The Three R's of Self-Destruction - Introduction: Oppression, Julius Caesar, and The Cord of Connection

I saw the tears of the oppressed—

and they have no comforter;

power was on the side of their oppressors—

and they have no comforter.

And I declared that the dead,

who had already died,

are happier than the living,

who are still alive.[i]

-Qoheleth

            Qoheleth describes human history.  Throughout human history the oppressed have no comforter because, well, they are oppressed.  But Qoheleth writes that the oppressors have no comforter either.  Really?  You’d think those in power would be comforted because they hold sway over their subjects.  And aren’t we all guilty of this assumption?  If I were the boss, I’d definitely be happier, do things the right way, and have it so much easier!  If I were the president, I’d certainly be better off, and so would the country!  If I was a billionaire and owned those corporations, man, that’d be awesome!  Ever thought these kinds of things?  I have, and when I do, I always think of Julius Caesar of course!  OK, stay with me for a minute here.

            

             Julius Caesar was the most powerful Roman ruler, and he was the person to whom all the other Caesars compared themselves.  This even extended into the 19^th century with the Russian Csars and German Kaisers, both variations of the name Caesar.  But here’s the deal:  Julius Caesar worked politically to consolidate his power and ended up ruling the Roman Empire and dampening the power of the Senate of Rome.  While married to Calpurnia, he had an affair with Cleopatra who gave birth to Caesar’s son so that Caesar could consolidate his power over the entire Roman world.  Caesar, who conquered the “Barbarians” of Gaul and seized control of Egypt was the very definition of an oppressor.  But his oppression brought him no comfort at all.  He had to continually watch his back, staying one step ahead of his political enemies.  This doesn’t sound to me like a life of ease, comfort, and peace.  Caesar constantly ran the risk of someone stabbing him in the back, until it actually happened.

            We can understand how the oppressed have no comfort, but even the oppressor, like Caesar, has no comfort.  Caesar simply exemplifies what we see repeated throughout human history, whether we speak of a Napoleon, a Hitler, or a Stalin.  This is life viewed as a circle instead of a spiral:

·      The oppressor oppresses the oppressed.

·      The oppressed rise up to become the oppressor.

·      The circle begins again.

Societies rise and fall, but no transformation occurs.  Yes, it’s perplexing and depressing.  How do you go from a never-ending circle to a transformative spiral?

            

            First, you’ve got to recognize the problem.  We humans keep doing the same thing again and again.  And when we do, according to Qoheleth, we start to believe we’d be better off dead.  Because the living in this cycle of violence and destruction are the miserable walking dead!  Zombies!

            

            Second, you’ve got to believe there is a better way, and we have to live a different way than the way of the circle.  We humans have to choose faith over fate, transformation over repetition, and service over self.  We have to choose the spiral over the circle.

           

           Third, you’ve got to recognize that larger changes and exponential growth begins with small changes and incremental growth.  We humans have to choose to change ourselves individually if we hope to see the entire world change.  If it’s to be, it’s up to me, right?  Be the change we want to see in the world, right?  Love others as you love yourself, right?  We must each make The Shift within our minds, and choose to put in place desire, discipline, and determination in the small things of our life.  Then, and only then, will our incremental change produce change in others and, eventually, over time, exponential growth in the world.  How do you change the world?  One person at a time, and it starts with you.

            
            Finally, one of the greatest illusions in our world is that we are not connected.  As long as we can deny this truth, we can justify just about anything we do or say.  But when you realize that everything you do and say has consequences for good or harm to you and others, then the responsibility of The Greatness Revolution rests inside your mind and heart, and is either realized or thwarted by your actions.  Qoheleth writes:

There was a man all alone;

he had neither son nor brother.

There was no end to his toil,

yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. . .

Isolation and separation bring, at best, discontentment, and, at worst, destruction.  To be alone brings endless and meaningless work because if what you do isn’t your calling and doesn’t serve others, then it’s an empty motion.  Conversely “wealth,” whether physical, emotional, or spiritual is only fulfilling when it effectively connects others physically, emotionally, or spiritually.  Qoheleth continues:

Two are better than one. . .

If either of them falls down,

one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

and has no one to help them up.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.[ii]

Two can defend themselves.  Why?  Because they’ve got each others’ back, something I am pretty sure Caesar would have liked, oh, I don’t know, maybe on March 15, 44 B.C.[iii] 

When you connect to another person, something powerful occurs.  It’s that third cord that cannot be broken.  A spiritual bond, an invisible cord, wraps around the two creating greater physical, emotional, and spiritual strength.  The sum is greater than its parts.  This is where The Greatness Revolution begins, with each individual connecting to another, loving others one person at a time forever.

So, life is a spiral and not a circle.  Throughout the ages there have been a few who understood this.  They saw the connection between each unique moment in their lives, the connection between themselves and others, and the power of the spiral of life.

While many of the moments throughout a day may seem to be the same as the day before, each moment in life actually is unique and has something to teach us if we are willing to learn.  We make The Shift, transform our minds, and see our lives transformed by listening, reflecting, learning, adjusting and moving into the next moment (See my blog post from Saturday, August 11, 2018: Punxsutawney Phil and The Listen and Learn Technique). This discipline, coupled with desire and determination over time creates exponential growth mentally and spiritually, and manifests in our material lives as well.

However, the enemies of this type of transformative life are The Three R’s of Self-Destruction:  resentment, resistance, and revenge, and we must proactively overcome them by being conscious of their existence and their plan to thwart our Greatness!

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[i] Ecclesiastes 4:1-2

[ii] Ecclesiastes 4:8-12

[iii] Caesar was murdered on March 15, 44 BC by more than sixty people according to Eutropius.