Forgive them
“May you live in interesting times” this ancient Chinese phrase is not a blessing; it is a curse for someone to live in extraordinary times of uncertainty rather than peace.
Today we are witnessing the combination of a fourth turning in history, the peak of a 100-year debt cycle and the end of an empire. Our society has reached an inflection point in all aspects… cultural, political and economic. The last time this happened the world was sent into total war as human suffering and subjugation had climaxed to the point of epic proportions. These were of course interesting times, but they are not looked upon with reverence.
Undoubtedly there are purveyors of all this turmoil, now and throughout history. There will always be individuals who thrive on chaos, are entertained by global havoc, and profit from the disorder. You may think you know their names because you see them on TV with their fancy titles and platforms. However, these are merely representatives and scapegoats for the true authors of unrest. Those who perform wickedness in the light eventually suffer the consequences, evil concealed in secrecy continues unabated and without retribution. These personages are of little importance, they will meet their comeuppance in the afterlife if they haven’t already. They are of course arbiters of vice and propaganda, but they are only providing supply for an already existing demand.
Human nature thrives on hate, greed, envy and fear. Our species does not have inherent morality. Children do not develop a sense of empathy until 2 years old, they have no genuine compassion for other’s perspectives until 6, even teenagers have similar brain chemistry to sociopaths. Ethics and integrity must be taught through guidance and experience. Even as adults our minds are extremely malleable and can be easily manipulated. We are slaves to our own emotions, vulnerable to manipulators, and helplessly trustworthy of our systems and “experts”. Our critical thinking is eclipsed by a necessity to fit in with the crowd. We are social creatures who constantly need validation and companionship. Modern society is so polarized because we must hate the perceived enemies of our in-groups or suffer ostracization. Everyone just wants to belong, regardless of their closely held beliefs in what is truly right and just.
My quarrels are not with the transmitters of hate nor the receivers. It’s a hard world full of deception and ignorance, but I have come to accept this facet of life and its innate part of survival. Life is a big trial by fire where we all must learn through failure and treachery. Our shared experience isn’t supposed to be easy, and we are not typically on the same team. The challenges of life make it fun and worthwhile; regular disappointments make successes significant; and poor interactions with individuals make reliable relationships more meaningful. Thus, I do not resent my fellow man because they appear to be malicious or foolish, we must respect one another’s enduring path through life and its difficulties.
I could never blame another for choosing a path that benefits themselves at the expense of others. Nor could I blame an individual to be blissfully ignorant of existential threats that do not concern them. Altruism is not always genuine, selflessness is not always praiseworthy, and egotism is not always deplorable. There is always a gray area, an ulterior motive, an unforeseen circumstance, or an act of desperation that can justify any evil or vilify any good deed. Life is complicated. Have some sympathy for your fellow man. Their actions may have good intentions, their views may not be their own, they could be alone and helpless.
“Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
I cannot in good faith chastise the fallible people who inherited these horrible systems. I can however, scold the systems themselves. The current system that purveys war and inequities across the globe thrives on our insatiable desire to blame each other. The tyrannical technocracy that rules over us can only be defeated if we acknowledge it and seek to destroy it without harming one another. It’s defense mechanism is to swing the blame onto everything and everyone apart from itself. That’s why it is imperative for us to call out the propaganda. Once you learn to see it, you cannot unsee it.
If you see a particular problem in the world and the conventional knowledge tells you to blame a specific ideology or demographic, you are being propagandized! If a war erupts and the TV tells you to pick a side, do not be fooled! If the economy is going horribly and your iPhone says its all the capitalist/socialist’s fault, do not succumb to the lies! They will attempt to manipulate your good intentions, your respect for science, your devout faith, your love of country, and your hate of the unknown to make you think a certain way. LEARN TO THINK CRITICALLY. If an idea is popular than it’s probably a psychological operation designed to sway public opinion.
It is time for humans to evolve (or perhaps devolve) into beings that stop thinking in terms of us vs them and begin to understand that it’s always been us vs it. It being the forces of nature and systematic control that keep us from living prosperous lives. We’re all in it together. The human race will evolve as one or continue to kill each other until we go extinct. The choice is ours.