Parable, History, and Prediction
There once was the head of an empire. He built himself a golden palace. Legends say he started a fire because he wanted to rebuild parts of the city. After the fire, he made a great display of generosity and rebuilding with, of course, other people’s money. As emperor’s do, he found someone else to blame for the fire – a small group of people who were accused of being atheists and cannibals practicing insidious superstitions.
He was guilty of capital crimes, but they were justified by his apologists. Those who criticized him were purged. There were those who saw his malfeasance, of course, and his squandering of the nation’s treasures, but others protected and deified him. He met his death in disgrace but was still glorified by those who loved him.
We see the same drama played out to this day: heads of corporate empires living in their golden palaces, supported by sycophants, monetizing every decision in self-glorification while the world burns. These sociopathic executives and their followers, plagued by tortured conspiracy theories and the threat of discovery, blame everyone else from foreigners to any vulnerable minority. And the world burns.
The original story is about – more of less – the Roman Emperor Nero who was said to have fiddled while Rome burned. He created a problem that he could swoop in to solve in his self-aggrandizing way. Nero had his mother and first wife killed – and possibly his second wife while she was pregnant. His half-brother, who was the rightful heir to the throne, coincidentally died two years after Nero came to power. There were those who disbelieved the rumors and defended his killing of family. The insidious, atheistic superstition he persecuted was early Christianity.
These cycles repeat over and over again. Ambitious people are driven toward power and, lacking common morality, exploit every advantage to raise themselves at the expense of those around them They use subterfuge, fear, persecution, and wealth to get what they want in ever-more infantile greed. They are not the best of who we are as human beings. They do not represent humanity at large.
We can do better. We must do better, for the sake of our land, our world, our loved ones, our children, and everyone’s children.