Why was Julius Caesar murdered in 44 BC by his best friend? Why did the Roman Empire collapse in the 5th century AD are historians still baffled by that disaster? Why did William of Normandy attack England in 1066 AD, the date every student should know? The position of the stars, the phases of the moon and above all the divine influences, according to the ancients, were undoubtedly responsible for such assassinations, collapses of kingdoms and invasions. Of course, eclipses have also been attributed with an enormous influence on political disasters. Eventually, of course, the thinking became much more sophisticated, but the new explanations were still simplistic. Hitler did not cause World War II alone; Uncle Tom's Cabin could not be the sole cause of the Civil War, and the Catholic Church was not solely responsible for the Crusades. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Noted contemporary historian Barbara Tuchman, on the other hand, takes a psychological/sociological approach in assigning the causes of national and international failures such as the recent Russian economic collapse, current Israeli-Palestinian hostility, and past political of apartheid in South Africa. In his book, The March of Madness, he identifies the imbecile who acts according to desires without being diverted by facts, as a factor that plays a remarkably important role in government. Some would even go so far as to argue that Tuchman's theory can be applied much more broadly to life in general on a personal level. Indeed, stupidity plays a notable role in bungled human affairs as well as state affairs. Probably the saddest failures occur in human relationships. Some people simply cannot maintain a relationship with another person, due to their narrow-mindedness. The stupidity might just be in people's minds or in the way they think about current issues. The stupidity could also stem from when we were children and the way our parents raised us. Sometimes a person won't give up and admit guilt or that they are wrong, even when the facts are right. For some people, prejudice is what causes them to be wooden-headed, and this problem is known to get many people into trouble. Marriage is another example. This is a major decision in a person's life and some people don't even think twice about what they are getting themselves into. This is the moment when abuse becomes a major problem in American life. Sometimes they don't even take advice from friends and family, who can see the obvious warning signs. Simply overlooking these signs can lead to bad relationships, including abusive ones. Abusers may be narrow-minded in the sense that they know it's wrong, but they can't help it. But, also, abused people can be stupid in the sense that they don't get help. This causes a lot of problems and leads to many people getting hurt mentally and/or physically. Some people like to ignore the facts and continue living as they always have. Addictions are a big problem for people all over the world. An example would be gambling. This is a highly addictive trait of wood-headed humanity. Even though the odds are against us, we still visit casinos simply to satisfy our addiction. Sometimes people have a problem so serious that it puts them in financial difficulty. Another example of how people can be wooden is in the financial sector. Some people are wooden-headed because they don't know how to manage.