The only reason we form hierarchies is to get more of what we can’t get alone. If you’re at a certain level in a hierarchy it’s a faux pas to show that you have more than what you’ve been allotted.
Show this thread
-
This points at the tyranny of hierarchies when they require surrogates to maintain coherent identities. The more money you have, the more trapped you are. Zuckerberg for example is probably one of the most trapped humans in the world.
Show this thread
An equivalent for female hierarchies would be using sexual influence as a stand-in for social influence. It works to a degree, but requires massive amounts of energy to maintain the facade of perfection the higher you go.
-
-
(This kind of “engineered” perfection is ironically more masculine than feminine. Hierarchies are intrinsically phallic shapes.)
Show this thread -
In this sense hierarchies are like towers of babel. Male bravado and female fakeness can’t touch Heaven, but they point in the general direction of Gods and Goddesses.
Show this thread -
The North Star may just be a burning ball of destructive hydrogen, but that misses the point of what a North Star is for.
Show this thread -
E.g. having a North is useful for going north. It's even useful for going south. But that doesn't mean you can *only* go north or *only* go south. You can use the compass to draw maps, go on journeys, play games, etc..
Show this thread -
Someone has to make the sacrifice and petrify themselves in order to have some sense of direction for everyone else.
Show this thread -
This helps me to make sense of why sometimes I'll agree with two people who are viciously arguing with each other. One is pointing North and one is pointing South. Together they make me *more* sure of my POV.
Show this thread -
If I had only one North without a corresponding South, I'd always be suspicious that I'm just blindly following some idiot.
Show this thread -
One of the reasons people become obsessed with climbing hierarchies is when the games are no longer fun. When there's not enough meaning generated via multiple victory conditions then the default victory condition is via dominance.
Show this thread -
This is nature's "Base Protocol" that is red in tooth and claw. It is the default which we can always rely on if everything else fails.
Show this thread -
So while yes, it is true that hierarchies are unnecessary in the grand scheme of things since they're basically arbitrary. The questions is if we can or want to pay the price for letting nature take the reigns and unleash the soldiers of heaven and hell.
Show this thread -
The Eternal Conflict is the blank piece of paper that is the Eternal Background of Being. But to hang up a blank piece of paper and call it Beautiful Art is to miss the point of having this canvas. To worship Nothingness is to enshrine Ugliness and Death and Pain.
Show this thread
End of conversation
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.