Survival

The only problem with liberals crying foul is that they're right. Conservatives are in bed with corporations, in cahoots with dictators. Of course they are. Human beings are animals. The only mistake is in believing that we're not, that somehow, we've advanced beyond dog-eat-dog into some kind of benevolent concern for the greater good. There are individuals who live by those principals, but the human species as a whole does not. It is a greedy, relentlessly selfish machine that only cares about survival. Not survival of all its constituent members, nor their well-being, just survival of the species as a whole. That is nartural selection, which is rooted ultimately in the physical laws of the universe. It is a local buck of the trend of entropy that tries to wear everything down, that makes sure all resources remain scarce and that fighting for survival never becomes too easy. So that is why there are brutal regimes, and lying politicians, and biased media, and greedy corporations that will tell you to your face that they care about you, then try in every possible way to part you from your money. That is why most friendships and marriages revolve around each party feeling like they're receiving more benefit that harm from the association. There is altruism in the universe, but it is rare and it is the exception. Self-interest, what liberals and humanitarians point to as if they've turned the rock over on some surprising, insidious revelation, is truly the rule of nature. As disheartening as that may be to us emotionally, if we're to behave in a rational matter we must accept that fact and view the world around us as it really is, not as we wish it would be. The world is a dangerous, competitive place that cares nothing for you personally. If you want to survive, you're going to have to go to war with it. If you don't care about surviving, then you have that luxury as well, and in fact it is my belief that much great art comes from this stance. Musicians, poets, and painters tend to die young and peniless, and are made martyrs, and somehow seem better beings than the rest of us because they've voluntarily given up their own self-interest in the interest of truth, even though that truth be hostile to them. That appeals to the masses and ensures their place in popular lore, but it does not change the way the masses operate, much less their very nature. We view true art with longing but still viciously attack our neighbor for his food, if only in a metaphorical sense.