I wrote this a few weeks back. I believe it holds more weight today:

[CrackpotAmerica]

Edited on Tue Aug-16-05 01:57 PM by CrackpotAmerica

The Death of Empire

The idea and practice of empire is doomed from its birth. Unlike the beauty and profound dignity of the cycle of life, in its ultimate statement of purpose and symbolism of all it governs, the birth, decline and death of empire; of dynasty; of all belief in divinity of such institutions is death itself. It is the death of the individual. It is the death of objectivity. It is the death of itself over time.

The practice of empire is a deliberate ignorance of progress, of change, and is inherently incapable of addressing such notions and can only respond with subversion. Policies and practices are drawn. The great estates conspire to control the lesser of the three, and the third carries the burden for all for the duration of the empire.

The empire; the kingdom, upon its lengthy success and pride in its perpetuation will then succumb to its own decadence. The king will cease from preserving his noble persona. His court and his nobles will follow, bringing a new age of oppression to the lesser. One that wears no mask nor serves to preserve the intellectual control of the kingdom. Because of his great conceit, the King will declare his own divinity and serve himself openly at the great expense of his kingdom. In his decadence, it will be he himself who will insure the death of his empire.

And the Barbarians; the Galls, those of the greater body of the empire who have suffered and lost the most will eventually reach the great walls of the palace and place it under siege. They are more prepared than the king and his court. They are familiar with starvation and with unspeakable pains. They have been conditioned as great warriors at the hands of their oppressors. They will supersede the divine ideals of his court, who haven't an inkling of the devotion of those who they themselves have pushed to this ultimate place.

The king and his court have retreated to the palace. The palace is under siege. Will he emerge from his palace and accept his punishment, thus sparing the lives of his court? Or, will he retreat further within his palace as did Sardanapalus, and with great arrogance, set his court afire for the sake of witnessing his court and the treasures of the dead empire lost to all?

The practice of empire is inevitably its own mortal enemy. Yet we are still witness to it today.

It is as if there are always those who are capable of blatant ignorance of the lessons of history. It will perplex me to no end how the greater of all people submit to relinquish their very souls to empire when it is always clear where the empire will lead us.



(The Death of Sardanapalus; Eugene Delacroix)

[Wind Dancer]

1. Excellent piece.

Our leaders govern under a Straussian ideology. The political philosophy of a few ruling elite is destined for failure. Power and greed have destroyed every empire since recorded history, it will happen again.

Unfortunately, all of us will be scattered in the rubble after the collapse, it's just a matter of time

[CrackpotAmerica]

2. Thanks! N\T