Destruction as a practical solution


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One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. -Nietzsche

November 2, 2008

Destruction as a practical solution

Why isn't it working?

It is forgivable when people struggle with problems because of their inexperience, i.e. they have never applied themselves in an orderly way towards their current goals and thus their formulations are insufficient or off target and they either aren't aware or don't know how to steer their course. Other times there is a deeper conflict and the botch is passive-aggressive sabotage; a secretive first strike to weigh things down and make the original problem harder than it was, as if complicating the untying of a knot by instead tightening it. We see this same curse in the cosmic instinct for victims of abuse to perpetuate that abuse or its cousins on others, and thus negativity is kept alive to impregnate future souls with unneeded and unearned misery.

The process of achieving goals is just basic organization: the formation of a plan based on understanding of the objectives with ongoing communication providing feedback for adjustments. And yet 99% of people fail to achieve this and look to blame something other than their disorganization when they miss their desired outcome.

Easy ways to stall any project and make nuclear trigger fingers itchy:

Declare there must be immediate action, but without agreeing on a plan
Declare there must be communication, but afterwards taking no action and forming no plan
Agree with the plan but then stall or take no action
Ignore the agreed upon plan without proffering amendments, instead drifting off and spacing out
Insist on detailed elaboration of plans before any action begins
Stick to an action plan when new information is uncovered to reveal earlier strategic predictions are incorrect and require the plan be adjusted
Cancel meetings and plans altogether; spontaneously wing complex interactions requiring careful guidance (how is one to aim for what is unknown?)
Keep a plan secret and cut off communication. This is worse than having no plan because no one can know what they should be doing or if it is on target or what the target is or if any part of the plan is working.

If the participants can't figure out how to solve basic problems and there is a lasting struggle without improvement, at some point it becomes obvious that this group will never do better even if given a million years to try. But how can a leader give up and accept failure when others want to waste more time on what will never work? Suddenly the enticing possibility of grand destruction appears and with a gentle push obviates the problem by immediately removing everything connected to it. And what a show! Lights, smoke, a teasing stillness, explosive rumbling, drama, tragedy, and delicious decadent idle indulgence until impact -- ending in a nothingness where once a resolvable but unresolved knot stood. The people had the ability but simply were not up to what was necessary, at least not individually or in their stillborn alliances betraying mutual contempt and indifference.

When bad behavior is perpetuated and impervious to diplomatic negotiations and treaties, it constitutes a hilarious provocation begging for a nuclear response in which mutually assured destruction provides a path forward. If need be, blow up the world and cast a cleansing wave of fire upon the defective humanoids along with the healthy few who were obviously unable to work together and overcome their parasites. Nature will try again in a million years or so -- maybe things will fare better next time.

More pragmatically: either something is working, something is struggling but various corrections are possible and worth attempting, or something is resisting all good efforts and thus is taxing at least the spirit while consuming time on fruitlessness. How much wasted toil over the impossible is enough? Recognize all things for what they are, regardless of whether the sickness itself is understood, and do not waste further well intentioned effort barely sustaining a patient that lingers near death in the best of all realistic outcomes.

In our daily lives, most of what you could blow up is quite small, but deliberate destruction remains a largely liberating and restorative option. If something you interact with isn't working, turn your inner microscope on it and determine why. Apply your best insight and the helpful advice of the wisest elders you know. When conventional treatments, rest, fresh air, exercise, sunlight, and other remedies fail to improve it and it is revealed as a Sisyphean dead end -- bring dynamite!

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