| I sense you're looking for a more fundamental answer. In any society, whether it's a tiny island tribe or a giant nation-state, there is a faction who like things just the way they are and don't want them to change. These are 'the powerful'. Then there is another faction who want change but don't have the power, and they live in a permanent state of tension with the powerful. In poli sci I recall it being called the problem of the reformers versus the careerists. But you can call it the young versus the old, the radicals versus the traditionalists, the revolutionaries versus the royalists. The people at the top of the hill will fight change, because every direction from the top is down. If you live long enough you'll typically switch sides once you've decided you have gotten all the change you're going to get and start trying to keep what you have (part way up the hill) instead. It's not too different from a pride of lions. The king of the pride got there by being the strongest, he has it pretty good for a while but eventually he starts getting older and weaker while the younger lions keep getting bigger and stronger. TL:DR you get power by fighting for it, you keep power by fighting for it. |