territorial - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

In this atomised society it is easy to feel so very territorial, for the primitive brain to rear up and take over the more nuanced and intelligent thought patterns of cooperation. As the man steps closer to my home, his boots upon the pathway, I'm ninety percent, "This is totally okay," and ten percent rage monkey. I guess that's the way we western-raised humans are. Part of it is so natural, so tribal, yet it appears to apply to everyone in the neighbourhood, as if nobody is truly in my cerebral tribe, not really. These territorial feelings appear to apply to pigeons and cats too... how very silly. As intelligent as we all suppose we are, these basic instincts are always there snapping at our heels, waiting for the higher functions to tire and let them run the show.

Even a simple dinner party helps to reduce that territorial impulse we all are subject to; because it says "my resources are yours," to the primitive brain, assuaging it, assuring it that we are part of a tribe that nurtures and cares. So perhaps it is inevitable that as isolation increases so do these impulses. Thus when the higher brain tires in an environment of conflicting and competing ideas, the balance starts to tip from a majority of brains being well controlled by the prefrontal cortex to a majority of brains struggling to keep their higher functions "online." These are indeed challenging times, and most of what we need to focus on right now is what is happening inside each other's skulls. Which wolf will win?