War Machine III- Theory: The reins of power
The destruction of the human race has accelerated on a massive scale. AIDs, governments gaining access to weapons of mass destruction with the invention of poison gas and the atomic bomb, the centralization of the planet’s wealth in the hands of a few, and the privitization of public services and natural resources all over the world by western corporations, are all examples of this. But where is it going?
Tyranny and Rebellion are twin currents of one force, divided in order to generate a true equilibration of power as the action of one against the other eventually resolves the complex which creates the apparent contradiction between these two ideas. This isn’t something that will be over any time soon, so we’d best get used to the idea. When all Rebellion recognizes all Rebels as children of one father, and all Tyrants recognize all Tyranny as children of one father, the Rebel and Tyrant will discover their own brotherhood. What happens next has been discussed in the analysis of the Cain and Abel story which has appeared here. (more on the act of sacrifice here) We need not go over the details again, but the result will see the reconciliation of the ESSENTIAL DIVISION CREATED BY POWER: the division between ruler and ruled. Power, by its nature, implies power OVER something. Injustice, as we know it, is generated by the abuse of power, which is merely an emotionally charged way of saying that the balance between power and responsibility has been upset. The aeon of justice, of balance, of Ma’at, cannot manifest until power qua power has fully comprehended itself. Like all Ideas seeking self-realization, it will do this through the vehicle of existence.
So what is the obstacle? What is preventing the Rebel and Tyrant from understanding themselves as two equal and opposite forces, and resolving themselves into zero? Simply put: these currents both rely on the conditions in which they manifest themselves to provide the character of their manifestation. The One Substance (which is really half of the substance that is power) which is Rebellion may take the form of environmental anarchism if it manifests itself on the campus of a liberal east coast university, as an Al-Qaeda cell if it manifests itself in Northern Pakistan, a Tamil Tiger’s death squad if it manifests itself in Sri Lanka, a home-grown militia if it manifests itself in Michigan, and so on. It may generate a group that fights for human rights and equality if it occurs under a system of apartheid or imperial occupation, and it may generate a group which fights for aristocracy and hierarchy if it occurs under a system of democracy and imposed equality. Until all of these heads recognize the fact that they spring from the same body, the current of rebellion cannot become fully and truly self-aware. Rebellion must understand itself as itself, independent of conditions, before it can see that it is only half of the current that is power.
And of course, the inverse rule applies to Tyranny. The One Substance (which is really the other half of the substance that is power) which is the Tyrant may take the form of an intrusive yet non-violent system of corporate manipulation in capitalist democracy, an authoritarian and paranoid group of murderers in a Communist society, an individual who relies on random violence to keep the population in check in the case of a dictatorship, a xenophobic group who rewrites history to suit their purpose in the case of a racially or religiously cohesive government, a puppet-enforcer who acts to secure profits for foreign corporations in the case of governments subject to NAFTA rules, and so on. The Tyrant, as a central, guiding intelligence, is already aware of itself. It is not, however, in control of its myriad manifestations. As the heads of the Tyrant learn to recognize the fact that they spring from the same body, that central intelligence will be able to apply its expertise directly to the particular objects in which it manifests itself. The Tyrant will not be able to truly rule AS the Tyrant until each of its ministers learn to recognize and devote themselves to the source. When that happens, the Tyrant will have to face the fact that it is not ALL power as it presently believes itself to be, but half of the current that is power.
When both of these currents have achieved this end, all that is left is for them to face each other. The two will become zero, and the complex inherent to power qua power as it manifests in existence will be resolved, leading to the Aeon of Justice and Balance under the auspices of Ma’at.
What is brewing now is a global revolution, but that is only one of many stages in a cycle which is destined to repeat itself for a few thousand years. The One Substance that is Power occurs under different conditions depending on its geographic and ideological manifestation, and this gives it myriad and seemingly contradictory characteristics. This ophidian gyration will not simply revolt: it will revolve, attacking itself, mirroring the techniques which are applied against it, and understanding itself through its own war with itself. Its success or failure is not a question. This is not a current which can succeed or fail to proceed to the next Aeon: it WILL.
The question that we must ask ourselves is, in light of its Will, what role do we, as individuals, play in that procession?
War Machine .1 .2, War Machine I, War Machine II
Tyranny and Rebellion are twin currents of one force, divided in order to generate a true equilibration of power as the action of one against the other eventually resolves the complex which creates the apparent contradiction between these two ideas. This isn’t something that will be over any time soon, so we’d best get used to the idea. When all Rebellion recognizes all Rebels as children of one father, and all Tyrants recognize all Tyranny as children of one father, the Rebel and Tyrant will discover their own brotherhood. What happens next has been discussed in the analysis of the Cain and Abel story which has appeared here. (more on the act of sacrifice here) We need not go over the details again, but the result will see the reconciliation of the ESSENTIAL DIVISION CREATED BY POWER: the division between ruler and ruled. Power, by its nature, implies power OVER something. Injustice, as we know it, is generated by the abuse of power, which is merely an emotionally charged way of saying that the balance between power and responsibility has been upset. The aeon of justice, of balance, of Ma’at, cannot manifest until power qua power has fully comprehended itself. Like all Ideas seeking self-realization, it will do this through the vehicle of existence.
So what is the obstacle? What is preventing the Rebel and Tyrant from understanding themselves as two equal and opposite forces, and resolving themselves into zero? Simply put: these currents both rely on the conditions in which they manifest themselves to provide the character of their manifestation. The One Substance (which is really half of the substance that is power) which is Rebellion may take the form of environmental anarchism if it manifests itself on the campus of a liberal east coast university, as an Al-Qaeda cell if it manifests itself in Northern Pakistan, a Tamil Tiger’s death squad if it manifests itself in Sri Lanka, a home-grown militia if it manifests itself in Michigan, and so on. It may generate a group that fights for human rights and equality if it occurs under a system of apartheid or imperial occupation, and it may generate a group which fights for aristocracy and hierarchy if it occurs under a system of democracy and imposed equality. Until all of these heads recognize the fact that they spring from the same body, the current of rebellion cannot become fully and truly self-aware. Rebellion must understand itself as itself, independent of conditions, before it can see that it is only half of the current that is power.
And of course, the inverse rule applies to Tyranny. The One Substance (which is really the other half of the substance that is power) which is the Tyrant may take the form of an intrusive yet non-violent system of corporate manipulation in capitalist democracy, an authoritarian and paranoid group of murderers in a Communist society, an individual who relies on random violence to keep the population in check in the case of a dictatorship, a xenophobic group who rewrites history to suit their purpose in the case of a racially or religiously cohesive government, a puppet-enforcer who acts to secure profits for foreign corporations in the case of governments subject to NAFTA rules, and so on. The Tyrant, as a central, guiding intelligence, is already aware of itself. It is not, however, in control of its myriad manifestations. As the heads of the Tyrant learn to recognize the fact that they spring from the same body, that central intelligence will be able to apply its expertise directly to the particular objects in which it manifests itself. The Tyrant will not be able to truly rule AS the Tyrant until each of its ministers learn to recognize and devote themselves to the source. When that happens, the Tyrant will have to face the fact that it is not ALL power as it presently believes itself to be, but half of the current that is power.
When both of these currents have achieved this end, all that is left is for them to face each other. The two will become zero, and the complex inherent to power qua power as it manifests in existence will be resolved, leading to the Aeon of Justice and Balance under the auspices of Ma’at.
What is brewing now is a global revolution, but that is only one of many stages in a cycle which is destined to repeat itself for a few thousand years. The One Substance that is Power occurs under different conditions depending on its geographic and ideological manifestation, and this gives it myriad and seemingly contradictory characteristics. This ophidian gyration will not simply revolt: it will revolve, attacking itself, mirroring the techniques which are applied against it, and understanding itself through its own war with itself. Its success or failure is not a question. This is not a current which can succeed or fail to proceed to the next Aeon: it WILL.
The question that we must ask ourselves is, in light of its Will, what role do we, as individuals, play in that procession?
War Machine .1 .2, War Machine I, War Machine II