Falling Off the Humble Wagon

When friends fall together...

Falling Off the Humble Wagon

The Pen: Let's fall off the humble wagon -

The Pen: You and I -

The Pen: Now - it's all about - me me me -

The Sword: Ah -

The Sword: But I've fallen off the humble wagon -

The Sword: So - now - it's all about - me me me -

The Pen: But - if it's all about me - where does that leave you?

The Sword: Right here! Because - it's all about me -

The Sword: So - my friend - where does that leave you?

The Pen: If it's all about me - and - it's all about you - is it all about either of us?

~ * ~

The Sword: What if - it's all about both of us?

The Pen: Do tell -

The Sword: Well - you do you - and I do me -

The Sword: What if - that's all there is to it?

~ * ~

The Pen: Let's take for instance - a limited resource - like gold -

The Pen: If I do me - I take it all -

The Pen: Where does that leave you?

The Sword: What if I do me - and - I take it all?

The Pen: In that case - where does that leave me?

The Pen: If one of us takes it all - one of us - deprives the other -

~ * ~

The Sword: What if - there's plenty to go around? Even a limited resource like gold is plentiful -

The Pen: Ah - but - if it's all about me me me - I won't share -

The Sword: Likewise - if it's all about me me me - I won't share -

~ * ~

The Sword: But - if it's all about me me me - and - it's all about you you you -

The Sword: Doesn't that make us equal? In which case - we're both entitled to equal gold?

The Pen: Alas - in my me me me universe - you are not equal to me -

The Pen: Far from it in fact -

The Pen: For you are irrelevant -

The Pen: In my me me me universe - the only interest that matters - is mine -

The Pen: Moreover - my self interest is the only interest that has voting rights -

The Sword: Indeed. In my me me me universe - you are not equal to me -

The Sword: In my me me me universe - the only interest that matters to me - is my self interest - because my interests are the only interests with controlling rights -

~ * ~

The Sword: But - if it's all about me me me - and - it's all about you you you -

The Sword: What is it all about - really?

The Sword: Obviously- it can't be all about both of us - Obviously - it's not all about one of us -

The Sword: And - who gets the gold?

The Pen: Ah - therein is the question of questions -

~ * ~

The Pen: You're right -

The Pen: It's not all about both of us - and - it's not all about one of us -

The Pen: It's about -

The Pen: - who gets the gold -

The Sword: Yes!

The Sword: Because - me doing me - and - you doing you - are not necessarily nor always - interests that intersect - much less compete -

The Sword: - except - when - me doing me - and - you doing you - are - interests that intersect and compete -

The Pen: Exactly -

The Pen: - as in the case of who gets the gold -

~ * ~

The Sword: Ah - but in my me me me universe - I take the gold - all of it -

The Pen: Ah - but in my me me me universe - I take it -

The Sword: From me?

The Pen: Of course!

The Sword: But - possession is the law -

The Pen: Only - if you defend your possession capably -

The Pen: Because - might makes right -

The Sword: Then - it's war -

~ * ~

The Pen: So it is -

The Sword: In my me me me universe - I have a divine right to the gold I take -

The Pen: In my me me me universe - I have a divine right to the gold I take -

The Pen: After all - all gold is mine - 

The Sword: Ah - all gold is mine -

The Pen: Then - it's war -

The Sword: Or - reclamation -

The Pen: You mean - theft -

The Sword: Reclamation - 

The Sword: After all - I'm taking what's mine -

~ * ~

The Pen: All gold is mine - therefore any gold you take - anywhere - is theft from me -

The Sword: All gold is mine - therefore every gold you take - everywhere - is theft from me -

The Pen: In my me me me universe - all gold will never be yours -

The Sword: In my me me me universe - all gold will always be mine -

~ * ~

The Sword: So -

The Sword: - it's all about who gets limited resources that are valuable to both of us -

The Pen: Or - it's about whose might defends possession of limited resources that are interests of both of ours -

The Sword: Because - even when I take all the gold -

The Pen: I take it all - and - I defend possession of it all -

The Sword: But - if my interests are potent enough - I pursue reclamation - despite rebuffs, setbacks, defeats -

The Sword: Moreover - if the gold is invaluable to me and my interests - I escalate to take possession of all gold that is rightfully mine -

The Pen: But - if my interests are potent enough - I escalate to defend my possession of all gold that is rightfully mine -

~ * ~

The Sword: Then - it's an arms race -

The Sword: Until - one of us defeats the other -

The Pen: And - one of us is utterly deprived of all gold -

The Sword: Hmmm - defeat is not enough -

The Sword: Because - how do I ensure that my interest - that is, preserving and protecting my possession of my gold - is secure?

The Pen: By engaging - a cold arms race -

The Pen: Or - by annihilating me -

The Pen: Or - at the very least - disempowering my interests materially -

~ * ~

The Sword: But - you are my friend!

The Pen: And you mine -

The Sword: We fell off the wagon together -

The Pen: So we did -

The Sword: How did we - start together - but end - so far apart?

~ * ~

The Pen: Self interest -

The Pen: The myth of me me me - is that - self interest harms no one -

The Pen: - because - the myth of me me me - assumes - self interest does not intersect with nor compete with - other interests -

The Sword: You mean - my interests -

The Pen: Yes -

The Pen: - moreover - the myth of me me me - assumes - that self interest is suspendable - when interests intersect and compete -

The Pen: - but - me me me universes do not suspend self interest - simply because other interests intersect and compete with self interests -

The Pen: - in fact - self interests that intersect and compete with other interests - roar to the fore - because self interests are inherently self preservative and self protective -

The Sword: Notwithstanding - the myth of me me me - also assumes - that I suspend my self interest - when my self interest intersects and competes with yours -

The Sword: - when - in fact - my self interest is as self preservative and as self protective as yours -

The Pen: Verily -

~ * ~

The Sword: Self interest is not as innocuous nor as wholesome as it's made out to be -

The Pen: No, it is not -

The Sword: What about this -

The Sword: What if - self interest ends at my nose -

The Pen: But - it doesn't -

The Sword: If we decide - that my self interest ends at my nose - and - your self interest ends at your nose -

The Sword: Then - that's where self interest ends -

The Pen: But - it doesn't -

~ * ~

The Sword: Why not?

The Pen: Because - if self interest did not extend beyond our nose - self interest would not intersect and compete with other interests -

The Sword: As in - who gets the gold -

The Pen: Exactly -

The Pen: Self interest does extend beyond our nose - to - for example - limited resources that only exist beyond our nose - 

The Sword: And - both of our self interests - preserve and protect each of our self interests - such that - neither of us relinquishes our self interests - because each of us insist that - me me me and me me me - are entitled to all the gold -

~ * ~

The Sword: What about resources that are not valuable to anyone?

The Pen: Gold is a resource that is not inherently valuable: its value is not an intrinsic attribute; its value is an extrinsic attribute.

The Pen: Insofar as a resource of no inherent value - can be extrinsically attributed with desirable value - any resource can be extrinsically attributed with desirable value -

The Pen: Like - bits of paper and bits of metal - that we designate as money -

The Sword: Upon which - that resource becomes a resource that - self interests and other interests - intersect and compete for -

The Sword: Unless - that resource is an unlimited resource -

The Pen: It stands to reason - that any resource attributed with desirable value - can also be attributed with limitations -

The Pen: - both legitimate and contrived -

The Sword: Like - money -

~ * ~

The Sword: So -

The Sword: - it's all about who takes resources that are extrinsically attributed with desirable value -

The Pen: Or - it's about whose might ensures that self interest - that is, preserving and protecting self possession of resources that are extrinsically attributed with desirable value - is secure - from other interests -

The Sword: So that's it then -

The Sword: We're dragons -

The Pen: Lonely and paranoid -

The Sword: Hording treasure -

The Pen: Forever -

The Sword: For ever -

~ * ~

More from The Pen

If all we are ever interested in -

- exists - between the back of our head to the tip of our nose -

- we'd never experience - intersecting and competing - interests.

Moreover - how many of us are only ever interested in -

- what's between the back of our head and the tip of our nose?

For all that we deem valuable -

- all that we confer with extrinsic attributes of desirable value -

- exist beyond the backs of our heads and the tips of our noses.

Thus -

- it is no surprise at all -

- that we struggle to negotiate and mediate - intersecting and competing -

- conflicts of interests.

For our society values self interests above all other interests.

Why?

Because self interests -

- permit abuses towards others -

- excuse harm towards others -

- condone satisfaction of self interests - at the expense of abuses and harm towards others -

- justify acts of war and acts of theft - as acts of defense and acts of reclamation.

The crop we reap -

- when we sow: 

- look out for your self, you're number one, first and always -

- always take care of your self, because no one else has your back -

- if you don't take care of you, every one else will take advantage of you - etc.

What we call -

- 'empowerment', 'esteem', 'validation' -

- is ultimately -

- narcissism wearing a facade of inspiration -

- whereby -

- acts of self interest are justified as acts of nobility -

- regardless of harm.

How?

Self interest nullifies others into invisibility and other interests into invalidity.

Hence -

- no more than counterfeiting is victimless -

- self interest is not harmless.

~ * ~

The Pen: Even more troubling -

The Pen: When you have gold - I feel robbed -

The Pen: Because all the gold that you have is rightfully mine - your possession of my gold is an injustice whose remedy, whose redress is also rightfully mine - and by divine might, I will repossess that which has been taken from me by every means necessary, including lethal force -

The Sword: When you have gold - your life is rightfully mine - all the opportunities my gold delivers to you, all the access my gold opens for you, all the privileges my gold bestows upon you - are all rightfully mine -

The Sword: Such that - I feel a deep hatred towards you - for your opportunities and your access and your privileges - profoundly offend my sense of righteousness and justice -

The Pen: And I feel a deep bitterness towards you - for depriving me of my gold - for appropriating all that is rightfully mine -

The Pen: What say you, my friend?

The Sword: I say, we are not so far apart, are we?

The Pen: Indeed.

~ * ~

More from The Sword

What is a Pen that rewrites history - than a Sword?

For in rewriting history, such Pens annihilate truths as certainly as Swords annihilate lives.

Verily, such Pens give lies life. Through such penmanship, lies live while truths die.

What is a Sword that determines history - than a Pen?

For in determining history, such Swords write and rewrite history as unequivocally as Pens. For do not winners tell tales that the dead cannot refute?

Verily, such Swords write histories of lies. Through such swordsmanship, the past lies while truths of the dead are invalidated until they too disintegrate into dusts of time.

In the end -

- what are Pens and Swords - that are interchangeable -

- that advance truths and lies -

- that sow peace and war -

- among one and all?

~ * ~