The Promise of Illusion

 Most famously the Bible speaks of a time, a golden age, in which humans did not toil. They lived blissfully in the garden having no care in the world, nor fear. Likewise the ancient Egyptians speak of a time called Zep Tepi, and nearly all ancient cultures have tales of a time in which man lived blissfully without a care and nature provided all they needed. These stories, I believe, speak of an actual time, albeit allegorically, before humankind invented agriculture and civilization. One only need to look at tribal societies today to understand this fact spoken of above. Civilization promises us something we already once had, a golden age. One in which humans had no need of toil, but spent their days enjoying each other and foraging for what the Earth naturally gave them. Taking not more than they need and being satisfied with life and the world as it is.

This promise is and always was an illusion. Civilization will not bring about any golden age and the idea that capitalism tells us that we can live a wealthy life if we work hard enough is just as much of an illusion as what civilization tells us. Instead civilization has preceded to create a dystopian nightmare in which the Earth and all its inhabitants are ravaged for another illusion, profit. There is barely any place in which civilization has not completely ruined with the sole intent to create profit. Humans squander their lives toiling away to achieve a life that they will never gain. We labor our lives away in the hopes of reaching this illusion of a golden age. We are promised retirement in our old age, but at what cost? Labor has taken its toll by that point and we are essentially used up and unable to enjoy our lives as we are merely moments away from death. 

While our tribal brothers and sisters are living in their own golden age, one without toil or worry, we toil and worry to try and achieve ours that will never come. We are mere cogs in the machine of civilization which only releases us from its bonds when it decrees we are used up and no longer useful to the machine. It tells us that this is our “golden years” and to enjoy retirement. Enjoy what at 65+ when we have used up our youth toiling away for the techno-industrial system? By then our bodies are weary, bruised and beaten from a life of unrelenting toil, stress, and anxiety. 

The promise civilization has made has cost us our lives. It is an illusion no human can achieve.