I believe the human being is only free insofar as we nurture the freedom by which we define ourselves. Leave it to the machinery of democracy and even thereout it will be snatched, as if a beautiful pearl from a dying mollusk! It makes me think of the Scorpion and the Frog, the powerful fable. I will describe it, a rough re-telling of what I think is its central idea: A scorpion asks a frog to carry it across a river, but the frog is hesitant and fearing for his life, naturally afraid of being stung by the scorpion. The scorpion cleverly argues with the frog that if it did indeed sting the frog, they would both drown. Considering the apparent solidity of the scorpion's argument, the frog agrees hesitantly but with a kind humility. Midway across the river and to the very dismay of the frog, the scorpion indeed smites the frog with its poisonous barb, dooming them both to the death of drowning. Despairingly, in the last minute, the frog asks the scorpion why it would do such a thing, whereupon the scorpion replies cynically that it is simply in its nature to do so, and that nothing else but the statement of this profound fact could be said about the scorpion's behavior. It just is what it is.
And what do I want to say with this? Well, man is no more than the freedom heavy enough to cram him down, as if a huge boulder, to the ground, to the sediment of his primordial origin. Democracy is a frog; human nature is a scorpion. But lo, for man may tamper with his natures, while as, as to the extent we can know of such a thing, the scorpion may not. Man can assume the posture of a scorpion, we too can weaponize its venoms as for utility in combat, and we too can deceive and stab backs and sink our ship of kindness – out of foulness and nothing but foulness!
