals I believe humans are the most social and insecure species. The level of insecurity though not explicitly stated can be maddening at times and yet be completely unnoticed. Any given place, any given setting we are looking at ways to deal with our insecurities. On the outside we would like to be seen as strong and independent but the truth of the matter is that we all live in a world full of internal demons.

We are always trying to form groups wherever we go. And we dont stop at that. We look for ways to increase the people in the group and strangely succeed. Then one fine day you wake up and realize that the group needs sub-groups. Though all this is done in the name of diversity and need for different opinions and perspectives but the reality is that we are viciously addicted to "Divide, Multiply and rule". And there is no end to it.

Let me give you a example. Say, I go and work at the marketing department in a big MNC in US. There the first level of grouping of people will be done department-wise - Marketing, Product Development & Manufacturing. (I am not talking of professional division here. I am talking of people forming groups) Then second level will be within the department - Seniors, Juniors. Then the third level will be Americans, Europeans, Asians etc. Then the fourth level will be South Asians etc. Fifth level will be Indians, Pakis, Chinese etc. Sixth level will be North Indians, South Indians, East Indians etc. Seventh level will be Kannadigas, Tamilians, Andhraites etc. Eighth level will be North Karnataka etc. Ninth Level will be District based. Tenth level will be Caste based. And the list will go on ... from here on it is more and more customised. What complicates all of this is that all these are heavily interlinked. There will never be a clear distinction between sub-groups within groups.

So why do we do this? Why do we make our lives more complicated than it already is? Why do we look for "security" by making groups and sub-groups ?

I am just guessing nature has made us this way to spice up our lives (with politics, infighting, rivalry etc) !