by Ray Jason
Something startled me from sleep. Because solo sailors need to be extremely
alert in order to avoid catastrophes, my finely-tuned emergency reflexes
immediately kicked in. I lay on my bunk
in the darkness listening for unusual sounds and monitoring abnormal
movement. But I detected neither. Suddenly, I realized what had unsettled me,
and I laughed quietly. I had been awoken
by the intense stillness and silence. In a modern world drowning in frenzy and
noise, such profound peace and quiet was … disquieting.
Since I live so immersed in Nature,
I knew what phase the moon was in, and so I went up on deck to watch its
descent behind the jungled mountains.
The little bay was so tranquil that there was not a ripple in the
water. It had transformed itself into a
moon mirror. No fish splashed and no
night bird sang out an alert. This was
primordial serenity.
Recognizing that the moonset was
probably about 90 minutes away, I headed below and made some tea. Then I went topside again with my cup and my
clipboard with its little reading light.
This was a philosopher’s dream scenario – Solitude, Stillness and Silence.
*******
It was time to make some notes for
my next Sea Gypsy Nocturne. For decades
I have been enchanted by the small piano pieces that many of the immortal
classical music composers created that are known as “nocturnes.” It seemed very likely that a night such as
this would have inspired them.
A few months ago I decided to attempt a philosophical nocturne. As I described my goal at that time, it was
to compose an essay that was “poetic and evocative and broad in its perspective
– illuminating the grand sweep of the human horizon.” On this sublime night a great quotation from
Eleanor Roosevelt sprang to mind:
“Small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, great minds discuss ideas.”
As the clouds sauntered past the moon, I decided to focus on one idea that has had an enormous impact on the Human Project. I would examine the vast evil that has been visited upon the world by those who seek to dominate others.
*******
The Malignant Overlords
The term that I concocted a couple of years ago that I
believe most accurately describes the people who rule the world is “The
Malignant Overlords.” Although this
might seem flippant, it is in fact, deadly serious. Referring to our masters as “the Powers That
Be” or “the People in Charge” or “the One Percent” does not heap nearly enough scorn upon these control freaks.
I chose this particular adjective because it includes
a second level of evil due to its medical usage. When a tumor becomes malignant, it usually
results in agony and death. And the
actions of these dominators will likely lead to massive horror and genocide
through economic meltdown or nuclear war or environmental collapse. And meanwhile, those responsible for this
catastrophe will be hiding in their bunkers or protected in their gated
communities, while most of humanity writhes in anguish. Therefore, I do not feel that it is excessive
to refer to them as Malignant Overlords.
*******
So how did we get to this global aberration whereby so
few can have such control over so many? Most
people will just shrug and say, ”It’s just Human Nature.” But they have reached that conclusion because
they have been indoctrinated in that
belief. That is because those who rule
also write the histories. And so, Homo Sapiens
has been portrayed as this selfish, brutish, violent species that must be
subdued and directed by its supposedly wisest and strongest members.
But this completely ignores the fact that early Humanity
flourished for thousands of generations as hunters and gatherers who obviously
did not wipe out the other members of their species nor destroy the natural
support systems which provided them food, water and shelter. And these band societies did not have
tyrannical rulers who imposed their will on the rest of the tribe.
However, this reality has been hidden through the
brainwashing of imperialistic anthropology and archaeology. For centuries these “scientists” tried to
justify the murder and enslavement of indigenous peoples because they were
supposedly inferior and primitive and savage.
But if you read the first-hand accounts of the European sailors who
first visited Polynesia, you will swiftly change your mind about who was
primitive and who was civilized. And if
you study the anthropology and archaeology of recent decades - which is not distorted
by colonialist agendas - you discover a humanity that may not have been
idyllic, but that was certainly more harmonious.
The crucial decision that changed the course of
societal evolution occurred about 10,000 years ago. It is glorified as The Dawn of
Agriculture. It might alternatively - and
more accurately - be described as The Death of Sustainable Living. It was not an overnight decision. Humanity
did not switch from hunting and gathering on Monday to sedentary agriculture on
Tuesday. That switch from the
Paleolithic to the Neolithic took generations.
The seductions of the change are certainly understandable. The notion of having food surpluses as
insurance against times when the hunt did not go well and the foraging was
insufficient was very appealing.
However, as has occurred with almost all major cultural transformations,
the downside was either not discussed or simply ignored.
But when the building of cities began, and that is
what the word Civilization means, it ushered in disastrous alterations to the
basis fabric of human existence. Division
of labor and hierarchy, which do not exist in tribal bands, soon led to the horrendous
chasm between the many who are ruled and the few who are rulers. Suddenly a class of kings and priests gained
control. And what are the personal qualities
that distinguish leaders from followers?
Do they gain power because they are the most intelligent and benevolent? Or is it because they are the most immoral
and ruthless?
I contend that they dominate because they are
psychopathic and sociopathic. They are
missing the empathy gene. The desire to
rule should not be viewed as a virtue, but as a pathological disease. And for those who maintain that rulers are a
necessary evil to nudge along the human caravan, it is just the opposite. Societal advancement has always come when
people rose up against centers of power.
Those in control never surrender their privilege without a bloody
battle.
*******
In our own times the dominators have adopted a more
subtle approach to their oppression. A
quotation from Goethe expresses this with exquisite precision:
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
It is claimed that Democracy has spread across the planet guaranteeing rights and privileges to the Common Man. But this is a fraud. Any objective analysis reveals that our world is ruled by a tiny Oligarchy that use elected officials as their puppets. This charade is further enhanced by a global media that is largely a propaganda ministry for those in power. This explains the mystery of how when one government is voted out of office, the new one essentially behaves in the same way. The puppets change – the puppet-masters do not.
When one looks around the world at the current
handiwork of The Malignant Overlords, it is horrifying. A new Clash of Civilizations has erupted as chaos
rapidly spreads from region to region.
The disparity between the rich and the poor grows wider, thus sowing the
seeds of revolution. Juxtaposed against
this is the brutal militarization of police forces to combat the possibility of
societal meltdown. The Cold War has been
reignited with Nuclear Armageddon at stake.
And huge swaths of the global population have become digital eunuchs. They are so addicted to the distractions streaming
out of their devices, that they cannot see the global catastrophes aligning.
*******
Apparently I dozed off with my back against my little ship’s
mast. The moon had now disappeared in
the West, my tea was cold and the last two words on my clipboard were “Goethe”
and “enslavement.” This reminded me of
the essay that I had been shaping and of its heavy subject matter.
I was about to add two more words to the notes that I
had made during the night. They were “tragedy”
and “sadness.” However, I decided not to
- since a new day was arriving. But as I
turned to head back down the side-deck, I was greeted not by a sparkling golden
dawn, but by huge, gray, ominous clouds.
I shuddered.