Culling, is a derivative of the Latin term 'colligere', which simply meant to collect.

In the context of sorting, keeping one group collected for one reason and the other selected for another. Say for instance you have a harvest of apples. You collect the ripe-healthy apples and place them in one basket; you pluck out the spoiled and put them in another. You keep the good apples to eat yourself and the spoiled may be fed to your animal stock: Culling the from the . The surname 'Cullen' came from this term, which implied that they are something special, if you know the history (derived from the French) of surnames and their need - then you'll understand. This is where the 'elite' connotation came from, and was applied to not just people, but animals as well. Heavily used in the farming/breeding industry. When trying to breed the superior subject from its breed, you remove the inferior which is judged by a number of characteristics. Anything that is an emanation from the original degrades; ideally you want to prevent such degradation that you exceed the original in time and over a number of generations. What is being misused here is the idea that the 'bad apples' are discarded. In breeding, they are simply bred in tandem with other breeds, to improve the breed. Otherwise known as the tandem method. When trying to preserve something, say land or resources - in the wildlife control industry; 'culling' allows a certain number to be hunted, to thin down populations. Common to ensure the entire species doesn't starve from a lack of natural resources to feed it. So, its a preservation method. It's not as if the 'elite' of the breed are tagged for preserving while the inferior for destruction. This is a misappropriation of the term. It is a preserving mechanism, in this context. Culling in the context of a psychological modality, to cull the inferior from the superior; the criteria targets groups based on what individuals deem inferior. The mundane, stupid, retarded, race, socioeconomics, politics, etc. Suited to meet the individual's ideals of preservation of a select group. And an individualized agenda. That agenda may be shared by others, thus those that deem themselves to fit that agenda, find themselves herded into an ideal that they did not originate. This is why you only find select individuals supporting specific agendas, they have been collected. Culled. One could argue that nothing is really original when it comes to human beings, the common question is asked: Do we really re-invent the wheel? Thus, individuals are 'collected' into schools of thought. Interesting phrase, eh? " ." Think about that. On one hand, you may have a self-declared 'Elite-class' of people, attempting to cull back an inferior breed from their midst. On the other, the group forms pack mentality, and have been culled themselves, even if it targets the weaker class Collects them. The 'Elite-class' tends to believe they are superior, simply because of their intellect or behavior patterns. However, intelligence is putting your knowledge to work for you wisely. Closer examination of each in the 'Elite-class' may reveal their inability to self-actualize. They are content with playing super-man in small social circles, Social Networking being one example, in this Electronic and Information Age.

Oh the humanity of keyboard warriors! It's easy to be anything you wish other people to believe in a virtual environment. Maybe you are good at it, maybe you suck at it. Some people are easily fooled and some can see right through the attempt like a pane of glass. If your target is the 'Inferior-class' of people, what the 'Eliteclass' considers fodder, its easy right? It's far more challenging to take on other 'Elite-class' individuals than it is to target the weak-minded. What does that say about the mentality of the 'Strong-minded'?? So packs form, to poke a classified-inferior with a stick. To what end? For what purpose? If the elitist recognizes the person being poked as no match for them from the beginning, where is the ? I think its far more challenging to find innovative ways to provoke and inspire people to come into their own, than it is to kick them when they are down. Trends are a current. If you see a trend forming, and it offers you no true benefits in becoming all you aspire to become in this life why ride the raft down the river? Why aren't you rowing against it? If it's because you feel uneasy with standing on your own, you have been culled. If you find yourself joining a pack, for no other motivation than to 'join in the fun', a shameless pleasure? You have been culled. If you find yourself wrapped up in a cult of personality, you have been culled. If you find yourself riding the gossip train, and in the 'me too club', you have been culled.

So once you've been collected, then what? Will you allow yourself to be food for the gods? Or perhaps you'll just be an apple, allow yourself to ripen and rot as nature intended. There are pleasures that we all indulge in, perhaps picking at the fodder is one of them. There are times in our lives when it is appropriate to form a pack, to stand-alone, to be the Elite and to be the Fodder. If you tell me you've never been fodder, I call ! Even if you were that awkward kid in the 5th grade that got picked on relentlessly until you sucker-punched the biggest kid in your class - you were it. Look back on the time-line of your life. Who you were then, and who you are now. What does the future hold? What are you aspiring towards? Will you find yourselves collected? Culled? Will being collected help you? Hurt you? An opportunity to tread water until you figure it out? We all have a story. We are not our stories. Show me an apathetic man, and I will show you his wounds.

SIN JONES bull www.the-poison-apple.com