Submitted By: Allison Ryan
All of the farthest reaching tendrils of human history have led us to where we are now. This world—which could so easily be paradise—has gone astray, and has become an uncomfortable chaos. Perhaps this sounds ridiculous, but the truth of the matter is that we have known nothing but chaos, and cannot even conceive of a paradise, much less create one. This is why we seem to be stuck here.
Our brief view of history has presented to us a world in which humans have made notable attempts to curb their own cruelty, but have not a clue as to how it can be done. There have been sprinklings throughout history of slaughter and persecution, and conversely, periods when creativity and culture blossomed, and periods when health and wellness and periods when spirituality and faith were especially strong.
Much like a see saw, virtues and vices take turns to rise, only to sink once again after they have peaked. Men are forever striving to produce beautiful and fertile lands, fine cities, and magnificent estates. Much physical and mental toil has been expended for the making of awe-inspiring buildings, palaces, monuments and thousands of different artistic treasures.
They have willingly sacrificed wealth and paid homage to religion; that which forbade them to take a life, to oppress, or to plunder. It taught them to follow the path of gentleness, beauty and righteousness. They have existed under governments who claimed their purpose was to enforce a system promising safety, order and good living; a society in which relaxation was not unheard of. Men have tried so hard to achieve happiness and prosperity. And then?
All of these achievements are overshadowed by our disgusting attachment to war. It is constantly being glorified, we are constantly told that fighting is the noblest thing a man can do for his country. War—the ingredients of which are murder, devastation, ravage, oppression, plunder—is diametrically opposed to everything men endeavored to build. In but a few hours, war creates matchwood, ashes, corpses, and cripples; A waste land of their once whole existence!
In such a schizophrenic state of affairs, for generations past, humans have been raised in this world of such glaring contradictions that clear thought is nigh on impossible. Blind compromise is the only attitude conceivable for average men. Pure, straight thinking and mindfulness meditation just seemed to get in the way, and so it has dropped out of use.
Man has attempted to live a double life of virtuous faith and religion with vice of cruelty and warfare. He clings so desperately to his basest instincts and simply cannot give them up, so he molds his thoughts to compliment both sides of his personality; the innate and the learned.
These fixed thoughts stagnated, and for generations continued to sink into insurmountable trenches. The result was a type of mentality which put most of the population at the mercy of brainwashing and propaganda. Such individuals made up communities, formed habits and set rules, producing nations which claimed authority over any within their boundaries, and refused to acknowledge any authority themselves.
More and more obedience they exacted from their docile citizens; more and more they demanded the right to invade destroy and rob their neighbors. These nations call themselves “sovereign states,” which in actual fact means nothing but that the state as an individual unit is a barbaric miscreation.
