There are questions in life that literally everyone will ask. While, at the same time, clear to the point answers are hard to find. In the absence of well grounded answers we have ideas popping up that range all over the map. They vary from culture to culture and individual to individual. Some are meaningful while others are just plain destructive. The PORTRAIT OF LIFE series is intended to address these questions-to see how the facts really add up. Everything is referenced to observations that anyone can make. There is no hidden agenda, no special interest, just whatever the facts reveal. (Portrait 3) The Deciding Factors of Civilization