Because we could see their doom so clearly in our minds' eye, we were frantic to convince them that they needed to heed our advice. Our very empathy led us to incredibly obnoxious and arrogant behavior designed to save these poor souls. We were absolutely convinced that we were right and that there was no possibility that we could be wrong.
If a person was particularly resistent and lost their temper in the face of our repeated intrusive attempts to force our ideas upon them, we inwardly cursed them as being demons, not merely innocent persons in illusion. They were thwarting our attempts to save them, keeping us from feeling the relief and glory of saving them, and deep down we hated them for it! But that was not a part of ourselves we faced, so we projected it outward.
I now believe that even if we had been correct, our methods were inexcusable. I continue to work on my own control issues and my continued tendency to judge people who do not agree with my ideals. I remind myself that each of us has a unique life experience that leads us to our own philosophy. I do not have a corner on the truth.
Fundamentalism has many faces--religious, political, philosophical-- even scientists have their fundamentalists. We feel secure when we believe we know all the answers and are surrounded by people who echo them back to us. It takes a conscious and continuous effort to abandon this secure position and entertain the notion that others may have valid points and beliefs that differ from ours.
Ultimately, we will not have peace in this world until we all learn to respect those people who are very different from us--as much as we respect ourselves.