From the desk of Ellie Voyyd...

Coin flip

Where do i begin with this one.
I guess I always mention how one of the biggest influences on my thinking has always been
that classical debate among the Greek philosophers, the Skeptics,
who said that all knowledge is subjective, and subject to change, that claiming to know absolutely is not just misguided,
but harmful, even malevolent. The Skeptic philosophers,
who - pedantically - pointed out that no matter how many days you see the sun rise in the morning
you can never really know that it will rise again tomorrow,
and things like that.

The way I would say it is
We all are manipulators, we all are brainwashed, we all are propagandists and sociopathic etc
You must do all the same things in order to convince a person of anything,
it doesn't matter what you are trying to convince them of.
You could be convincing them to do something terrible, or to love themselves and be happy,
but either way, the rhetorical, emotional, social "dance" or "ritual" of convincing them is the same.
some people get very good at convincing and compelling other people,
some use it for good or for bad ends.

These (cybernetic) means to various ends are universal.
The techniques are "neutral" - just like technology is "neutral",
we can talk about the meaning of neutral later, but take it at face value for now

If someone condemns all "machiavellian plotting", because their enemy uses it,

then the only one left with an effective ploy is the enemy.

If someone condemns all "cheap trickery" because they see their enemy use it,

well, that is to dump many arrows out of their own quiver.

we become too indignant at this idea that the means are universal, and it is because
we are egotistical. We are the good ones, and the other side is the bad side, so any means they use must also be bad.
This may lead to us being impotent, it might also lead to us losing sight of what our goal even is,
because we become so focused on the means toward our goal that we might forget what our goal is.

We are also too indignant to see the harm our own means lead to, maybe rationalizing away the harm with dehumanization.
we are too cowardly to face the bad within our own self.
if one does not face the bad in oneself, then you are guarunteed to do just as much or more harm as your enemy might.
if one does not face the bad in oneself, it is cowardly and weak at best, dishonest and evil at worst.

don't some people enjoy doing bad things too much? of course, not every villain sees themselves as a hero.
Some love to play the villain, but it is still the other side of a hero/villain coin.

In a coin flip, you have 50-50 odds of winning each flip

so you could win all three if you are lucky.

If all three times you smack the coin out of the air and say it doesn't exist,

or if you claim the side that landed face down is actually facing up,

most reasonable people will say you lost 3 times.

Don't be easily frightened by evil.
it is never far from you, and never has been.
Don't be so easily convinced of what is good,
as many wolves wear sheep clothes.

Is what I said here meaningful?
I believe in love and truth, but i don't believe in good and evil.
I believe in villains and heroes, but i don't believe in right or wrong.

I believe in the light and the way it continues on,
piercing through an endless darkness, impossible to illuminate all at once.

I believe in momentary glimpses and fumbling around,

not relying only on sight, which we cherish so much,
but also on touch, sound, and smell and taste...