With life experience we build our defences. We base our principles on knowledge gathered over time. Then there is a point in time for many where the gathering of knowledge stops and life is followed by the set principles in mind. When all new knowledge ceases to be accepted. This is when we have tested the shield and now want to wave a sword. How fiercely we wave that sword depends on the confidence we have in our convictions.
We all hide insecurities and fears behind a form of apparent strength. Whether it be the school bully wielding a stick or the aggressive priest wielding a bible. What they beset on others is fundamentally what they are feeling deep down inside themselves. They both need a recognisable symbol to stem strong emotions in onlookers. Make others feel what they are feeling through the means of a story or a threat. In short: our principles are derived from base instinct. The will to survive, the will to be top of the food chain. The thing is though, you can dress a dog in gowns of silk and lay a golden crown upon its head it is still a dog.
