Monday, August 27, 2018

Who's in Command Here?

Sometimes you wonder if anyone is in charge. Who is the Authority? Is everything up to us? Is there anyone we can look to for guidance, for advice? Are there any Wise Souls out there? Are we really all on our own? Are we the Authority? Are we making it up as we go?

Is this all just a grand Manichaean soap opera? Is it a daily, existential battle of Good vs. Evil? Or is it a murky, infinite, spectrum of gray? I kind of like the idea of a dualistic cosmology, dueling cosmos. Crossbows at dawn!

"Manichaeism taught an elaborate dualistic cosmology describing the struggle between a good, spiritual world of light, and an evil, material world of darkness.[5] Through an ongoing process that takes place in human history, light is gradually removed from the world of matter and returned to the world of light, whence it came. Its beliefs were based on local Mesopotamian religious movements and Gnosticism."

Can we put our money on Zoroaster, you know, the old, wise-guy who predicted "the ultimate destruction of evil."  I guess the jury is still out... to be continued... I mean, we are only here on a temporary basis, this Good vs Evil thing seems like it could be a bit of a drawn-out affair...

I think of this famous scene from Apocalypse Now... who is in command? Maybe Roach knows...


Willard: "Who's the Commanding Officer here?"
Gunner: "Ain't You?"

(Later in the scene...) 

Willard: "Hey Soldier, do you know who's in command here?" 
Roach: "Yeah."