I might be a reactionary, but as far as religion goes I'm afraid (almost literally) that the doctrine of selection or ideas of pre-ordained, select souls that are destined to success in this world, and the next, may be true. That in fact worldly success was proof of being "saved". How else to explain the eternally baffling why/how some people are golden and untouchable*, unless as favored by some terrible and perverse unknowable deity? You might think this is funny if you knew what a slacker I am, and many people are their own worst enemy, but it's world wide and history deep - the shit always rises. I don't think I can ever stop resenting what is evidently unalterable reality. I even want to resent it, but the non-religious explanation, that the strong and ruthless will always prevail, is almost equally unacceptable, and either would suggest that resistance is futile.
One of my biggest takeaways from Carlyle, was that political history is very continuous and deeper than wars, revolutions, genocides, etc., which seems almost like mere noise and drama compared to the steady unchanging nature of man to breed, plant, build, and trade, while being continually harassed, threatened, robbed, enslaved etc. by their superiors, who are treated similarly, but sometimes more gently, by theirs. Carlyle was miffed, 150 years ago, because the worst had risen, by sham of democracy and reform, to replace the natural order of rule by a true elite, under God (for him a necessary pairing, logically, if the elite were not "elect", they would not be "true"). The only difference with today's situation is we can only know that the elite is not true, but have no real explanation beyond the lengthy indictment of facts and allegations. They obviously suck, yet somehow never suffer any temporal punishment beyond the occasional fine.
At least Caryle could be content that sins would be eventually paid and justice rendered. What do we have? Resentment, ridicule and occasional schadenfreude (my favorite!), and a dim hope that more people can get their personal lives in order and leave the other peasants alone while the "nobles" fight it out. Despite the endless discussions, we don't seem to have evolved much, and maybe worse, the standards of conduct seem to be getting lower as the firepower increases. Please fasten your seat belts and put your trays in the upright position. Note the location of emergency exits (if any).
PM update; from commenter Radical Marijuana on Zero Hedge
"Basically what has happened is the human ecology has bifurcated into a relatively small minority that acted like Vicious Wolves, and a much larger majority that acted like Zombie Sheeple. The Wolves have taught the Sheeple to bleat their morality. The majority of people are constantly told that everyone needs to be better Sheeple. The reality is that the actual systems are run by the Wolves, and the only good solutions are for everyone to become better Wolves. ...
None of the other economic problems could ever be resolved better without that quantum leap to understand evolutionary ecology better. Blaming the lying politicians, or the public that is tricked by them, is way too superficial, although it is partially correct. The greater TRUTH is profoundly paradoxical, since it requires understanding how and why warfare was the oldest and best developed social science, and therefore, understanding the psychology of the various actors within that system."
* I like this guy Israel Shamir. International man of mystery
