As I watch the Brett Favre saga unfold in Green Bay, I’m reminded of how silly human nature can be. Why is everyone so interested in whose fault it is? If you Google the name “Favre” along with the phrase “who’s to blame?” you get 7,330 links. I wish I were joking. Go ahead… Google it for yourself.  

So what does this say about us? We love conflict. And we love it even more now that the Internet has permeated our lives. It was bad enough when talk radio hit its zenith 15 years ago. Now we have literally millions of people out there looking to fill their Web pages with something. I should know. I’m one of them. (In case you forgot you were reading a blog.) And what are these bloggers going to fill their Web pages with? Whatever’s sexy, that’s what. And what’s sexy is conflict. Everyone loves a good fight.

You want proof? Here’s some homework for you: Go to a crowded place with a friend, and start loudly telling each other how much you like each other. Shake hands, do high fives, hug. Then write down the number of people who pay attention to you. The next day, go back to the same crowded place and start punching each other in the face. I’m no professor, but my bet is you’re going to be a lot more popular with the crowd the second night. (By the way, if you actually do this, make sure you videotape it. After all, we have a show to fill tonight.)

So we love conflict. But you know what we love even more? Blaming people. That’s the best part of the conflict, right? You get to pick a side. What’s more exciting than that? It’s my team against your team. You’re wrong and I’m right.

That’s what Packer fans are doing. Some think the team is at fault: Why in the world wouldn’t they want Favre back? The guy’s a Hall of Famer. He was great last year. Others blame Favre: Why did he retire if he knew there was a chance he would want to come back? Why can’t he just call it a career and let people move on?

As it nearly always is, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Or nowhere at all. Maybe, just maybe, it’s nobody’s fault. Maybe Favre really wanted to retire in March, and maybe he changed his mind in July. Maybe the Packers simply feel Aaron Rodgers is the future of the team, and maybe they want that future to start now rather than next year. Maybe neither side is trying to hurt the other. None of that is too difficult to believe, is it?

I don’t think most people ever stop to consider that possibility, no matter what the situation. We’re too quick to judge. Too quick to blame. And it’s only getting worse. That’s where conflict comes from. When you stretch it to the nth degree, that’s where wars come from.

Maybe we should judge ourselves before we start judging others. The world would be a much nicer place if we did.

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