Rubbish day, rubbish job, and only one day of freedom in which to pursue my own goals before I have to do it all again. This isn't life, this is servitude. Why isn't someone trying to put a stop to this?! Are the many forever doomed to drudgery for the benefit of the few? Can we not all just make our own fucking dinners?!*
What kind of pathetic excuse for a human being can't even tend to their basic needs - food, shelter and warmth - without scurrying cap-in-hand to supermarkets, estate agents, energy companies and banks? We all toil for them relentlessly in a bid to claw some joy from our lives through the medium of cash, but within moments they've clawed it all back.
Who are 'they'? Shadowy, inhuman figures manipulating every aspect of our lives to serve their own diabolical ends? No. They are us. We are they. All of humanity is to blame for this tragic farce. As an organised collective, all we seem able to do is create horror for ourselves. Any ideology or model that requires humans to interact en-masse seems doomed to failure. Communism, socialism, democracy, capitalism and liberalism have all arguably tried and failed to provide us with the happiness and satisfaction we crave, and we, humans, are the common element.
Yet as individuals, we shine. Just look at the most celebrated of all human achievements; the Mona Lisa, the Sistine Chapel, and Hamlet are all essentially the work of individuals acting alone. Even the biggest and most remarkable of projects, requiring a massive collective effort to complete, can all be attributed to the isolated genius of a single architect; the Domesday Book, Glastonbury Festival, and the Pyramids, for instance.
The Pyramids are a particularly apt example to demonstrate this phenomenon, as the phenomenon itself can be said to reflect a pyramidal structure. The many at the bottom slave away to feed the egos and actualize the fantasies of the few or, commonly, the one, at the top. In the case of certain great individuals like Da Vinci, Michaelangelo and Shakespeare, they represent the pyramid in its entirety. They enslave no-one, and are slaves to no-one. They feed their own egos, and actualize their own fantasies. Imagine the freedom they must feel.
Essentially, if we were to stop allowing ourselves to be part of each others' pyramids, we could stop piling pressure and misery on each other, and start fulfilling our dreams. If everyone could somehow be their own pyramid of one, perhaps we could all be Da Vincis, Michaelangelos and Shakespeares. If we stopped trying to do things together, maybe we could actually achieve something great.
Be the pyramid.
Also, put 'be the pyramid' on a t-shirt.
And wear it.
* This isn't some bizarre euphemism or clever symbolism - I work in a kitchen!
Isn't being part of the pyramid what its all about?
ReplyDeleteWe crave social interaction, enjoy having someone else cook your meal every once in a while. We need a roof over our heads, water, heating, electricity, internet and so on. We like to have a easy way of paying for all these things.
Ok so it cant be good for everyone all the time and I can totally see you point about how we bring suffering upon ourselves. On the other hand you have to admit when it all comes together the things that can be achieved are awe inspiring.