Lessons from the piranha
During my time around the Dark Aspect, the analogy that has had more impact on its whole philosophy and methodologies has been that of it being like a shark tank. This translates, basically, into that everybody is out for himself and that the most likely interaction with your peers is that of receiving a bite when you least expect it. For all that matters, the analogy seems to hold true and the Dark Aspect has become, in truth, a Shark Tank. I won't give my opinion on whether the shark tank mentality is productive or not, I won't try to pass my ideas on to you or to sell you my own views and takes on things. I will merely share an experiment with you, and like the adult you are, I expect you to come to your own conclusions.
When I was a child, I liked to take care of fish. I found their interactions, and the fact of being able to watch underwater creatures at my own home, to be extremely fascinating. From all fish, I liked piranhas the most, for they reminded me of ancient creatures, much like underwater dinosaurs. The combination of menace and the outlandish qualities of fish, made them extremely interesting.
I soon learned (the hard way), however, that piranhas could not be kept in the same tank with the other fish. To avoid the likely massacre, I kept a tank with piranhas and another with a similar amount of regular fish. While food was plentiful and conditions were proper, both the piranha and the fish coexisted peacefully in their respective tanks.
Soon, however, I got slightly negligent, and forgot to feed the poor animals for some days. What I observed afterwards was shocking: while the fish looked all sick and weakened, the effects on the tank of piranhas was completely different. Some of them lacked body parts, and looked thin and unhealthy, whereas others where bigger and stronger than before. I decided to push the envelope and feed both tanks with as little food as possible.
As time passed, the fish looked sicker, and causalities started to occur. The piranhas suffered losses too, but the few that survived, were bigger and meaner than ever. At the end of the experiment, the tank of standard fish was empty. The tank of piranhas had only one left. One big, mean and bad piranha. One that would not allow any other piranha around, even when food became plentiful again. It had gotten used to feeding on its peers and albeit big and strong, it was bound to swim alone.
Draw your own conclusions.