Why I Can’t Take Part in This World…
A parable about how I see the current state of the world.
Imagine you are an invisible observer.
You are watching a squad of soldiers. They took refuge in an abandoned house for the night. They do what they have been trained to do. They barricade the windows with boards to protect themselves. They take turns – one stands guard so the others can focus on their tasks. They eat their packed meals, then try to sleep.
4 AM. They have not slept enough, but strategically, they have to start preparing before sunrise. They put on their body armor, helmets, and all their heavy protective gear. They check their weapons and load them to capacity. A quick briefing to recap the strategy they all learned from the best war veterans. They all know what they have to do.
The sun is rising – time to move. They are stressed and do not want to be there, but their patriotism rekindles their sense of duty – they are doing what is best for their country.
You, the invisible observer, are teleported through time and space and see the enemy doing exactly the same thing.
Soldiers! Go! One by one, they run in the open field between two natural barriers. Adrenaline rushes – they are pumped and joyful to have made it across. Motivated, they keep advancing. It is stressful, slow, and inefficient, but they know from their seniors that this is the best – and only – way to be successful. So they keep going, satisfied with themselves.
Back to the first side – the enemy is doing the exact same thing.
After a few days, you rise into the sky, gaining a bird’s-eye view of the entire war zone. From up there, both squads look exactly the same. And in actuality, they are so far apart – miles from each other! Seeing them acting this way makes you smile – they are afraid and stressed out for absolutely no reason. Observing more closely from this new awareness even makes you laugh… joyful at first from the revelation… but the laughter turns bitter as you start understanding what this truly means.
Observing in shock, you suddenly notice something weird. No!? You look closer and… yes! You are dismayed, dejected. They are both from the same country… in their own country!
How could you possibly reason with these child soldiers?
Born and raised in war. Brainwashed into war machines. Deeply conditioned to trust the chain of command and blindly obey orders from leaders who are themselves lost far too deep in the war rabbit hole.
Especially when the moment you show your face, you get shot at… because it’s an automatic defense mechanism. The subconscious simply cannot afford to face the reality that it has been waging war on its own brothers for no reason at all. To accept the truth would mean psychological collapse, so the mind fires back to defend the illusion.