A question presents itself upon
contemplation of the
gross breadth of our species' lifetime: whence come the
woes and
cruelties, the
petty wars, the
violent proclivities which suffuse the
canvas of human history? This is a
well-worn path of inquiry: from the great and the small, from
Zoroaster to
Nietzsche, thinkers have struggled whole lifetimes with this simple question. I certainly claim to have no special
gnosis; with such men and women who have come before, my prospects for
originality or insight are
slim. Yet it is imperative that we as a species make the attempt.
It sometimes seems as if these myriad evils are programmed into our consciousness, deep within the core of our collective mind - but this begs the question, "programmed by whom, or what?" Are they vestigial psychic appendages embedded in our brainstems, artifacts of our cold, reptilian ancestry? Are they Darwinian adaptations for survival in a much-befanged world? Are they the work of some unseen spirit beings, ghosting in and through our world and minds and causing mischief? Perhaps they are intentional etches in our souls by beings we can only call Gods. But the most subversive concept in our catalogue of answers may be the simplest: We choose the darkness that blots our name.
And that is among the most frightening, sobering, and freeing concepts of the modern age.