Cattraknoff
03-28-2008, 03:00 AM
Humans, as well as even most animals have an incredible ability to learn from their past mistakes. The strongest lessons are those derived from a situation wherein the person or animal in question is harmed in some way. While these direct lessons are generally grasped by all, there remains another kind which seems to escape the vast majority: Those of history. Most tend to ignore the past, often because of the absolutely useless facts that were shoved down their throats throughout their education careers. As a result they are now unable to forgive this travesty, and pay little heed to what history has to offer. Few are able see how essential it is to understand the past, that they might ensure the same mistakes are not repeated time and again as they have been.
This is where a distinction must be made between two very general groups of people: The ignorant, and the wise. The ignorant, while quite willing and able to learn from obvious mistakes, tend to miss those which require forethought or higher logic. It's quite obvious indeed after they've been stung, so to speak, that they should not repeat those actions which caused it. However this is generally the extent of the lessons they will seek to learn. Only those that apply to the here-and-now, and only those with obviously beneficial application, be it a lack of pain or a gain of some material object. It should not surprise most to learn that the majority of people fall into this category. It's not about them being inferior, or in some other way incapable of higher thought (for the most part), but simply because they are apparently quite comfortable as such, and so that is how they shall remain, barring some drastic influence which would cause them to change mindsets. To their minds they have done well enough as they are, and indeed they are often right. It's often quite thrilling to live in the moment, without looking to the past or future more than is absolutely necessary. There are of course several problems with this style of thought, and that is essentially the title previously given to them "Ignorance." They blind themselves often to the realities of many situations, often out of optimism and a hope that things will always "work out" for the best. This is indeed a very naive notion, for all the hope it supposedly brings.
Conversely there is the group of people hitherto referred to as "wise." This type of person, in general, will dedicate a large portion of their lives to the pursuit of knowledge. Not simply to absorb the information, but to learn any and all possible lessons therein. Often students of history, as well as the present, their quest for knowledge never ends, their thirst never quenched. There are of course varying degrees of this quality, with even the greatest fools possessing it in the slightest, however here it shall be referred to in the obvious and more prominent sense. The wisest individuals never cease their efforts to learn, and more than simply absorbing information, they will indeed make their own conclusions based on what they know. This is often referred to as "intelligence", and so wisdom goes a step beyond this. Wisdom takes that knowledge and understanding of the given situation, and applies as well the lessons of the past, their own and that of others, along with the conclusions to be had from this. Indeed the quality might often seem unattainable, but even the wisest people were fools at one point in their lives. The single key is in seeking to learn, for the sake of the knowledge and lessons themselves, as well as what is to be gained from them.
Of course becoming wise and remaining so seems a lot of effort, and indeed it is. Thought can never truly end, as there is no end to the examples to be seen and learned from. Always there is more to learn; Once whet, the appetite for knowledge grows with each story read, with each conclusion reached. Prior to this point however, there is often an initial struggle. One may seek to learn, but does not fully understand initially. This is enough to ensure that the vast majority do not aspire to learn as they should, that they accept ignorance and thereafter attempt to justify this ceaselessly. It's far easier to remain as they are, and so why should they bother? Others are perfectly capable of thinking for them, of making the difficult choices; They have always been able to get by, and so the necessity of it is lost to them.
Moreover, the virtue of enlightenment both intellectually and spiritually seems to be lost on the vast majority of the populace. This by necessity forces one to look at the more practical applications of committing themselves to the acquisition of knowledge and the formation of logical thought. Advancement can be had not only academically, but also in chosen careers, in relationships with others, and in personal satisfaction. The benefits are too many to list entirely, and different people will of course profit in different ways.
The rewards to be reaped aside, to fully understand why it is not only prudent but absolutely necessary one must look to the consequences of remaining ignorant. One must look at the lessons of the past, to what the intelligent have always done to the foolish: Enslaved them, exploited them, and even exterminated them. The populace allows itself to be abused by turning a blind eye to the world at large. The reasons for this are numerous, foremost being the seeming-difficulty of action and inconvenience of care or worry. They allow their freedoms and rights to be stripped from them, or if none were had to begin with, they allow things to remain as they are. The people either do not realize the power they hold, or are afraid to exercise it.
Consequently, history has always repeated itself. The weak-willed are exploited and abused as they allow themselves to be. The few profit whilst the many suffer and labor endlessly. The people are often made to fear their social "betters", the power wielded over them. The masses tend to dislike their rulers, to dislike the injustices that plague their societies, but still they do nothing. They allow things to remain, feeling powerless and weak, and so they will drown their sorrows in their favorite TV shows, video games as well as alcohol. Their masters could not ask for better blessings than these. Few things work to their benefit more, for few things have been so successful in blinding the people to the truth.
One might ask what exactly this truth is. The answer is not extraordinarily complicated: The truth is that the people are indeed powerful, each and every one of them, and as a whole even more so. This is what tyrants and even presidents have worked so tirelessly to hide from the populace. They work to make each and every person feel hopelessly insignificant, they teach you that you cannot change things, not truly, and as a result few even attempt to, with those who do being shunned and ridiculed. The truth is that those in power fear the people, they fear the power held by the masses. They are afraid of what might happen if the truth of their actions come to light. They dread the hour when the people are able to look at the lessons of history, and fully comprehend what their "betters" are working toward now: The tyranny and injustice that had always seemed inevitable, but is only made so because of the self-blinded populace.
And so at last a race has begun, as it has many times before. The ruling class seek to secure their position, and are well on their way to doing so. The free flow of information will be ceased, and liberties will vanish in an instant. Laws which were supposed to protect the people will be turned against them, and resistance at this point will become impossible. When this moment comes, all hope for freedom and justice will be gone, humanity's fate sealed. The final strides are being taken, and the people still are not aware of what is going on. The people still do not care enough to see the truth as it is, in its entirety. They cling to their naive optimism without end, and shall be destroyed by it. In this instant the people will indeed be made powerless, a dream, a vision aspired to by countless tyrants throughout history. At this point, their power shall be absolute, and unbreakable.
(Concluded below...)
This is where a distinction must be made between two very general groups of people: The ignorant, and the wise. The ignorant, while quite willing and able to learn from obvious mistakes, tend to miss those which require forethought or higher logic. It's quite obvious indeed after they've been stung, so to speak, that they should not repeat those actions which caused it. However this is generally the extent of the lessons they will seek to learn. Only those that apply to the here-and-now, and only those with obviously beneficial application, be it a lack of pain or a gain of some material object. It should not surprise most to learn that the majority of people fall into this category. It's not about them being inferior, or in some other way incapable of higher thought (for the most part), but simply because they are apparently quite comfortable as such, and so that is how they shall remain, barring some drastic influence which would cause them to change mindsets. To their minds they have done well enough as they are, and indeed they are often right. It's often quite thrilling to live in the moment, without looking to the past or future more than is absolutely necessary. There are of course several problems with this style of thought, and that is essentially the title previously given to them "Ignorance." They blind themselves often to the realities of many situations, often out of optimism and a hope that things will always "work out" for the best. This is indeed a very naive notion, for all the hope it supposedly brings.
Conversely there is the group of people hitherto referred to as "wise." This type of person, in general, will dedicate a large portion of their lives to the pursuit of knowledge. Not simply to absorb the information, but to learn any and all possible lessons therein. Often students of history, as well as the present, their quest for knowledge never ends, their thirst never quenched. There are of course varying degrees of this quality, with even the greatest fools possessing it in the slightest, however here it shall be referred to in the obvious and more prominent sense. The wisest individuals never cease their efforts to learn, and more than simply absorbing information, they will indeed make their own conclusions based on what they know. This is often referred to as "intelligence", and so wisdom goes a step beyond this. Wisdom takes that knowledge and understanding of the given situation, and applies as well the lessons of the past, their own and that of others, along with the conclusions to be had from this. Indeed the quality might often seem unattainable, but even the wisest people were fools at one point in their lives. The single key is in seeking to learn, for the sake of the knowledge and lessons themselves, as well as what is to be gained from them.
Of course becoming wise and remaining so seems a lot of effort, and indeed it is. Thought can never truly end, as there is no end to the examples to be seen and learned from. Always there is more to learn; Once whet, the appetite for knowledge grows with each story read, with each conclusion reached. Prior to this point however, there is often an initial struggle. One may seek to learn, but does not fully understand initially. This is enough to ensure that the vast majority do not aspire to learn as they should, that they accept ignorance and thereafter attempt to justify this ceaselessly. It's far easier to remain as they are, and so why should they bother? Others are perfectly capable of thinking for them, of making the difficult choices; They have always been able to get by, and so the necessity of it is lost to them.
Moreover, the virtue of enlightenment both intellectually and spiritually seems to be lost on the vast majority of the populace. This by necessity forces one to look at the more practical applications of committing themselves to the acquisition of knowledge and the formation of logical thought. Advancement can be had not only academically, but also in chosen careers, in relationships with others, and in personal satisfaction. The benefits are too many to list entirely, and different people will of course profit in different ways.
The rewards to be reaped aside, to fully understand why it is not only prudent but absolutely necessary one must look to the consequences of remaining ignorant. One must look at the lessons of the past, to what the intelligent have always done to the foolish: Enslaved them, exploited them, and even exterminated them. The populace allows itself to be abused by turning a blind eye to the world at large. The reasons for this are numerous, foremost being the seeming-difficulty of action and inconvenience of care or worry. They allow their freedoms and rights to be stripped from them, or if none were had to begin with, they allow things to remain as they are. The people either do not realize the power they hold, or are afraid to exercise it.
Consequently, history has always repeated itself. The weak-willed are exploited and abused as they allow themselves to be. The few profit whilst the many suffer and labor endlessly. The people are often made to fear their social "betters", the power wielded over them. The masses tend to dislike their rulers, to dislike the injustices that plague their societies, but still they do nothing. They allow things to remain, feeling powerless and weak, and so they will drown their sorrows in their favorite TV shows, video games as well as alcohol. Their masters could not ask for better blessings than these. Few things work to their benefit more, for few things have been so successful in blinding the people to the truth.
One might ask what exactly this truth is. The answer is not extraordinarily complicated: The truth is that the people are indeed powerful, each and every one of them, and as a whole even more so. This is what tyrants and even presidents have worked so tirelessly to hide from the populace. They work to make each and every person feel hopelessly insignificant, they teach you that you cannot change things, not truly, and as a result few even attempt to, with those who do being shunned and ridiculed. The truth is that those in power fear the people, they fear the power held by the masses. They are afraid of what might happen if the truth of their actions come to light. They dread the hour when the people are able to look at the lessons of history, and fully comprehend what their "betters" are working toward now: The tyranny and injustice that had always seemed inevitable, but is only made so because of the self-blinded populace.
And so at last a race has begun, as it has many times before. The ruling class seek to secure their position, and are well on their way to doing so. The free flow of information will be ceased, and liberties will vanish in an instant. Laws which were supposed to protect the people will be turned against them, and resistance at this point will become impossible. When this moment comes, all hope for freedom and justice will be gone, humanity's fate sealed. The final strides are being taken, and the people still are not aware of what is going on. The people still do not care enough to see the truth as it is, in its entirety. They cling to their naive optimism without end, and shall be destroyed by it. In this instant the people will indeed be made powerless, a dream, a vision aspired to by countless tyrants throughout history. At this point, their power shall be absolute, and unbreakable.
(Concluded below...)