Imagining ourselves out of existence

Human’s capability of imagination is at the same time an enormous blessing and an enormous curse. Just as it makes us creative and empowers our continuous advancement and evolution it could serve to doom ourselves out of existence.

The former refers to all of the inventions and technologies that humans have developed which couldn’t have been done without imagination. This is where cultural elements like science fiction play a role. You first have to imagine, envision, entertain the mind before you can make it real. However, in the process of making it real you have to deal with reality and separate the concepts which correspond to it from those which do not, which is done through the scientific process; examining empirical evidence (or lack of it) and logical consistency.

Unfortunately, this process is completely ignored when it comes to certain concepts and this is leading towards destruction.

One such concept is the concept of “government”. Another is a concept of “country”. Both in fact have no basis in reality whatsoever, yet millions upon millions of people hold them to be facts as hard as the concept of a rock you can hold in your hands. “Government” is viewed as an organization which is somehow special, noble, generally benevolent, serving the people and because of this endowed with a monopoly on violenent power, the power to initiate force to compell obedience to its sacred rules and to steal in order to pay for its noble job in a “country” or “society”.

This ridiculous idea goes back to ancient times when governments, then called kings or queens, have been considered as endowed with this noble role by the gods themselves. No further questioning was necessary when you imagine and believe as real the concept of god. You’ll readily imagine and believe as real any other concept which is supported by the one of god.

Today, god was replaced by the concepf of “the people”. It is “the people” which endow the government the right to govern by force, through an incredible yet on further examination fully self-contradictory process called “democracy”. Yet again, if people believe in such a thing as “the people” or “country” or “society” (which are often synonymous) they easily accept other false concepts based on it.

But none of it is real. None of it exists.

The collective does not exist without an individual. What is a “country”? Who are “the people”? What is a “society”? And ultimately what is “the government”? Do they really exist as what most individuals conceptualized them as?

No they don’t.

They are illusions.

“Country” implies that a land marked by some lines drawn on the map has some sort of a mysterious soul, a life of its own, something to be served and protected and something which is, through some strange elusive process linked with the people living on that piece of Earth. It’s hard to describe it when you try because it’s a complete and total delusion. It doesn’t really exist. When you hear politicians say things like “serve the country” or “protect this country” or “country first” what the hell are they referring to?

You may say “the people” or “society”, but that would be jumping from one illusion on to another. When you think these terms through it’s obvious they refer to groups of individuals. Why then are these terms being used as if they refer to something that is more than just groups of individuals, as if they have a soul of their own as if “the people” or “society” refers to something that is separate from the individuals?

There’s no answer except; to keep you deluded, to keep you sacrificing your own individual self in the name of these gods, gods called “the people”, “country”, “society” etc., to keep you subjected to violence and make you ask for more, because that’s the way it has to be. Something deep in you tells you that you don’t like it, making you always strive for lesser taxes, more freedom etc., but you don’t realize that you’re merely begging for the rape you’re being subjected to from being a little gentler.

You’re still being raped though.

And all because you believe in this religion called “the government”, this incredible delusion.

In reality, however, there are only individuals, nothing but individuals. Groups of individuals are still individuals, only ones interacting with each other. Once this is completely realized the idea that one has to sacrifice for this “greater whole” called “country” or “society” starts to look awkward and illogical, because.. what is this greater whole if there are only individuals? And how can sacrificing myself for this greater whole be better for all of us if everyone is being sacrificed at the same time? Isn’t it that at best this process only brings us back to where we started, except with a loss of time and energy? What’s the point, then?

There’s no point, except to enrich those who happen to be the beneficiaries of holding you in this mental delusion, those who happen to be the ones dictating who is to sacrifice how much, and being handsomely paid for this “noble” role given to them by the “the people” god, paid by that which you sacrificed or let them steal from you.

But that’s not quite what you believed was supposed to happen is it? Of course it isn’t. What you expected was not realistic, it was not possible. If there are only individuals and sacrificing all individuals for the so called greater good which only ends up being the good of the currently ruling elite doesn’t actually help the good of all, then the whole proposition falls flat on its face. The concept of government as a noble organization endowed by god or “the people” becomes invalid and impossible.

The only alternative that remains is for invididuals that are left standing once the clouds of delusion have been cleared away to take back control over their own self and be the god and government to themselves, as they truly are. Then the only form of order that can exist without destroying you and other individuals as a matter of norm emerges naturally.

Tags: liberty, Philosophy