photo #9328011

In the beginning mankind found that living in groups with specialized cooperative division of labor made life safer and easier for all those involved. Cooperation and teamwork were born. Adult men were the hunters while the adult women were the gatherers and caretakers. The family and extended family were the first groups originating from pre-historic times. As time went on some extended families grew to be quite large with groups of dozens or even hundreds making up tribes or clans. As these groups became larger the necessity to manage so many different personalities became problematic. Authority figures were needed to keep order, settle disputes, render judgment on offending members and protect them from threats. Chiefs, Priests, Leaders, Regents or Kings were elected, appointed or just assumed power sometimes at the point of a spear or a sword. From the very beginning there was the temptation for the abuse of power and very often they would succumb to that temptation. The larger the group the more power there was to be wielded. The more power there was to be had the bigger the temptation for abuse, not to mention the potential for acquired wealth and self-indulgence. This was not necessarily inherent in mankind as much as it was inherited both genetically and culturally from our originators. The primary purpose or duty of these authority figures was supposed to be to keep order and make inter-relations within the tribe or clan fair and amicable for all. Also, relations with other tribes or clans had to be negotiated, trading arranged and when necessary, aggression dealt with. When leaders died, retired, resigned or were assassinated, without a preset right of succession it usually created a large problem. Unfortunately, when it came time to transfer power all too often it was a messy, disorganized and difficult proposition. Any time there is a power vacuum you will always find all manner of ambitious low life degenerate scum come crawling out of the woodwork and from under rocks to attempt to fill the void. The more powerful the position left open the more vicious the conflict between the competitors.