I've been pondering something I read up lately. This thing called the "hedgehog dilemma" originaly thought up by a guy called schopenhauer.
It's basicaly a metaphore for the human experience. You have a number of hedgehogs in a cold, deep and cold again cave. These little guys are shivering, though some more so than others.
The hedghogs attempt to huddle together for warmth, but in doing so hurt themselves on eachothers spines. To move closer is to experience more pain and the barbs push into their flesh. So the hedgehogs must make the difficult decision, is it better to be cold, or without pain.
An extension is that each of the hedgehogs has their own warmth, those with sufficant quantities do not need to hurt themselves on the spines at all. Thats a very German way of looking at it though. Perceiving need for warmth to be weakness.
It makes sense, in a way. But I find it very depressing, if only humans, like the real hedgehogs in nature, could lower their spines once in a while. There is an endemic defensiveness I see in most people, naturally distrustful. What's so bad about being hurt.
I'm a massive hypocrite, of course, but a man can believe...
P.S. I saw two puppies fighting in the park, it was cute. Then a cute baby crawled over and started punching them. True story.
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