And no I didn’t coin either moniker. Yet we seem to be
facing a mashup of the two terms thanks to our infamous “tech bros” and some
people trying to cram crypto down the Trump’s administration throats.
Historically we view socialism as the government running the
means of production to bring fairness to all and hopefully lead to communism where
we all share in each other’s labor and there is no need for government. I will
pause now so you can stop laughing and catch your breath. Utopian societies
abound throughout history, yet none come to fruition much less last.
Socialism from Merriam Webster dictionary: any of
various egalitarian economic
and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental
ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of
goods
So wait, isn’t oligarchy something completely different and
the answer is almost yes.
Oligarchy from Wikipedia: is a form of government in
which power rests with a small number
of people. Leaders of such regimes are often referred to as oligarchs,
and generally are characterized by having titles of nobility or
high amounts of wealth.[4][5] (Merriam Webster’s website let me down
on this one) It did offer examples, synonyms
but no actual definition, strange?)
Look closely, some entity controlling the means of production
to achieve a stated goal. For socialism it is defined as for the larger good,
but in practice it created totalitarian states. Oligarchy by general definition
is the concentration of wealth into a small group of individuals that in turn
use that wealth to run the government.
So now all the wealth in the world is concentrating in a few
tech leaders hands, and by creating all this technology they are slowly if not
rapidly lately consolidating all means of production in their hands either
directly or indirectly.
Just think about it a second, almost all what you do at work
comes from a few technology companies, almost all you do outside of work is
influenced or is obtained through a few technology companies. And what isn’t
soon will be if you look at the current trajectory of growth. Add in the emergence
of crypto as a way to hide money right in front of us and do you really think
we have a chance of an independent life anymore.
All these technology companies have all our information, it
gets stolen regularly by people using crypto to buy and sell it and we are left
wondering what the heck is happening. And our government(s) who we rely on to protect
us, are contributing or subjugated to their growth and consolidation of power.
So whatever we want to call it may not matter anymore,
unless we find a way to in a last ditch effort to pull back on what they can do
with our information, their influence on our government, and figure out a way
to create a new market environment that reduces the influence of these select
few. And oh yeah our government leaders are getting rich off of these exploits.
All in all though our entire planet is moving towards control of all our lives
by this select few. They may not hold any titles so to speak, but you can
guarantee they are pulling the strings on what goes on.
I still think there is time to reign this in, but we need to
move fast, find leaders to challenge their relentless attack on our personal lives
and put the people first, not the few.
The so called facists are just a vehicle for these tech bros
to consolidate power why we moan and groan about people like Trump, Putin,
Orban, and more, well Xi Jinping may be in more control of China than the tech
bros can overcome, but still he will be immersed in their group since he can
control China so well.
Don’t believe me or think I am paranoid or a conspiracy
theorist, sure think that way, but honestly you need to step back and see the
whole picture. This is much further along than we want it to be.
Anyway some frightening thoughts
for all you individualists and libertarians so you better get going and for the
rest of us, time to catch up to the fire right in front of us.
And now for part three of the story:
So the first mortal went to bed that night a bit angry. The
priests were the ones who were supposed to know the Gods, the ones that helped
the people worship the Gods, the ones that facilitated life to please the Gods.
And now the priest he spoke to didn’t care and worse wanted him to have the
strength of a God just to prove the Gods were dead.
And he got no sleep thinking how much he didn’t want to go
back. He was frightened the first time, but something had bothered him long
enough to inspire the first attempt to climb the mountain to the Gods. He kept
wondering what had happened. And he found out. And no one cared. His friend,
the priest both seemed put off by his attempts to find out.
He wondered is this everyone. And he thought it must be if I
am the only one that cares. Why would people not want to know what happened.
Everything we have comes from the Gods, or at least that is what the priests
told us for so long. Family after family shared this with their children, this
is the way it had always been.
Finally near dawn he fell asleep tired from his thoughts so
he did not get up very early. He debated if he should wait another day to go to
the mountain. He had his knapsack, but there wasn’t much. Maybe he should try
and get more food before going. Or was he just avoiding the whole thing?
He decided he wanted to know, but needed more food. Now
there were only two days before he had to work. He thought long and hard, made
no decision so had to wait until the next day to go. He did acquire a bit more
food from some meager funds he had stashed. He used half his savings if you
could call them that.
The next day came and went. He did not go.
He went to work for three days and now he had a whole week
off. He thought about it again.
Finally on the second day off work and what seemed an eternity
from when he saw the final battle he arose early and trekked off to the holy
grounds that led to the mountain of the Gods. He bought rations on the way out
of his village that lay on the outskirts of the city since he had eaten some of
what was in the knapsack while at work.
He arrived on the plains of the Holy grounds still early
enough to cross with plenty of daylight. He arrived near the base of the
mountain and looked up. Did he want to climb today? Or again was he afraid? He
looked around. There was one of the temples somewhat near by. He went to it.
Should he pray? Should he make an offering just in case?
He decided to keep his food, said a quick prayer and headed
towards the mountain. Like last time he started up the mountain at dusk and
climbed a bit more. He found the small cave he slept in and laid out his sleeping
blanket like before. This time feeling a bit more confidant his sleep would not
be disturbed by the Gods finding him and throwing him down the mountain to die,
he slept well. He was definitely very tired. It had been a long few days.
The next morning apprehension filled him again, but he
gathered himself and headed up. He followed the path previously and this time
it dawned on him. He was following a path. Who used this path? He examined it
more thoroughly as he walked. It wasn’t overrun, but it wasn’t fresh either.
How long did it take for foliage and time reclaim the land and the path
disappear? He didn’t know, but thinking about it and continually observing the
path’s wear helped him to past the time. Before long he reached the crest to
the top. He hesitated.
What had happened before? What gave him the courage to go
over the crest and see what he saw. He stood there listening. Was he hearing
something. Strange it sounded like horses running on the plains. He froze. Was
the battle still going on and not all the Gods have died?
He slowly peered over the crest, just sticking his head up
high enough to see with his eyes. He relaxed. It was horses running. There was
a few running back and forth near the crest. He breathed.
They were larger than the ones he knew from down below so he
figured they must belong to the Gods. He wondered were they left to their own
devices. Or were they being taken care of? But by who?
He climbed over the crest and sat on the edge staying low
and next to some bushes to stay concealed until he got a better handle on things.
More than a few moments passed. He finally stood up. The horses
were still running around, but they had slowly distanced themselves from the
crest. He headed in their direction. And this time since the Gods were not
battling he had time to look around. Last time as soon as he crossed the crest
he witnessed the fight, then the lovemaking then the simultaneous murder o the
last two Gods. He knew from the temples it was the King and Queen of the Gods and
heard the words they spoke to each other as they fought. Once the lovemaking started
there were no more words, just moans of pleasure, then the yell from each as
they shook from their pleasure and then the stabbing with the swords.
Now all of a sudden it dawned on him the bodies were
missing. Where did they go? If there were no other Gods shouldn’t they be lying
there on the plain rotting like a mortal body would. Well maybe not since they
were Gods. Maybe their bodies magically disappeared or something and would not
rot like a mortals.
He stood still. Finally with the horses getting further and
further away he headed to where the two Gods last lay. He stood there. The distant
rumbling of the horses and a slight breeze whispering in his ear was all he heard.
He continued to listen. Nothing changed. It was still day which made him look
around. The daylight was the same as in his village and on the plains of the
Holy Grounds. In fact most everything was similar.
There was the rocky crest with scraggly bushes he sat by.
There was this large field or plain he was now standing in with grass growing
throughout. And like the plain below grew to his mid calf. He never understood
why it never grew taller, but it didn’t and now the grass here on the mountain
was somewhat similar, not the same but similar in color and texture.
And far off was another mountain or mountains coming out of
this plain. He stared hard to determine if it was more mountains or just part
of the same line of mountains he was standing on.
And then, his memory kicked in. He needed the sword. And now
with the bodies of the Gods gone, were their swords gone. He looked around the
plain near him. Nothing. Now the ground felt softer and the grass was flattened
in the area where he remembered the Gods to have fallen, yet there were no
signs of the struggle, no torn clothes, no swords, nothing that would suggest
that recently a great struggle had occurred. He tried to remember how large the
Gods actually stood. Maybe twice his height, maybe a little less. He couldn’t
put his finger on it since he watched in shock.
Now in the full daylight and nothing to see for quite a
distance he wondered did he actually witness their deaths? And he thought, what if they aren’t dead.
That would explain why they weren’t here. He got scared and ran back to the
crest to sit amongst the bushes hoping to be hidden.
He stared from his perch for quite a bit. Finally hunger
took over so he ate a bit, all the while watching.
It was the scream that came first, or was it a screech. He
froze watching intently as best he could without even moving his head, hoping
not to be noticed. Then he saw the bird. It was huge, as big as the Gods
circling over where they had lay. It flew down and landed and like an animal
not a bird starting sniffing the ground. It stopped and looked around. It
spotted him. He could tell because the bird looked at him intently, yet not moving
towards him either.
Finally the bird raised its head and screeched again. He
stood still hoping that maybe he was wrong and the bird was not seeing him.
That screech was horrifying and he did not want to find out what this was all
about. He did not know how fast the bird could fly. He was at the bottom of the
crest and it would probably take him a moment to get back over. His fear kept
him still.
The bird still looking at him, tilted its head and screeched
again, but this time less menacing. The bird started walking towards the
mortal. Did he have time to get over? And what happens next? Would the bird
follow him and attack him on the way down the mountain. There wasn’t much to
hide in. The mountain was mostly rocky terrain with vegetation clinging to the
rocks. That was the path, the rocks with little vegetation covering it. He knew
he would be exposed.
He knew the trees on one side of the plain, but was too far
at this point he figured to make a run for it. The bird kept walking.
Finally the bird stopped tilted its head again and this time
spoke. Mortal it asked why are you here?
To be continued
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