imitating nature.

[Mel]

Interesting discussion. I wish I could add something more intriguing than what Mr. Punch and SPJ have, but they have articulated quite skillfully what I could not.

[uki]

Violence is part of human nature.

i prefer to call it destruction... opposite of creation.

The idea that people really copied animals to improve their fighting suggests they couldn't fight in the first place leading to the vast quantity of substandard and frankly silly animal forms nowadays, or that they were trying to rationalize their animalistic and violent nature to themselves by relating it to 'foreign' (ie non-human) nature and codifying it.

actually it is an art form of expressing the object in question(this case animals) and using it as a meditation to find peace of mind... adapting fighting characteristics of the animal for human usage was merely a byproduct of an advancing mind(much like computer upgrades).

The whole idea that we should be imitating nature is silly.

then you should be doing it more... as silliness promotes laughter, and laughter is truly the best medicine...