The Double-Edged Sword

Written by: Leni Sosa

 

In the words of Viktor E. Frankl, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”

 

Stone, bone, iron, bronze and steel, used to wage war, build empires, and control the masses in Its name. These sharp remnants of the past lay deep below the earth with the decaying Temples of those long gone and forgotten.

Clanging noises have been replaced with booms and bangs. Crafted for destruction, new machines blast children to smithereens, and while their guts spill out, they hold on tightly to the weapons placed in their hands.

When tyrants proclaim vulgar pride in acts of oppression, It is crudely unapologetic and intentionally transparent. It can make the emptiest of cowards seem passionately brave. Let It not camouflage It’s use. But when It rears an ugly Machiavellian head, It is especially deceiving. This is when the Wolf hides in Wool, until it is time.

The Enlightened have had to make peace with this burden of endlessly coming up against this tangible ferocity, like an ocean wearing down the hardened, jagged surface. But this constant caress wields more power than any weapon.

And It has given life and shape to the very Testament that the Old Heroes lived and died by. And this secular morality that the newly minted masses greatly pride themselves on, cannot deny its mark – even with the greatest effort.

It is the boldest vessel to lay claim to, in this chaotic and angry world. It offers solace to the tired and restless, and inspires those that have the strength and courage to push onward. It can even infuse knightly valour in the most unlikely creatures, lengthening the circumference.

But the hand of devastation is realized when It has the opposite affect. It is what we make of It. Love and hate. Fanaticism of any kind – even if it is the fanaticism of Absolute Nothingness – is the real enemy.

But It will last, outliving it all, even Its enemies, spinning through time and space, snuffing out this fear of futility. Gone are the ruins of ancient civilizations, and under Skyscrapers, even the skeptics would be relieved if they could truly know It.

In a world where people are lost and tormented, It is everything that The Radical Scholar said it could be. With a double edge, the cut is deep, for better or worse.