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And I guess what it also means is that I recognize just how thin the veneer of civilization is on people. Well, at least on me I know it is thin. I want to be civilized and I try to be civilized, but I know I would get very savage very quickly in certain cases.

The conviction behind this statement is evidence of a mature worldview. Self-determination goes hand in hand with self-defense. Defense and offense are kissing cousins, as are violence and savagery. Violence and savagery, while repugnant in the daily lives of civilized people, must be acknowledged as appropriate and necessary for these same civilized people in certain circumstances.