Society requires a mask for us to fit in to it
Humans aren't civilized. We're just well fed animals pretending to be.
Take away food for three days and watch civilization dissolve. Take away law for three hours and watch neighbors become enemies. Human nature isn't cooperative. It's competitive, violent, and selfish.
Society is little more than a collective agreement to suppress those instincts. That agreement is fragile, held together not by goodwill but by consequences. Without government, police, courts, and prisons, we'd quickly see what people are capable of when there is nothing stopping them.
The natural state of humanity is conflict. Everyone competing against everyone else. Life becomes nasty, brutish, and short. Civilization isn't the default condition. It's an artificial one, maintained through structure, authority, and enforcement.
Many people believe humans are inherently good and that corrupt systems make them bad. The opposite may be closer to the truth. Humans are inherently dangerous, and systems exist to keep those dangers in check. Remove the restraints and the beast reappears.
Every disaster offers a glimpse of this reality. Looting, violence, tribalism, and opportunism emerge the moment order weakens. These aren't signs that civilization has broken down. They're reminders that civilization is a thin layer covering impulses that never disappeared in the first place.