Archetypes

I'll be changing my ISP, so I won't be posting for awhile. For more on Archetypes check out Concerning Character and Archetypal Behavior Patterns. These pieces were originally written in 1996, and posted on this blog in 2004. Travis B. was kind enough to do a synopsis in the form of a graph. So if you don't want to take the time to read the whole thing, you can still get the general ideas involved. (Click on image to enlarge.) When I return, On This Modern Warrior Archetype will continue where it left off.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.5.7

5g. Collective action need not make one an insect. Society is not a hive. Culture is not a singular instinct. Complexity obscures. One may preserve one’s individual sensibilities by constantly questioning direction and goals. Of course, this does not imply one should turn against one’s friends and comrades. It does mean that one should not stay silent in the face of idiocy.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.5.6

5f. Severed ties may be mended, but will never be as strong again. In such situations, the knot is the weakest link, and therefore must be bypassed by using the longest remaining segment. Indeed, proximity may compensate for prior distance. However, tactics and strategy must accommodate this new reality. Few, it seems, are capable. This Modern Warrior Archetype requires setting aside personal feelings as a means to an end. Principles, on the other hand, should never do so sublimated. Discerning one from another is a different matter altogether.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.5.5

5e. Bonds are always subject to erosion. Energy must be expended in, more or less, direct proportion to the removal from base natural inclination. At the risk of being redundant, commonality will provide the lowest common denominator. In certain circumstances, This Modern Warrior Archetype must sink. A time comes to quit. The key to retaining one’s beliefs and identity is knowing when and how not to wallow. Even friends disagree.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.5.4

5d. Unity in cause should not be confused with solidarity. Both states imply something totally different over the short or long term. Both states create something totally different over the short or long term as well.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.5.3

5c. Allies are not necessarily friends.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.5.2

5b. Common causes should not be confused with affinity.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.5.1

a. Maximum Advantage, by its existence, demands that resistance always be met with ruthless efficiency. A lone individual cannot hope to do much against such machine moralities. Anyone believing otherwise is a tool to be exploited as an example. A price must be paid for believing contrary no matter what the specific counterpoint might be. Everyone must be the same. As a result, all contrarians are lumped together as threats. Beneficially, this forced grouping may cause individuals from many different backgrounds and mindsets to find commonality and even solidarity. As the communist and capitalist nations of the world united to fight fascism; so can individuals. Of course, these alliances are not natural. Such things must be made to happen.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.4.5

4e. According to Maximum Advantage, causality is ever simple and direct. As long as the course is steered straight the present order will be eternal. Hence, any deviation from the defined norms and means is unexpected. Although some individuals may know better, the greater society, entombed with the Technical Morality, is unable to adequately cope with any but the most minor change. Interesting times simply lead to fear. The herd blindly stampedes. Only luck avoids a cliff. This Modern Warrior Archetype must learn when to get out of the way in the better way possible. Failure to do so will inevitably result in being trampled. Stupidity kills.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.4.4

4d. As with all others, power vacuums must be filled. Often, chaos creates something worse than the previous order. Too many are foolish enough to believe that anything, as long as it appears different, is better. The Soviet Union is a prime example of such dynamics. One tyranny was exchanged for another. However, in the case of entropic decay, the choice is made without direct casuistry. It simply happens.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.4.3

4c. Egos may sink as well as swell. Victory over an unworthy or lesser foe is not a cause for celebration. Maximum Advantage demands all targets be treated equal. Like a heavy weight boxer beating down the proverbial 98-pound weakling, the weaker opponent is elevated, and the victor reviled. As with a brawl, others will leap to his defense; the collective assault is sustained by outrage and eventually prevails. Buried under a pile of bodies, the erstwhile champ suffocates. As a result, all that remains is a power vacuum.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.4.2

4b. Influence is a form of soft power. In some circumstances, it may even bypass money. Accumulating influence is a primary goal for any and all in the political arena. Once possessed, it may be used to call in favors and sway decisions. It may also be easily lost through scandal. This Modern Warrior Archetype is no exception to these basic rules. However, unlike a politician, the warrior gathers influence primarily through deeds. In addition, action is less resented than promises and back-room dealings, but more feared. Even so, unlike others, the warrior can therefore rise more quickly, but also fall harder. Hence, lest nothing remain, This Modern Warrior Archetype must constantly keep a check on the ego.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.4.1

4a. Strength is often mistaken for power. Although capability must be acknowledged, only ability garners respect. An enemy might fear overwhelming capability, but the choice to do more with less is honored. All else will be seen as unwillingness or even cowardice by those weaker. In this regard, as with other cases, Maximum Advantage is the path toward scorn and probable defeat. Only the decadent may be beat down solely by machines.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.3.2

3b. Although nothing repeats exactly, cycles and trends reappear over time. Many such repetitive instances are the result of re-emergent error. The old die; the past, although recorded by history, becomes forgotten. Oral traditions are more powerful than mere words on paper. A book, unless memorized and recited, does not have the power of living memory. The decadent have left behind this path. This mistake is always exploitable to Maximum Advantage, and even beyond, in all things. Those understanding technique hold the key.