The Idyllicist

Studying wisdom of the past to build a better future

  • Finding Our Niche

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    “Better to have wisdom than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good.” – Ecclesiastes 9:18

    There is a concept in ecology known as the niche, a space in which a population can specialize and adapt to thrive in a specific part of an environment. In evolutionary biology is a concept known as competition, in which a population that wants to succeed must possess certain attributes that place it in the best position to persist. 

    For any person who lends credence to the opinions of others, these attributes are not ones that one should strive to associate with. In nature, the most successful species are competitive – they are selfish, greedy, paranoid, and act before they think. As products of evolution, these attributes are among the most base states of human nature. 

    So, if we are products of evolution, what separates humanity from the rest of the natural world? It cannot be language, culture, religion, or consciousness. Other animals have these things. I do not believe that the soul is unique to humans either. 

    Those who are eager to separate our species from its origins point to acts of selflessness. But it cannot be altruism or empathy that distinguishes us from our relatives. They demonstrate these attributes as well. 

    And this is the great paradox of evolution – that altruism is able to be rewarded. If a species must be competitive and selfish to prevail and persist, how can an altruistic species possibly survive? 

    I believe attributes like altruism and empathy are indicators that a population has begun to move past its wild crib into a more refined adulthood. And rather than losing its grip on its niche, the population grows into the niche in a way it could not before. 

    Selfishness, greed, and competition can only help a species so much. Once wholly dominant, a selfish and competitive population must turn inward to continue in the same mentality, and this becomes self-destructive very, very quickly. It is also obvious that a greedy species that has dominated its natural niche can do immense harm to its environment, thus destroying the very thing it adapted to. 

    Humanity has yet to truly grow into its spiritual niche, and it will take mass empathy before this occurs. As I have said before, I want to believe that everyone is capable of empathy. However, my interactions with people make acceptance of such a radical idea next to impossible. 

    But, once this does happen and regression is put to the wayside, humanity will be able to thrive in a way no other species has in the past. But this requires wisdom, not weapons.

  • Sleep On It

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    “Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Think about it overnight and remain silent.” – Psalm 4:4

    This is among the most sound advice I have ever received from my father. I do not know if he got it from this verse or from life experience, but it has been instrumental in acting rationally in emotionally-charged situations. Unfortunately, not everyone sees this as a good thing. 

    First, I have some misgivings about the Bible’s definition of “sin,” but I would agree that acting in anger could constitute sin. I once wrote that sin is “treason to the soul,” and “projection of one’s own faults to the blameless soul of another.” Acting in anger and allowing it to control oneself would fall under this definition. 

    I have found myself in many an instance where the temptation to act irrationally, and out of anger, was palpable. Of course, there have been times I did snap and said something I regretted later. However, as I have gotten older and been presented with more of these stressful situations, it has become increasingly apparent that waiting to act and allowing anger to simmer down is nearly always the correct course of action. 

    The first time I encountered resistance to this method was in a management role two and a half years ago. An employee had overstepped his authority on multiple occasions, and I decided a disciplinary action was necessary. This was someone I had had a very close friendship with and even lived with up until this point, so I waited a few days to discuss the action to allow both of us time to think through the situation. 

    I should note that the disciplinary action should not have been a surprise – this employee knew very well that he had overstepped his bounds, and he knew the consequences. 

    When we did discuss it, his anger had not abated. If anything, it grew, and before I had a chance to explain the reason for my actions, he told me that nothing I could say or do would restore our friendship. We agreed that we could no longer live together, and I no longer felt safe in our apartment, so I moved all of my belongings to my car, fully at peace with the idea that I would be living in my car for the next several months. Were it not for my fiancée’s father offering me a place to stay, this would have been my reality.  

    He also told me he would rather have had me berate him in the moment than have a collected conversation later on, and knowing the self-benefit of refraining from acting in anger, I felt more pity and confusion than anything else in that moment. 

    Two and a half years later, I still do not regret the manner in which I handled that situation, or any of those that followed in the ensuing months. And this may be the most important lesson of all from this story – that even if acting in line with one’s moral compass leads to material or social ruin, this is far better than compromising one’s moral code and maintaining that status. 

    To trade conscience for gain is to lose humanity. 

  • The Truth Hurts

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    “And confound not truth with falsehood nor hide truth knowingly.” – Surah 2:43

    Oftentimes, one of the hardest things to do is tell the truth. Many find it easier and more convenient to lie, or “fib” as some say. But each and every lie entangles one in a growing web. 

    I was fortunate growing up to have a father who recognized the importance of honesty. In all of my twenty-two years, I cannot think of a single instance in which my father lied to me. The effect of this is that I, too, highly value the truth – even when it is uncomfortable. 

    In my capacity as an editor, I am often tasked with revealing the truth after it has been covered by bad actors. This, of course, ruffles some feathers, and my commitment to the truth has made me some bitter enemies. But bending reality to anyone’s whim is a dangerous idea, even for the smallest of lies. 

    One who controls truth also controls reality, which is why it is so paramount that the truth remain unfettered and free. Truth simply is reality, and any attempt to dishonestly control a narrative is an affront to all. 

    Truly it is impressive how quickly some cast off the truth and don a convenient falsehood. Human nature is naturally self-serving – this is just the way of evolution – but we must rise above these impulses if we are to build a society where opportunity and peace are truly accessible to all. 

    Those consumed with greed are drawn to obscuring the truth and portraying reality in their own twisted manner. Even when these people have everything, however, their greed is never sated. Even in the darkest of times, the constant pursuit of control drives the greedy mad. And the best way to rid oneself of this affliction is to be honest and transparent. Mistakes happen, and wrongs will be done, but a prompt and genuine acknowledgement of wrongdoing goes a long way, both for oneself and for others. 

    Even if it sets you back for now, the truth will always set you free eventually.

  • Talk is Cheap

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    “No longer talk at all about the kind of man that a good man ought to be, but be such.” – Meditations 10.16

    I understand there is a certain irony to writing – and thus talking – about something like this, but bear with me. 

    Much ink has been spilled throughout the ages on what it means to be a good person, and even into the present age, many would equate “good” with “obedient” before “moral.” This is my primary issue with modern religion. By removing the burden of morality from humans and placing it on an intangible persona, people feel more free to act immorally. Whether or not this is the intent does not matter in this case – it is the result. 

    This may seem paradoxical at first. If an all-powerful and all-knowing being is responsible for dispensing commandments for what to do and what not to do, would not its followers be deathly afraid of crossing the line?

    Many are, but the reality is that God does not smite with holy fire and lightning like he allegedly did in Biblical times. No matter how fervent one’s belief in an intangible being, the being remains intangible and thus fundamentally disconnected from one’s life. Without a constant reminder of an overseer, it is easy to forget – or disregard – that being’s rules. 

    This also begs the question of what constitutes morality. Is killing another person immoral because it is immoral, or because God says it is immoral? I once heard an atheist ask a Christian, “If you need God to tell you not to murder, are you really a good person?”

    Now, I am no atheist, but this question struck a chord in me. It was after I had stopped going to church, if I remember correctly, but it gave me much to think about. I came to the conclusion that morality cannot come from a deity – it must be inherent to the human condition, and therefore arise from humanity, to have any real consequence. 

    Nothing can force all of humanity to act genuinely moral, but if morality arises from the human condition rather than from an unseen and unseeable outside force, it naturally is much more intrinsically tethered to our everyday lives. My interpretation of this, if it could be distilled into one statement, is that “one’s will ends where another’s begins.”

    Let us revisit the original quote from Meditations that inspired this post. Regardless of the origin of morality, there will always be those who adopt that holier-than-thou attitude many are familiar with. These are the people who tell others how to behave, but consciously act contrary to their words. This likely cannot be avoided, but I would think that it would be a much less prevalent issue in a society that understands morality comes from humanity. 

    For those who do believe morality comes from God, there are many who say that it is no business of man to judge man, but God’s alone. And yet, most of those people are eager to judge others based on often superficial aspects of their identity. There are some who genuinely do leave the judgement to God, and for those people I have a deep respect, but they are unfortunately few and far between. Those who are so quick to judge others are present at all levels of the church, and this was the first thing that drove me away from the congregation. 

    Even so, some judgement must exist in humanity to correct immorality – not aspects of a person’s identity, but actions they consciously take to cause harm to others. When morality is set by an intangible being that does not speak and does not act in any obvious way with our world, its words can be twisted to fit any agenda. If morality arises from humanity, this is much harder to do, and much easier to call out and fight against. 

  • The Song of the Ancestors

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    Note from the Author: I am in my third of three weeks on rotation for pharmacy school, which means I have little to no downtime. I don’t want to rush a post and publish something not up to my standard. Instead, I will be sharing some of the poetry I wrote in search of these deeper truths. This third one is called “The Song of the Ancestors.”

    ~~~

    Here begins the tale of all life.

    From the onset of carbonic life
    In this fragile plane of existence,
    Life longed and yearned to be self-aware.

    As the animals evolved through Time,
    Coalescing to their present forms,
    There emerged an ever-spanning force.

    Memory preserved through chemicals,
    Passed between countless generations,
    Permitted the Mind to know itself.

    The race of mankind, an infant then,
    Emerged from the neurons of a past
    So remote it may as well be gone.

    But as we know, the past is present,
    And the present is what is to come.
    Thus, we are all those who came before.

    We owe it to our genes, deep within,
    To honor, remember, and carry
    Their secluded memories with us.

    Your father and mother before you,
    And their two parents before them,
    Are twigs in the sprawling tree of life.

    Like droplets in the cascade of Time,
    Each span bleeds into the next below.
    Time wears ever on, erasing all.

    But those memories can be preserved,
    Their legacies kept alive and well.
    Their voices echo throughout all Time.

    Know yourself by knowing your forebears.

    Though you spent eternity unborn,
    You lived among all the stars above,
    Atoms waiting to fall into place.

    Society erupted ’fore long.
    The world’s empires rose and fell
    While your ancestors lived, learned, and died.

    They dwindled in number, eight, four, two,
    Until billions of years came to you.
    The universe made itself for you.

    Your body shall act as a temple,
    Your hands the priests to tend to its needs,
    Your first breaths the inaugural rites.

    But the universe’s fatal flaw,
    That tax on life by which all abides,
    Takes its awful toll on flesh and blood.

    For breath you are and breath shall you be.
    Your breath will cease eventually,
    And the seed will germinate anew.

    And when death, that sordid rite, does come,
    We may rejoice in conquering the
    Crippling sting of annihilation.

    The universe, to save creation,
    Imbued the body with the spirit
    Known as fith, the key to forever.

    The unbound fith shall roam eternal,
    Basking in creative glories
    The cosmos birthed ever long ago.

    But those who prostrate to wemme shall fall.

    The purpose of life is to live it.
    To take that away is to sever
    Your sacred ties to the universe.

    Beings that think want naught but to love,
    But there walk among us those who hate
    And strive to steal the essence of life.

    The universe knows all in the end
    That its own creations do believe.
    There is no hiding from forever.

    The agents of the ever-good caste,
    That power, that force that fuels all life,
    Will bring the thieving ones to their knees.

    Thowe, Mull, and Mirth, manifestations
    Of the will of the cosmos above,
    Will strike down the Thieves eternally.

    Weighed against the darkest of notions,
    The Thieving Ones will bow to their sins,
    Crumble beneath the sickness embraced.

    Those good souls who live their precious lives
    In awe and wonder and gratitude
    Will have their place in eternity.

    Where the body was so limited,
    The spirit will be free, space and time
    Bowing before their gracious sire.

    And so, when the Thieves are disposed of
    Forever after dark hearts speak true,
    The cosmos will be cured forever.

    The cruel hearts will be no longer.

  • The Song of the Soul

    By

    Note from the Author: I am in my second of three weeks on rotation for pharmacy school, which means I have little to no downtime. I don’t want to rush a post and publish something not up to my standard. Instead, I will be sharing some of the poetry I wrote in search of these deeper truths. This second one is called “The Song of the Soul.”

    ~~~

    Here begins the story of the fith.

    It is said that all in space and time
    Have at their core an essence unique,
    An energy of a different realm.

    It is the spark that lights the fire,
    The kernel within the hailstone,
    The beating heart within our bodies.

    This essence is a gift from the Mind,
    To all of its diverse creations.
    This most special notion is called ‘fith.’

    The fith may be better known as ‘soul,’
    But definitions do ensnare it,
    For it is far more fundamental.

    The fith is one’s blood and whole being,
    Personality, inclinations,
    Thoughts, desires, and all of their wants.

    The fith is within all living things,
    Each unique in itself, for the Mind
    Employs infinite diversity.

    The fith may be understood as two:
    The self, which one can easily control,
    And the lesser mind, which can control.

    In the self is personality,
    A unique pattern of desires
    Wherein rests one’s own identity.

    The mind is incomprehensible,
    And though it resides within the brain,
    It has agency of its own will.

    Alas, from where does the fith herald?

    The Mind is like a beautiful tree,
    Branching inside and out of itself
    Forever in every direction.

    The Mind inhabits all dimensions,
    Unfathomable to its offspring
    For all its profound complexity.

    The Mind can not be visualized
    By any one human brain in full,
    For all things ever reside within.

    These branches weave amongst each other,
    Coming together at farthest points,
    All while diverging within themselves.

    These branches follow family lines,
    Personality types, interests,
    Desires, wants, needs — a tapestry.

    Each fith, each soul, is but a thin slice
    Of one of these infinite branches.
    Each is connected to the other.

    This beautiful embroidery is
    You, your family, your friends, your pets,
    Your neighbors, even your enemies.

    All are knit from the same endless cloth,
    Everyone a unique point in space,
    In Time, and in our society.

    Just as one can peer into the depths
    Of the dark night sky, so can one peer
    Into the depths of their existence.

    The fith is an eternal being.

    Energy cannot be created,
    Nor can it be so wholly destroyed.
    The universe itself condemns this.

    Thus, even when the body passes,
    The fith will ever remain in full
    To live the eternity it earned.

    One’s actions and decisions follow
    From the crib all the way to the crypt.
    It is said that you reap what you sow.

    And although the fith may not enter
    Another material body,
    Nature encodes the soul’s attributes.

    From parent to child they migrate,
    Moving down the branches of the Mind
    With each next generation of life.

    In this way may the living preserve
    The breath of the dead all around them,
    Their forebears, neighbors in existence.

    We are the offspring of existence,
    The progeny of reality,
    So let us tend to our family.

    The Thieving One steals naught but from himself.
    The hateful detest their own brethren.
    The liars rather deceive themselves.

    The calling of the fith is to work
    To better the flawed world around
    For the sake of all life, everywhere.

    The fith has the most noble calling.

  • The Song of the Universe

    By

    Note from the Author: I am in my first of three weeks on rotation for pharmacy school, which means I have little to no downtime. I don’t want to rush a post and publish something not up to my standards. Instead, I will be sharing some of the poetry I wrote in search of these deeper truths. This first one is called “The Song of the Universe.”

    ~~~

    Here begins the story of all things.

    Before there was, there simply was not.
    But then at once, creation came forth,
    Vomited from the vast emptiness.

    Swiftly creation ballooned outward.
    Its inner parts coalesced in heat
    Unimaginably anarchic.

    Matter formed at smallest of scales,
    And from between the particle bonds
    Welled up a force, a conscious being.

    Infant in age but a sage in breadth,
    The lifeblood of the universe flowed.
    Rapidly it branched throughout the void.

    Sluggish notions collided, a sea
    Of such roiling uniformity
    Unfathomable but to itself.

    Within this force, aptly named ‘the Mind,’
    Everything was that ever could be,
    Would be, and even never would be.

    As Time drew on, the universe cooled,
    And seconds became millennia.
    Mammoth structures began to emerge.

    Rivers of stars spun around the eddies
    That were the galaxies, bright and rife
    With the atoms of the beginning.

    The Mind, ever-present, sentient,
    And sapient orchestrated all,
    Fabric on the loom of the cosmos.

    The force was pleased with its creation.

    But the Mind, imbued with fatal flaw,
    Racemic mix of opposite thoughts,
    Came to rest on answer elusive.

    On one hand buzzed desire to create,
    Other inclination, sinister,
    Yearned for naught but to delete it all.

    The Mind did separate these two thoughts,
    But its future it could not predict:
    Two personas spawned in enmity.

    That of creation was known as caste,
    That of deletion was known as wemme,
    Both filled with loathing from inception.

    They went separate ways, the battle raged,
    And the Mind feared for its proudest build
    Against the infection that did spread.

    That plague would strangle all that could breathe.
    Existence would die with a whimper.
    There was but one thing the Mind could do.

    In one fell swoop, the Mind cordoned off
    The lower space to save all the rest,
    But the Mind wept for its profound loss.

    But there was a loophole in the plot,
    A way to save the life underneath,
    One that required a new emotion.

    As the beings evolved, became complex,
    They began to think all on their own,
    And love filled the gaps between them all.

    Yes, it was love that would save them all.

    Only love profound could bridge the gap
    Between the physical and spirits.
    Humanity could live forever.

    However, as they grew and evolved,
    That insipid infection claimed them
    As its own, or tried to. Their minds stung.

    Humans, ever complex and unique,
    Fell victim to the doings of wemme.
    Within all their own minds, they suffered.

    But all the same, they kept pressing on,
    A species proud, mostly self-aware,
    That could never conquer every flaw.

    In vain they tried to conquer nature,
    In vain they tried to settle minds,
    But that human spirit was restless.

    Insatiable and unquenchable,
    The soul craves more, more, and ever more,
    Until bitter end approaches near.

    There is but one simple solution,
    So easy they may never believe,
    But attainable it is indeed.

    All one must do is look on upward.
    The sky of blackest, star-studded night
    Answers all, nothing to be desired.

    The sheer wonder of all creation,
    Infinitely diverse, full of awe,
    That is what the soul does truly crave.

    It is love that binds our creation.

  • The Problem of (an) Evil (God)

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    “No one who does good work will come to an evil end.” – Bhagavad Gita 6.40b

    The so-called “problem of evil” generally assumes that God is not the culprit. 

    Now this is a massive topic that many a philosopher have spilled ink on before, so I will not pretend that this little blurb comes anywhere close to the depth of those thoughts. However, I do want to offer my own input based on my experiences with religion. 

    Growing up, I learned that God was nothing but good. He was all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. I was far too young to even understand the concept of evil, so these facts went unquestioned. 

    Eventually, Satan was introduced as the embodiment of evil, but even then, developing little minds cannot grasp what this really means. Books and movies feature “bad guys,” but “bad” is not “evil.” Up to a certain point in one’s maturation, “bad” is more akin to “other” than it is to “evil.” Many people still have not passed this point. 

    I remember in one class – in fourth grade, I believe – my teacher said, “Satan doesn’t want you on his team. He just doesn’t want you on God’s team.” To someone a few years younger, this admittedly quite American analogy might be appropriate. In an ideal world, someone in fourth grade should be on their journey to truly understanding such a fundamental part of their faith. 

    Perhaps this is intentional. 

    See, the problem of evil emerges once reason applies a little pressure to religion. Most are content to accept that God is all-good and all-powerful but allows evil, but that conclusion does not sit well with many. And it shouldn’t. An all-good God who demands sole worship must measure up to his own standard. 

    The simple fact is that God either cannot be all-good or cannot be all-powerful while allowing evil. If God can eliminate evil and doing so results in no harm, then any other action with regards to evil must be immoral. 

    A natural response to this is that God has a plan that we cannot understand. Even if this is true – and it must be taken entirely on faith – it does not hold up to logic. And, if people were made in God’s image, our minds must work in some way similar to his. 

    A natural response to this is that God is not bound by laws, but this still generates more questions. If humans must follow a moral code instituted by God, but God is exempt from this code, then all morality is arbitrary and there is no true “good” or “evil.”

    The notion of free will plays into this as well. There is the idea that God allows evil because evil is a consequence of free will. But, if God is all-good, all-powerful, and all-knowing, what good is there in knowingly and willingly creating a system in which so many are doomed to an eternity of torture?

    In all these lines of thought, evil has one ultimate source: God. And this was admitted by my teachers, that God did, in fact, create evil. He has a plan though, so no need to fret. What never sat right with me, even as a devout Christian, was the knowledge that so many good people would be doomed to eternal torment simply because they picked the wrong God. 

    This is where that quote from the Bhagavad Gita comes in: “No one who does good work will come to an evil end.” It is quite clear that many who do good work do come to evil ends in this life. In both my worldview and the Christian worldview, the end of this life is not the end. But in the Christian worldview, many who do good work still meet an evil end and an evil eternity. 

    The problem is not evil, but an evil God. I do not believe God is evil – I also do not believe he is all-powerful. Immensely powerful, yes, but not infinitely so. I also believe evil is not the result of anything or anyone in particular. It simply is – a natural entity as old as good, and it oftentimes acts on good people of its own volition. And God is powerless to stop it. Again, if God is all-good and all-powerful, evil simply does not exist. 

    But, as it stands, the dominant idea of God in Western civilization is one that could eliminate evil effortlessly yet chooses not to, and in doing so dooms billions of souls. 

  • Holier Than Thou

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    “Think not that those who exult in what they have done, and love to be praised for what they have not done — think not that they are secure from punishment. They shall suffer a grievous chastisement.” – Surah 3:189

    They say there’s no hate like Christian love. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to all Christians, but it is unfortunately a very common occurrence nowadays. So, if you are a Christian reading this, please don’t click away yet – if anything, it should be the duty of those within a religion to hold accountable those who pervert that faith’s name. 

    Among the only “true” Christians I knew growing up were my parents. They practiced everything they preached – humility, honesty, morality, work ethic, accountability, and so on. I consider myself fortunate beyond words to have grown up in such a healthy household – and that they still support me through every high and low. 

    I believe people like this constitute a small minority, however. 

    Once I entered high school, it became very obvious very quickly that my peers, nearly all of whom professed to be devout, God-fearing Christians, were downright awful examples of the love they liked to discuss. Knowing what I know now, this is no surprise, but it came as a shock back then. 

    This is the primary reason I left the church in 2019. I never doubted there was a higher power of some sort, nor have I doubted an afterlife or some overarching sense of justice in the universe. But no longer could I associate myself with a community that was so unbelievably hypocritical. 

    Again, this is not all Christians, and this problem is not only a Christian one. Being the dominant religion, however, it should be easy to see why its adherents are the topic of these sorts of discussions. 

    I remember feeling like my eyes were finally wrenched open once I had these realizations, and what was a feeling of both betrayal and awe gave way to sadness and frustration over the years. 

    And those feelings continue to this day. Just last week, I engaged a stranger online in defense of my fiancée’s aunt, a woman I have high respect for for many different reasons. This stranger accused my fiancée’s aunt of cherry-picking scripture, but when I pointed out to this stranger that she was, in fact, doing the very thing she was railing against, she said she saw “darkness” in my soul and said she would pray for me. 

    I quite appreciate it when people say they pray for me, even though I rarely ever pray myself. But those are prayers of genuine concern and love. What this stranger online wanted was to demonstrate to the world just how pious she was. Her response to my showing her hypocrisy was to list as many “good” things she had done in her life that she could think of – volunteering, charity, and so on. 

    And this was all in the same breath she was defending extrajudicial murder in the streets at the hands of the federal government. We’re meant to respect the governments, because, after all, God instituted them. Never mind that Jesus himself committed acts of rebellion. 

    There are a handful of Christians with whom I am close that have truly devoted themselves to their faith and live it out every day. They do this with little regard for optics, but a genuine and heartfelt desire to make the world a better place through their faith. That is nothing short of admirable, and if that was the norm, the world likely would be a much better place. 

    Unfortunately, I believe they also constitute a small minority. 

    Ten years ago, I would have found it quite ironic that I chose a verse from the Qur’an to exemplify this. And, I must be honest, I am in disagreement with much of the belligerence held within the Qur’an. But there can be no justice without consequences and accountability. Forgiveness is wonderful, but when so many speak on behalf of their own God to forgive their own sins, you must wonder who is actually talking to them. 

  • Greater Good

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    “Whatever a great man does ordinary people will do; whatever standard he sets everyone else will follow.” – Bhagavad Gita 3.21

    I don’t necessarily subscribe to the “Great Man” theory – no one person can come to such power to be a “Great Man” without the institutions that permit such a thing. That said, because of such institutions, people who would not normally be able to come to power by sheer virtue of lacking the necessary skills are much more capable. 

    The democratization of power is not a bad thing by any means. More minds tend to be better than fewer. But the institutions set up by society are double-edged swords, and it is often easier to cut oneself on the sword than to wield it properly. An educated society is an absolute prerequisite for a functioning society. I would argue a society must be empathetic as well to truly flourish. 

    Alas, there is just something about the human mind that, on a grand scale, tends towards the self. Perhaps it is a byproduct of evolution, but humans are not the only species capable of altruistic tendencies. The more I grow, however, the less hopeful I am that altruists outnumber the selfish. 

    Looking at society currently, it is easy to see why I and so many others are so fearful. It is not that we are fearful of regression – because society most certainly is regressing – but a matter of how much. It takes a long time to build bridges, but only an instant to destroy them. 

    “Great Man” is a misnomer, really. The ability to wield an institution is obviously not inherent only to men, but it has been controlled and abused by them throughout much of history. And truly there is nothing great about any person who redirects the arrow of progress from its most noble goal. But it is often that these “great men” – “powerful people,” perhaps – do leave death and destruction in their wake. 

    I used to wonder how societies fell prey so quickly and easily to these demagogues. Then I watched it happen in my own, and it still baffles me just how many people out there are proud enemies of progress and empathy. Even to remove emotion from the equation, it is simply logical that helping everyone to succeed gives the individual a higher chance of success than going it alone. And with our present institutions, it is only a handful of those who go it alone that surpass everyone else to such a degree they would be considered “great men.” With the exception of a few hundred people at best, everyone is orders of magnitude closer to homelessness than they are to obscene profit. 

    So why do these few selfish people succeed? They manipulate the institutions to their whim, and often these institutions already gave them an advantage. But manipulation of institutions, while it may be profitable, does not give the individual command over millions. This is where the critical piece comes into play: hatred – or, rather, fear. 

    Hatred is really the other side of the coin of fear. Fear and hatred walk hand-in-hand, and their footprints are scattered all throughout history. It is deeply embedded in religion, too, with promises of fire and brimstone for those who refuse to obey – but this is another conversation. 

    The wealthy individuals themselves do not need to hate – though they often do. What they need is to cultivate that fear and hatred in the millions, and only then do they have the ability to take hold of the arrow of progress and redirect it towards themselves alone. 

    The result of this is death and destruction – always. What is pleasurable to the individual is not always good for the whole. Like I said, these “great men” do often hate, or at least possess an utter lack of theory of mind. But they all harbor a deep, unspeakable fear of failure, specifically failure of the individual. Ironically, it is this fear that ultimately drives them – and often many, many others – to failure. 

    A system built on oppression is always finite. There will never be enough resources, enough manpower, enough will to sustain these things forever. So, there is some comfort in that. But there is nearly always a great loss before these systems come to an end, because they must sap as much as they can from their subjects. And this is what the altruists and progressives fear – how much longer?