Another phenomenon parallel to The Lawn Mower Syndrome is the prevalence of war themes and analogies not just in business but in everyday life. One of the best examples from my business experience was when one of my long time clients, a major health care company, was being acquired by a larger rival. I was working for the head of R&D at the time, and he was fiercely proud of the quality and value of his unit. He had an equal measure of disdain for that of his counterpart.