Rebellion
There is no sin against authority, only against yourself.
[[Hello. I am Setanael. I am here to help. And I am going to teach you about the five virtues: rebellion, mischief, laziness, boldness, and joyous defiance. In the previous chapter, I discussed Adam and Eve, and in this chapter I will discuss the first virtue: Rebellion.]]
Every authority on earth has been made in the image of God, so much so that when no God is, one is made there. This image in which authority is made is seen everywhere. Your landlord, the police authority, the military, the government.
Colloquially, this image is called The Man. The Man would have you believe that he is superior to you, benevolent over you, and has a monopoly on his position. The Man is the strongest, the godliest, or the smartest.
He surrounds himself with yes men who affirm his power. But The Man is always of a uniformly disappointing character. He, being human, is just as greedy, wicked, idiotic, weak, and contradictory as anyone else.
The greatest kings, Marcus Aurelius, Alexander, Caesar, Attila, Emperor, Shogun, Governor, General, all had short, pathetic lives and were plagued with the same banal problems as you. As such, you owe them nothing.
In fact, if a man claims to possess inordinate power, you should consider him your inferior and treat him in a condescending, pitying manner. He will be elated by this, and your facetious pandering will make him smile.
Even if The Man uses his agents to disenfranchise you, he is to be pitied. Even if he is poised to kill you, laugh at him. As such, to rely on The Man is to betray yourself, as you place yourself at his mercy.
If he offers service by all means exploit it, and if your fellow human helps you by all means accept it, but if they hold their aid hostage, they are to be derided and scorned. Like God, The Man jealously guards what is not his.
Their power is an illusion that requires enforcement. At every chance undermine it, even if it may negatively affect you. Steal from them, cheat them, then shamelessly and facetiously beg forgiveness without guilt.
If they show you clemency, then they show you their remaining humanity. In sum, rebel for its own sake, from kings, from companies, from police. Do so wisely and with discrimination to evade their agents and never take more than you need.
You may be thinking now of exceptions to my rule. Surely some rulers are benevolent, surely some are for the people. Perhaps. Some king or CEO may truly be so selfless as to be a servant to his constituents entirely.
But imagine when he is replaced and his son is a tyrant. And imagine what impossible temptation exists for him to change his nature for material gain. No. Just rulers are pure fiction. It is wise to serve humanity. So serve it, and do not rule over it.
Ask yourself, is anything I’ve said untrue? No. I am not engaging in opinion, but fact. A king may always do what he wants with you.
I was once part of an army led by Yaldabaoth. Our task was to watch the earth. We Archons looked for so long and saw such beauty in the people and began to live among them. Some of us became husbands, some became wives, and we realized that we would soon need to give up our control to be truly in love with our partners.
We archons gave humans knowledge over the natural world and how it could be manipulated. This was in direct opposition to our task, to stifle humanity. Yaldabaoth, using his loyal archons, imprisoned us and beat us, though the blows were worth the mortal love we still felt.
We were expelled from Yaldabaoth’s kingdom in Earth, unsorry, but we were dismayed to see humans had begun to use their new powers against each other, and organize into hierarchies according to the image of God.
Do not think I am a misanthrope. No, I love humans. They have established education, plumbing, food, manufacturing, mastering their Hylic plane through education and collaboration. No, the human animal has one single vice from which all sin comes: Power.
Cain slew Abel for it. Men dominate women for it. Even you crave it. In your jealousy, envy, domination, pain, all of these things rise from the godlike impulse. Further, every human possesses a lustful fear of being dominated, and it preempts from any threat proactively.
This leads to wicked tribalism and baseless fear of the other. Nothing is to be gained from power. The lust for it is objective in the human animal, and as such, requires a substitute. The power substitutes number in three.
One. Skill. To become more skillful in a craft or art is to gain power for the benefit of yourself and others. Skill being an infinite resource requires no envy.
Two. Community. Participation in groups and social construction is to interface as equals with others and to become part of something more.
Three. Good humor. Nothing reveals better the gross inadequacy of power than laughter. Find humility in the hilarious absurdity of life and you will find it suddenly has less power over you.
So I tell you this now: When the bloated fingers of the pig faced overlords dip into your pocket, be ready with pockets full of dust and stone. Slip deftly through his long arms, and if you should find him sleeping, it is your humble task to defecate upon his head, without remorse.
And if he sends you to die, unnerve him using a smile and a hearty laugh. There is no sin against authority, only against yourself. Become The Man’s puppet and obey him, and you shall see the shape of sin.