When common people are emotionally invested in affairs of state, political divisions develop amongst neighbors. When the direction of a nation rests upon outcomes of popular contests, a minority of dissention is inevitably created and fueled. When people, denied the fruit of perceived entitlements, no longer feel invested in political processes, they are likely to threaten revolution. When political extremism abounds upon opposite ends of a spectrum, there is a legitimate risk of civil war. Gardening tends to create greater personal satisfaction than political activism; a statistical fact. The middle ground, where passion is tempered, is the abode of the wise.