20 insights into mimetic desire, some of which might save your life:
The fox in Aesop's fable of the sour grapes in a Romantic Liar. The only reason he was able to convince himself that the grapes were sour is that he was alone. Had there been a rival fox who wanted them, he wouldn’t have been able to walk away.
The domestication of dogs probably happened because humans used them for ritual sacrifice.