Hubris. Watching the âconventionsâ these past weeks, this was the word that popped into my mind (apart from the vomit 𤎠that crept up my throat). At first, I thought the etymology was with the precursor âhuâ – for human, but as shown, Iâm incorrect.
Bris. Circumcision. Thatâs what the dictionary says. Well, if youâre going to take a sharp object to your nether regions, I guess youâd have to have a huge amount of self-confidence. Have to wonder, who had the first one, and WHY?! (I do know of a medical reason why, even though there is argument for not doing it.)
Back to the silliness. Bread and circuses; or just preening peacocks? There is no substance to the speeches, no simple answers to complex issues; yet the same promises are made from both sides. And those same promises will not be fulfilled. Is this what democracy is? Nothing achieved except a continuation of waste and corruption?
Incremental improvement in the way people are governed, not by choice, but by necessity. Cities in conflagration, flyover country being highlighted by the floodlight of television; itself being challenged by the color of its illumination. My old shop teacher, Mr. Chenery, once corrected my understanding of electronics, and informed me that it was not an exact science. Later, in college, mathematics fell by the wayside. The opinion that human interaction is normally a messy affair makes me wonder why weâre not at each otherâs throats.
Or failing that, how is it that weâre above a planetary population of nine billion? X-number of humans distributed over Y-number of land, with one constant – survival. Because we donât know better. The other mammals of the planet havenât evolved to challenge supremacy. Communication between individuals and groups, whether truthful or not, makes a reasonable excuse of an answer. Mutual self-interest and/or mutually assured destruction.
Even this blog, one microscopic part of the âinfinite monkeys, infinite typewritersâ scenario (IMIT as opposed the the StarTrek IDIC) is a version of hubris. Hey, look at me! I have an inaccurate and uniformed opinion. Hear me! (and note that IMIT is the beginning of the word; imitation)
(excessive) Pride goeth before the fall. Our short history as a species provides too many examples where this happens. What happens after the fall is also repetitive. Breaking the cycle is necessary to move forward to destiny, but what if this is the destiny? Is the species doomed to mediocrity, or annihilation? Like reading the end of a book first, I want to know.
Because the book is crap, and I want to choose another.
Rants Unto the Ether 