What is it about sharpened metal quickly and effortlessly slicing paper into tiny particles that gets your blood pumping like there are two minutes left in the 4th quarter? Most likely a complicated case of deep set emotional issues, but whatever the root cause, you are not alone. In many underpublicized circles across the country, shredding is more of a hobby than means of protecting private, sensitive and/or classified information. Whether satisfying your curiosity just to see if a thick stack will shred or catering to an insatiable desire from within, more paper is wasted per year through meaningless shred-sessions than perhaps the aggregate total of all high school origami clubs. So what about shredding is it that humans are so intrinsically drawn towards?In short, shredding is therapeutic. The simple idea of controlling a piece of paper’s unknowing fate, helplessly headed towards a closed-wastebasket demise, gives the brief illusion of power in times when life may be beyond our control. Furthermore, when we shred specific items or documents that may have a certain sentimental value attached to them, i.e. old love letters, the shredder can serve as a medium for a cathartic cleansing of the heart. The Deuce Pub & Pit, located in Columbia, Missouri, has taken this basic concept and jacked up the ante, bringing in industrial-grade Christmas tree shredders every February 14th, as part of the anti-Valentine’s Day festivities. Bar patrons can bring in any item big or small that reminds them of a past relationship (aside from puppies and other living presents), and quickly watch it turn to dust before their eyes.On a less emotionally involved level, destroying things also panders to a primal fulfillment, just like letting out an unbridled scream or yell when frustrated. So next time you’re at wits end after a long day, or maybe suffering from a broken heart, instead of stopping by Ben & Jerry’s for a pint of ice-cream, try picking up 300 fresh sheets from the local Office Max instead, saving yourself some time on the treadmill at the expense of a tree or two.