It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society
When we are born, we are inspired. We are told children’s fantasies, to be virtuous, honest, kind and loving. But in everyone’s life there comes a time where the world of fantasy is unearthed as what it really is, imaginary.
We start off believing that the world is a just place, where good deeds create success. And that with success comes happiness, wealth and fulfillment but inevitably at some point of internal dissonance this reality, that we all grow up believing, becomes realized simply a fantasy. We realize that objective success comes from a more cruel set of skills.
It’s hard to know at what point this is realized, but it’s undeniable. Eventually, we realize that “good guys finish last” is truer than “happily-ever-after”. I wish this wasn’t so, but in today’s day and age this is the rule and anything else is the exception. So how did we create this world?
Where we teach our children outright falsities in order to protect them from reality, are we really doing them a service? People will argue that it’s the true nature of things, but I question them if this is truly our nature, why are we scared to tell our successors? Instead, we lie to them, and one day they learn that we brought them up upon a fabrication.
I believe that we lie because it’s not who we want to be, we don’t want to lie, cheat and steal for success, we do because we live in a world that takes those characteristics as success. I know you’re thinking “well that’s not really success. You can be honest and virtuous and successful” and yes you are welcome to uphold that belief but you are lying to yourself. No one who is successful is truly honest, it’s a paradox, don’t believe me?
Honesty is defined as “free of deceit”, deceit is defined as “concealing or misrepresenting the truth” and successful is defined as “The gaining of fame or prosperity“. I argue that no-one who is objectively considered as holding “fame or prosperity” has achieved it without “concealing or misrepresenting the truth” because the truth is that they are not perfect. The bottom line, success or honesty, pick one.
The thing that alarms me the most isn’t the true nature of the world, or the lies that my parents fed me as a child about the success in being a ‘good boy’. The true thing that shakes me to the depths of my soul is nobody’s acknowledgment of the devastating consequences of the acceptance of our own dystopian reality. If you are not truly shocked by the true nature of the world, the inequality, the inhumanity, the lies and lack of empathy then you’re probably successful.
What is the silver lining? There isn’t one. If you live in a world where you work 9–5, spend your money on retail purchases, drink alcohol on your days off, struggle to pay your bills and read the latest gossip/news then you will probably end your life doing nothing of value and perpetuating the status quo to a point where your own ignorance will destroy the future for the next generation. I don’t want this, nor am I perfect, but I am aware of it, and I hate it.
For example, you drank a coffee recently didn’t you? Or put on a t-shirt, right? I bet you’re also against tyrannical governments and slavery right? Well did you know that you’re also a hypocrite (don’t worry so am I, in fact, I had 2 coffees today) you’re a sick ignorant bastard who cries for the weak on one hand and pushes their face into the mud with another, accept it.
I’m not saying you’re a horrible person, I think most people have a child inside them, someone who believes the world can be a just place where happiness can be the status-quo, or at least, live without indirectly hurting others. What I want is for you to stop being ignorant, stop standing there like you’re not a part of the problem, you are, every choice you make affects everyone, so act like the child you once were, stop being a part of the problem and be a part of the solution.
But don’t worry, you’re not special, you equally as sick and twisted as everyone else out there. But this really comes down to one problem. When you have children, do you really want to tell them to be all the things which you believe they should be (honest, kind, truthful) and know that it’s a complete lie which will not bring them success? If you don’t stand up and be the person you want them to be then your leaving no legacy making your existence worthwhile, you are simply ignorant and bringing a new generation into this world with a worse future than your own.
If you segregate a problem, you don’t understand it well enough, discrimination is inequality. If you want to fix something, look at the problem on the broadest level possible, which will also be the deepest level possible. Take some time to stick your head out of the sand and act responsible for the issues because you are, you are a part of the reason that this world is closer to a nightmare than a dream.
I can’t tell you what you should do to fulfill this, as everyone has their own opinion, what works for me probably doesn’t work for you. But, if you educate yourself and stop being so absorbed in meaningless dichotomies maybe just maybe one day we won’t have to feed our children bullshit to protect their ears from the truth.
“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
/end-rant
