a sea-nymph message to mortals

What is wrong about society?

What is right about society?

I believe that this needs to be one question instead of two. Let’s start with defining what society means: “Society” refers to the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community. “Right” means morally good, justified, or acceptable, and “wrong” means not correct or true. It is vital that we understand what these words mean before engaging in any kind of meaningful discussion. If we fall short by not being able to define these words, then in turn we will misjudge ourselves and the whole experience.

Life is not fair; I believe we can all agree with that statement. For example, the average IQs of twins tend to be several points lower than the IQs of single-born children. Research suggests this is caused by twins having to share resources in the womb. That is certainly not fair;however, it is a fact we must accept. Nature is proof that fairness is impossible. One side of the world is freezing cold, while the other has incredibly warm temperatures. There are ecosystems that would thrive far better if only they existed in a warmer climate with an abundance of recourses and nutrients. Humans are not the only species suffering; in fact, every species experiences suffering to the highest degree.

Humans have ideas to solve this, naturally. We tend to think: “I have a theory on how life should be, and if the world does not respond the way I want it to, maybe I will get violent.” We have all acted on this emotion at some point because we have been taught through images and sounds that if we do not get what we want, there must be war. It is a narrow viewpoint, and we sacrifice everything to get there. To aim at something better means to aim at something that is true, assuming that in doing so, what is better will happen. It is not about what one has done that is wrong; it is merely the sacrifice one makes to subscribe to their own definition of the utopian state.

One’s aim will ultimately determine the world they will live in, and if you are not aiming at the right thing, that means your aim is off. Life itself is not hell-bent on making hell a reality for you. If something is alive, it means God is living through it. One must believe in one’s bruises, because that is what happens to all of us when we aim at perfection. I do not believe in every aspect of therapy; if one enters therapy, I believe that is going against God’s work. I see modern therapy as merely bandaging a bruise, and if you continue going to therapy, you are interrupting the experience God needs you to have. Let the bruise breathe; let it air out. Growing up and seeing my grandfather’s hands, looking at the open scars and bruises, I would suggest, “Pop-Pop, you need a Band-Aid,” and he would tell me, “It will all heal on its own.” I am twenty-five years old now and his response still replays in my head every day: “It will heal on its own.” “It will heal on its own.” “It will heal on its own.”

I speak this affirmation to affirm the belief that if I bruise, I should not worry. I should simply continue to aim towards perfection, to define what perfection means to me. We are awake creatures of God. No one wants to be God, though everyone wants to be in His presence. In order to be in the presence of God, you must become what He needs you to be. Imagine you are God, sending hidden messages to billions of people every day. How exhausted would you be? One does not know exhaustion unless one is God aiming at perfection. Life goes on whether you are a coward or a hero. P. D. Ouspensky writes in The Fourth Way:

“Things stop because of the law of seven. The law of seven explains why there are not any straight lines. For instance, almost all our present negative emotions are based on accusation: somebody else is guilty. We are the cause of all that happens to us. Right thinking has power over negative emotions—it catches them in the beginning. The possibility to do something, instead of letting things happen, will gradually increase; enormous power lies in thinking. Work in the dark as though it were light, and this will produce self-remembering.”

Ultimately, I believe life is trying to teach us how to stay in the present and the past at the same time, and it’s bittersweet. The world is beautifully rich; we should hug, kiss, and, most importantly, believe more. There is a film hovering over us as a species, and I would like to give it a name: dictatorship. It seems everyone is trying to have control over everything these days, and people in positions of power will tell you how ridiculous it is. In return, they would rather live through experience than through example. Living through experience means not taking the feeling of the blazing sun against you skin for granted, nor the cobblestone roads you step on, the small gestures of strangers—you need those small moments. They will save you in the end. We cannot pretend that all of society is bad; instead, the focus should be taking the bad and incorporating it into something bigger than itself. To enjoy something, one must make oneself ready to receive it by gaining discipline. Life is not a solo performance; there are millions and billions of people all participating in life simultaneously. We are instruments of a greater power, and it is crucial we never forget what that means. Henry Miller writes in Sexus: The Rosy Crucifixion:

“We are lonely people, a morbid, crazed, herd thrashing about in zealous frenzy, trying to forget that we are not what we think we are, not really united, not really devoted to one another, not really listening, not really anything, just digits shuffled about some unseen hand in a calculation which doesn’t concern us. The rigmarole which we call the everyday life which is not life but a trancelike suspension above the great stream of life—and this person who, because he no longer subscribes to the general pattern, seems to us quite mad finds himself invested with strange and almost terrifying powers.”

There is good and evil in this world, and our focal point should be how to use the chaos in an orderly way. We pay attention to our own vulnerability; however, we must also aim to understand that the entire world is vulnerable. Everything is built inside of us. We do not need to look any further than what we can already see. I vowed to never say anything terrible about the world, as to discuss the world, one must truly discuss themselves. It is not about what is good or bad about society—it’s that no one is asking for what they really want. The world has a narrow view of success and believes the probability of something great happening to one is probably zero.

Self-esteem plays a crucial role in human development. Low self-esteem results in one who dreads the unknown, avoids challenges, and looks for a chance to be absolved. High self-esteem means one will look for an opportunity to admire, seek new frontiers, and require a new challenge. Comfort is not self-esteem. There is an important question to ask: “Why is growing up equated with giving up?” If one remains a mystery to oneself, one will endure the consequences. We must explore questions others are afraid to ask and strive to prioritize truth over popularity.

Life tells us all that we have a choice. We often do not realize there are four independent beings in us, four independent minds, as we always try to reduce ourselves to one mind. Understand that life teaches us how to use our minds. There is no straight answer about life or society; rather, there’s layers that have yet to be decoded and discussed in true dialogue. To answer what is wrong and what is right about society, one does not need to argue about the things one is seeing. Instead, one must express what one needs to express and then move forward. Life’s greatest answers are only visible to those who know where to look.