Most fights occur over something other than what triggered it. They’re pretexts. World War I started when a Serbian shot the heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne. But the war wasn’t fought over him. A bitter church feud over whether to have pews or chairs in the sanctuary is really a struggle over something else more important but nobody wants to openly discuss.

Famous historical figures often defined history by imposing their will on it. Other times, they merely instigated something that was always beyond their control. Populist movements are always feared because they exist with or without a leader and are harder to defeat than one driven by a few individuals.

People too often confuse the catalyst with the fuel. If you want to avoid a fire, you get rid of the fuel. Catalysts will always come and go. Lighting strikes don’t cause megafires; it’s the fuel loads and overly-dense forestland.

To keep with the analogy, we ignore the fuel because to acknowledge it requires asking where it came from and how it got there. So we let it build up until it bursts into flame, then blame whoever started it as wholly responsible.