A Rant

Civilisation is a rum thing, you know... If not for it, how do you think we'd be able to live with ourselves? Look at ants, for instance: not an ounce of consideration for the others of their kind; a slight sign of danger and they scamper. If the Three Musketeers had ever been made in Antville, the catch phrase would have been something like "All for one and each ant for itself". Sure, they build these huge mounds and such, but look at them as individuals... Not an ounce of individualism...

Now humans, well we're different... Individual lives are real important. I mean, at heart, what we really want to do is keep everyone happy (at least, everyone who counts... Not the ones who are too poor or dumb)... Sure, we occasionally pillage countries and such, taking everything from the natives and eventually killing them off (culturally, at least) .... But it's basic intention is good... I mean, the chaps back at home really enjoy themselves, and these poor buggers were suffering enough just being themselves.. We're doing them a favour, you know... I mean, if this isn't what Machiavelli was talking about, what is?

And then there's Christ... I absolutely hate people who don't like religion for that matter... They aren't really much better then all the sods who go around condemning the Bomb (Sure I condemn the Bomb too... why not get something a little bigger and one that doesn't leave so much to clean around later?). It's possibly the strongest weapon in our arsenal (Religion I mean, not the Bomb), and we're surrounded by daft buggers who have no idea how to tap it...

Now the chaps back in the 14th century had it all right... Sell them indulgences and stuff... (I mean, let's get something out of this God business)... Sell Christ in boxes and people would buy him (provided there was adequate marketing, of course). Constantine understood this: Take a perfectly pliable religion, add it to most of the customs that people were used to (No need to change everything), and voilà: something real palatable that everyone likes (with a dash of lemon)... And you'll be a great hero too (once you've killed off all the sods who think they're better and smarter than you, and say you're cheating, of course)...

Life's interesting... and you can't say it isn't... Sure you have to be rich and important and such to enjoy it, but hell, you have to be rich and important to matter. Of course the 'other' people are important: I mean, who'll cook our food and clean our sewers and do everything else in between the alimentary canal? Just thank God we aren't dumb insensitive animals... we're civilised, you know...