What was that old Star Trek episode (Shatner/Nimoy days) where the aliens/alien force they encountered fed off of the anger being expressed by the crew? I don’t know if it was something they ate, some vapor they inhaled, but the crew of the ship started to turn on each other, first it was frustration, then anger, finally resulting in physical acts of violence. If I remember, they would be prodded into altercations and there would be the alien hovering somewhere tucked away in a corner, glowing and growing. It wasn’t until Kirk and Spock figured out that they needed to use the opposite emotion to defeat the enemy that the episode was brought to its conclusion. The problem ended when the crew literally laughed the aliens right off the ship.
So, too, the USS FreeRepublic travels through cyberspace having taken on board a mysterious passenger which feeds on discord and acrimony. Few of its crew recognize its presence, resulting in a “ship” imperiled by forces [apparently] beyond its control. The one solution, civility and good humor, being in short supply, brings into question the future of the once-mighty vessel.
Proverbs 17:22
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.