Interlude: An Aphorism 8

"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."
-William Blake (1757-1827)

This aphorism and many other fine examples of the style may be found in The World in a Phrase - A Brief History of the Aphorism by James Geary.

Interlude: An Aphorism 7

"Hope is the confusion of the desire for a thing with its probability."
-Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

This aphorism and many other fine examples of the style may be found in The World in a Phrase - A Brief History of the Aphorism by James Geary.

Interlude: An Aphorism 6

"He who has seen everything empty itself is close to knowing what everything is filled with."
-Antonio Porchia (1886-1968)

This aphorism and many other fine examples of the style may be found in The World in a Phrase - A Brief History of the Aphorism by James Geary.

Interlude: An Aphorism 5

"God builds his temple in the heart on the ruins of churches and religions."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

This aphorism and many other fine examples of the style may be found in The World in a Phrase - A Brief History of the Aphorism by James Geary.

Interlude: An Aphorism 4

"What upsets people is not things themselves but their judgements about things."
-Epictetus

This aphorism and many other fine examples of the style may be found in The World in a Phrase - A Brief History of the Aphorism by James Geary.

Interlude: An Aphorism 3

The greatest carver does the least cutting.
-Lao-tzu (c. 604-531 B.C.E.)

This aphorism and many other fine examples of the style may be found in The World in a Phrase - A Brief History of the Aphorism by James Geary.

Interlude: An Aphorism 2

Lots of knowledge fits into a hollow head.
-Karl Kraus (1874 - 1936)

This aphorism and many other fine examples of the style may be found in The World in a Phrase - A Brief History of the Aphorism by James Geary.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.12

9j. Maximum Advantage seeks to divert serious opponents through diversion and lifestyle. Dissent may be channeled toward profitable ends and means. Compromise may be compounded. As the world slides ever onward and downward, deviance becomes ever more a product. Mass media is a carrier, but originates nothing. Alternatives become meaningless entertainment. Serious discussion is removed from the civil realm. Waves are endless. Wallowing is instinct. Saturation levels concerning past glories inflate the herd ego. Metaphorically, the mass mentality is dulled by its root mean square. Eventually, after its decline, the end result can be something better; it can never be greater.

Interlude: An Aphorism 1

The mission of the press is to spread culture while destroying the attention span.
-Karl Kraus (1874 - 1936)

This aphorism and many other fine examples of the style may be found in The World in a Phrase - A Brief History of the Aphorism by James Geary.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.11

9i. Any product necessarily has difficulties when processing its own environment. Despite claims to the contrary, a creation of a culture (or lack thereof) will generally find itself too biased to view it objectively. In attempting a rational analysis, alienation is both help and hindrance. Submerged, the alienated see past the murk to the oil slick beyond. Few venture farther. Loathing is enough.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.10

9h. Those embracing stupidity[12] choose the path of meat. The appeal is the addiction. Removal is the goal. Fantasy and delusion are easily (and happily) intertwined. Idiots create unreality. Idiots create unreality–so much the better if others suffer. Shit floats.

[12] The simple are not necessarily stupid.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.9

9g. Irrationality is an inherent trait among the human animal. The hind brain is not made for thinking, but then again neither is the hindquarters. One does not need to be stupid.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.8

9f. Rationality forced upon the inherently irrational is limited, broad and simplistic. It lends nothing to permanence. Any systemic stability always becomes rot. The world is not a frictionless surface.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.7

9e. As always, Things Fall Apart on Their Own, but Maximum Advantage does nothing to stem decline. In general, it urges a faster drive and harder crash. Like running forward into a brick wall, a society and culture that embraces this path creates its own doom by eating itself. One way or another, these impulses are nurtured by unsustainable collective beliefs. In this environment, progress for its own sake is a primary myth. Under its smothering weight, even counter-cultures are not immune. Once the alternatives expire everyone is left the same, and more significantly thinks the same. Humans are adaptive animal. One might submit that uniformity is the key toward evolutionary annihilation. Since industrialization, no culture seeking unity has survived long. Machines wear out. Collectively, its imitation sterilizes.