Abnormality: The New Normal

It is important to know that all of the chaos, which surrounds us today, is NOT happenstance. These things are not the unfortunate byproducts of circumstances beyond our control. There are those, who thrive on chaos and who endeavor to profit from it. Our “new normal” is derived either from deliberate efforts or calloused indifference. It represents decline rather than advance.

I do not give most persons credit for possessing the necessary foresight or aptitude for creativity and implementation, which would be required in order to attribute to them responsibility for birthing each and every crisis with an established plan to benefit therefrom (e.g. Covid-19). However, I do see in many persons and peoples a willingness to exploit and exacerbate inevitable crises (e.g. domestic strife, international conflict, economic cycles, etc.) so as to advance their self-interests. (See “Climate Change, “Green Energy,” and “Rules for Radicals.”)

The situation is similar to the narrow distinction between warmongers and profiteers. The latter may not start wars. They may feign surprise, disgust, or even innocence. Nevertheless, they are eager to take advantage of conflict once the fighting breaks out. In the end, it is a distinction without a difference. The frequency, extent, and duration of active conflicts are greatly increased as the direct result of those seeking to prosper from war (actual or metaphorical). The source of the original conflict or crisis is almost irrelevant.

Eisenhower spoke of the military industrial complex with a prescient warning that, if it were allowed to exist and to grow unabated, there would be an irresistible motivation to use stockpiled weapons in order to justify their continued existence and to explain the previously expended costs. The same applies to all parties, who derive profit from conflict and chaos. There is a visceral urge to seek it out, to exploit it, and to benefit from it.

For those, who benefit from conflict, there is no “peace dividend.” They prefer the spoils of war. They are indifferent to all that is lost and ignorant of what might have been. They are content to gather tarnished trinkets as they sift through the crumbling rubble and smoldering ashes. Their insatiable appetites assure the existence of more conflict never less. The “new normal,” with which we are faced, represents a fateful return to our barbaric ways and an embrace of the baser instincts of our bestial species.