Ramble the first
People glorify a sort of cynicism these days. This is, of course, overgeneralizing, but it's a trend that's hard not to notice. People think life is bad, that bad actions are needed to succeed.
It's hard to disagree. Success, by the most commonly-held standards, requires selfishness. There are no billionaires who made their way to the top via charity, or kindness, or a sense of fair play. There are no politicians who have gained any measurable degree of power through their refusal to play nasty.
Cruelty is rewarded. Deviousness is rewarded. The only defense needed against these vices is a competent PR rep who can convince enough people that your opponents are naive, or misguided, or simply wrong.
Muddy the waters enough and it doesn't matter what lurks underneath.
Perhaps things always were this way. Perhaps the view we have of the past -- when ideals would overcome pragmatism, on occasion -- is merely seen through a lens carefully crafted by those who wish to be seen as true believers rather than hustlers who know how to play to the gallery.
It would make sense. History is written by the victors. If victory requires underhanded tactics, then the victor would obviously either cover up their crimes or choose to cast them in a light that calls the tactics "innovative" or "necessary."
There's another possibility. That on rare occasion, people realize that there's a benefit to a shared delusion. That they realize that although taking a harmful action would allow them to win, they'd rather live in a world where nobody took that action. An inefficient way of doing things becomes the way things are done because they don't like the world they see once people take the efficient route.
Perhaps there's wisdom in what might be called ignorance or naivety. Perhaps it comes from seeing what lies in that direction and wanting to avoid it as long as possible. The trend of going full-speed-ahead towards ruthless efficiency may indeed be a modern invention. Perhaps most people of the past knew what would result.
This is all nonsense, of course. The people in the past weren't saintly, no matter how much we wish to believe otherwise -- to believe that today is an exception is simply a result of not knowing how things were in the past. Others will pine for today because they weren't paying attention to today.
It's hard to disagree. Success, by the most commonly-held standards, requires selfishness. There are no billionaires who made their way to the top via charity, or kindness, or a sense of fair play. There are no politicians who have gained any measurable degree of power through their refusal to play nasty.
Cruelty is rewarded. Deviousness is rewarded. The only defense needed against these vices is a competent PR rep who can convince enough people that your opponents are naive, or misguided, or simply wrong.
Muddy the waters enough and it doesn't matter what lurks underneath.
Perhaps things always were this way. Perhaps the view we have of the past -- when ideals would overcome pragmatism, on occasion -- is merely seen through a lens carefully crafted by those who wish to be seen as true believers rather than hustlers who know how to play to the gallery.
It would make sense. History is written by the victors. If victory requires underhanded tactics, then the victor would obviously either cover up their crimes or choose to cast them in a light that calls the tactics "innovative" or "necessary."
There's another possibility. That on rare occasion, people realize that there's a benefit to a shared delusion. That they realize that although taking a harmful action would allow them to win, they'd rather live in a world where nobody took that action. An inefficient way of doing things becomes the way things are done because they don't like the world they see once people take the efficient route.
Perhaps there's wisdom in what might be called ignorance or naivety. Perhaps it comes from seeing what lies in that direction and wanting to avoid it as long as possible. The trend of going full-speed-ahead towards ruthless efficiency may indeed be a modern invention. Perhaps most people of the past knew what would result.
This is all nonsense, of course. The people in the past weren't saintly, no matter how much we wish to believe otherwise -- to believe that today is an exception is simply a result of not knowing how things were in the past. Others will pine for today because they weren't paying attention to today.
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