MINDLESS MUSINGS

“I was born condemned to be one of those who has to see all sides of a question. When you’re damned like that, the questions multiply for you until in the end it’s all question and no answer. As history proves, to be a worldly success at anything, especially revolution, you have to wear blinders like a horse and see only straight in front of you. You have to see, too, that this is all black, and that is all white.”

“…there’s no hope! I’ll never be a success in the grandstand – or anywhere else! Life is too much for me! I’ll be a weak fool looking with pity at the two sides of everything till the day I die!”

Larry Slade from ‘The Iceman Cometh’ by Eugene O’Neill

This play is chock full of food for thought and I won’t even attempt to analyse it. There is more than enough to mull over in this quote, and it fits this thread like a glove. All you need to know is that Larry Slade is a disillusioned ex labour union leader (the hard-core type). In the play he is in his sixties and has long since given up not only on his ideals, but on humanity and life itself. He, like his fellow barflies, is in the process of drinking himself to death – not a light-hearted comedy this one.

Larry is obviously not bragging about his wisdom and insight. He loathes his own intellect, or to be more exact, his temperament and how that affects his use of that intellect. He laments how he might be clever enough to imagine a better world, but absolutely powerless to either create it or lead people to it.

Intelligence is a tool and its applications are vast. In Larry’s chosen field there would have been plenty of followers very susceptible to the wiles of a demagogue. While Larry is doing his best to be logical and appeal to his member’s reason, someone else is utilizing their savvy to stoke the primal urges of the constituents. The ensuing outrage drowns out any balanced argument and ends up making the person expressing it seem unsure and weak.

Elephant in the room – Mr Trump. Certainly not the first or only, but he is a master!

Of course, the mediocre rabble-rouser may simply be following a formula and not be that bright. To get into the big leagues though, don’t kid yourself, that takes smarts. Not necessarily academic brilliance, more a quick wit and ability to read people or crowds. A skill the more philosophical Larry is probably lacking. Not because it is beyond him, rather it is that he focuses his attention on formulating a solid argument.

I have now crossed the line and taken poor old Larry out of his own story. I am using him now as an archetype, so please don’t go reading the play looking for how I came up with all this stuff.

The Larry’s of the world see both sides of an argument, and this is indeed a good thing. It allows them to foresee any potential objections or future problems; a tool that is just as essential to a successful rabble rouser. The crucial difference being that anyone who does this sincerely will soon learn that ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ are all but impossible to reach. Hence when I said Larry formulates a strong argument. This isn’t simply about black, white and grey. Larry is not listlessly wallowing in the grey area. He simply understands that pure black and pure white do not exist in our messy reality. The best anyone can achieve is a well-reasoned option. The perfect solution does not exist. There is no right and wrong, there is only weak or strong arguments.

All this is great and serves a valuable purpose for the seekers of wisdom. It is useless at best and potentially toxic if used in an attempt to sway the mob. Useless because you will probably bore or confuse your audience. Catastrophically toxic if you come up against a seasoned provocateur. All of your well thought out nuance will be labelled fence sitting and mocked. You will lose!

Wisdom is undeniably needed, but it will always function in the background. If it ever makes it into the political arena, it will be used as a gimmick.  True wisdom understands there are no certainties in life; the majority of the ‘public’ do not appreciate uncertainty, and it is the majority you need to impress.

Maybe the real genius is the one who is willing to surrender their integrity. The wise person who is willing to apply their intellect to the art or persuasion. To invest their insight on learning how to manipulate people, rather than understand them and the world. Not a small request.

They must sacrifice ‘the truth’ for the greater good; pretend to be without doubt when it is impossible. To achieve this, you need to possess the arrogance to believe you know what is best for everyone. This is a betrayal the Larrys of the world cannot commit; and here is the rub.

Philosophers would call this intellectual courage; to not cringe at the ambivalence of existence. To be brave enough to accept contradiction without compromise. Others might call this fence-sitting cowardice. Maybe even selfish. To place your precious righteousness above fighting for the greater good.

You refuse to get down into the mud and spin shit to advance what you stand for. Are you afraid of being wrong?

Fuck, I need a drink!!!