The Strongest Force

Self-preservation is the strongest force in life.
We see it everywhere.
From the baby turtles who struggle their way to the ocean after hatching on the beach.
Only a few survive, with almost all of them being eaten by animals or dying in various other ways.
To the man lost at sea for days, who figures out how to live just a little longer until he’s finally rescued.
Those are extreme, life-or-death examples.
But, it’s most prominent in the little, day-to-day aspects of our lives.
It’s intrinsically woven into the fabric of who we are.
We see it in how we compromise our values and authenticity.
When we tell our spouse, she doesn’t look fat in those jeans.
My wife actually looks PHAT in jeans because she’s really fucking hot!
Or, when we brown-nose the boss even though we privately despise him.
It’s harder to recognize how we mindlessly follow the dogma of our tribe.
Nowhere is it more apparent than in politics, religion, and our view of the country.
Our need for the protection and security of the tribe means we’ll parrot the indoctrination and propaganda.
We’ll shout “HALLELUJAH!” and “PREACH IT!” at the preacher.
We’ll show up to political rallies and engage in zombie-like, god worship.
We’ll engage in rhetoric about how America is the shining city on a hill and the greatest country in the world.
Yes, we’ll even give our hard-earned money to grifters.
All for the sake of preserving our place in the tribe.
We can stand back and see how this plays out in our lives.
When we’re young, hopefully those around us are engaged in self-preservation and helping to protect our lives as well
Then, as we get older, we begin to take responsibility for ourselves.
Our seeming invincibility causes us to take more risks, and for some to even venture outside the tribe.
But, most don’t or return if they do.
It’s the familiar place, and the easiest from which to navigate our lives.

Then, we get married and have children.
And, our self-preservation takes on new meaning.
It’s kicked into overdrive because we’re wired to make sure our offspring have the greatest chance to survive and have their own offspring.

The circle continues as our kids grow and take care of themselves.

As we age, we shift towards thoughts of legacy.
We want to be considered in high regard in our later years, and to believe that we’ve stood for what’s good and right.
Any introspection and critical thinking about the values given to us by the tribe destroy our core beliefs, which are the basis for our identities.
Instead, as time goes on, we dig our heels even deeper into party lines and religious texts and traditions, and ideologies.

All for the sake of keeping our familiar lives and ways intact.
Don’t get me wrong.
There IS nobility in all of this.

In same way as Nazi guards at Auschwitz and slaveholders who’d secretly had a change of heart, but never made it public.
Ensuring that the rent is paid and there’s food on the table…that’s a good thing.
But, at what cost?
The price is the soul!
The self-preservation we see in America today is not for those reasons.
It comes from an insatiable desire for comfort.
To be able to live in our suburbs, drive our SUVs, order our triple, pumpkin-spice lattes at any time of day, and hobnob with our clan…all who live very similar lives.
Yes, it’s the karenizing of our society.
This is why there will never be the necessary revolution.
Instead, we will continue our slow, almost imperceptible descent into tyranny and absolute slavery.
One Starbucks drink,little league game, and Kardashian episode at a time.