It seems the truth of our current reality is that it is manufactured. What we think is reality is a veneer created by those that have power and make the rules. A thin layer of what we expect life to look like, but is actually just hiding the mess going on just underneath it.
These powerful people are the gatekeepers of society. They decide what gets seen and what doesn’t. They are the heads of media, tech, finance, and energy companies. They collaborate with most lawmakers to create the rules to ensure that they keep their control. Our money, our loneliness, our isolation, and our feelings of hopelessness are all manufactured to keep us in line.
We are made to believe that compassion is not an option. We are made to believe that if we don’t step on our neighbors neck for the next rung of the ladder then they will do it to us. The reason there is such desperation and ruthlessness in our society is because we living in stark contrast to our nature.
Hobbes said we are evil and selfish by nature and that only society can quell that. Rousseau argued that we are actually compassionate and community-oriented and society is what makes us selfish. I agree with Rousseau, but to think that way these days is to be considered crazy because we’ve been conditioned to be afraid, confused, isolated, and paranoid.
We live in a society where the current structure benefits those that lack empathy and sympathy. Where those most deficient in virtue are most apt to reach positions of power and attain immense wealth. The steps necessary to get to such a position of power repels most people.
My point being that the higher one rises the more they are exposed to the ugliness of greed. Seems in order to gain power one must lose some of their humanity and see their fellow man as a tool. Something to be used to accomplish what they want and little else. People are either obstacles that need defeated or a means to an end. Either way they aren’t seen as human.
Where dollars tend to determine election outcomes we can see that someone that has wealth in the tens or even hundreds of billions could buy the entire US Senate if they chose to. Our campaign finance system is set-up in a way that makes it possible for anyone to contribute as much as they choose. Even companies can contribute an unlimited amount of money, and through Super PACs that money is untraceable.
How can one proclaim that we live in a democracy where everyone gets one voice? We all get the opportunity to vote for one of two candidates that have already been vetted by the powerful few. A candidate that they’ve determined won’t rock the boat. A candidate that will keep the status quo. A candidate that is almost assuredly aware of who really put them in the position of power, and knows to whom they are really beholden. Not to the average voting tax-paying citizen, but to the powerful individual or group that supplied the resources that put them in office.
The very sad thing about all of this is that many of us know this is how the system works, and also realize there is very little we can do about it. I know this is cynical and a bit depressing but I feel it is true. I still vote and participate in the process even though I believe it to be a system that draws on the worst parts of our species’ character.
I am not deluded into the propaganda of either side that says how much our vote or our voice matters. That is mere pandering in order to get their candidate elected. I’d be willing to bet that very few politicians care about their constituents – at least not as much as they care about their own ambition. I view most people that hold public office as well-connected opportunists. Very profound observation I know – politicians are corrupt and self-serving.
Essentially the point of all this being that in order to reach a position of power one must be willing to make ethical compromises. It is like the story of the boiled frog. If you drop a frog in boiling water it will jump out immediately, but if you put a frog in cold water and then boil it then the frog will remain in the water until it is boiled to death.
Perhaps some of these folks started their journeys in business or politics with the best of intentions. If they’d be able to see what it would actually take to attain power they’d jump out of the water immediately. Instead as they got further into their careers they were forced to make small concessions here and there. Make the moral compromise or wipe clear all that you’ve accomplished to that point. Before long those small compromises have compounded and they are a boiled frog.
It seems easy to blame the high profile wealthy people of the world for the faults of the system. While I do believe some of those people to be quite wrong in their attitudes and actions I’d be cautious in blaming individuals. The systems we have in place to organize society and allocate resources are set-up in a way that selects for these types of people. I’d say that these people are just being who they are. In previous societies they’d likely have been outcasts because of their selfish nature – as Rousseau would argue. Instead the current systems give them an advantage.
Like many of the things I write about there isn’t a simple solution for this. There is very little that any single individual can do to correct this problem. I mean, it’s a pretty widespread issue. What we can do as an individual is not be taken in by the rhetoric of these people in power – be they high-ranking politicians or titans of industry. Be aware that almost all of what they are saying is coming from the self-interest of an opportunist.
This can make it easier to recognize the people actually trying to speak truth to power and challenge the status quo. If enough of us can gain a simple understanding of the manipulative game that is being perpetrated then change is possible. We likely won’t change the corrupt processes or institutions of our society. However we can begin to recognize and reject the products or propaganda coming from those manipulating us and the system. Perhaps that will make some space for those actually advocating on our behalf.
I appreciate your attention and hope you’ve found value in this.
Thanks for reading.
Billy's Briefs 