We often hear stories about the great heroes who saved the world against the spells of powerful villains. In fictional world, it could be Thanos or Darkseid; In modern world, people say Hitler and the likes. Unlike fiction, Nazis were just as human as anybody else on the planet.
For centuries, humans obliged the command of their leader — A king. Supposedly, kings were overthrown with the support of commoners sometimes. But in general, the common masses of public looked upon a greater power. Thus, the divine mode of kings was helpful to keep the people obedient. The villain of a particular era title was normally crowned to one or two individuals, but without the faithful followers there could have never been a Hitler. Unfortunately, villains have always been the complacent followers — the enablers. A old saying that’s becoming new again.
“The King Can Do No Wrong”
Gods lived in animistic form for a long time; then they were promoted to stay up above skies but had the right to command human leaders. Kings managed gigantic ordeals with the help of Sky god. Although it was with the help of truthful peasants & soldiers in reality or it was single-handedly done as per the history created later on, the divine intervention had been irreplaceable in human history. The chief authority was assigned to the King by Gods until the ideas of enlightenment creeped in.
Millenniums after evolution, man decided to confront the ugly truth — there is no help coming from the skies. Humans started taking their lives back in the hands. The primates with slightly enlarged brain began questioning Gods.
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us?”
-Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche, in the end of 19th century, announced to the world that humans had killed the God. It was indeed true as the diseases were controlled with the advance of medicines not with the holy breath of a priest, the droughts were avoided with the help of Engineering not with the dance to please rain-gods. Humans took care of everything and exponentially achieved the unachievable.
As we multiplied and filled the planet with our presence, even the scientific advancement which can supposedly make humans God couldn’t help us to completely drop the idea of looking upon greater power. Modern humans needed the higher powers more than the ancients ever would have wanted. The pace of lifestyle has become abruptly fast and being relevant in society has become the biggest challenge. Despite living in a digitally shrunken world, the velocity & variety of information one can access just drive people crazy. Welcome to the Age of information or Disinformation!!
Nietzsche asked,
“Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?”
Precisely, This is what’s happening in the current times. Gods have stopped living up above the skies. Gods are among the masses but on the powerful thrones of modern world. People don’t elect a representative who serves them anymore. People choose the supreme savior of the nation, the all-knowing mighty apocalypse fighter — democratically!?.
Faiths which were considered sacrosanct never sustained the change of age. Democracy too tended to be sacrosanct across the world, people took it for granted. The early events of 21st century proved again that people want Gods who can lift the burden off their shoulders. The burden apparently is the responsibility to reason. The digital overflow of unchecked information sways the minds to the easiest side — where most of the God(New version) believing groups thrive.
The need to revive the reasoning among masses has never been this important in history. If Nietzsche were alive, he would say,
“The false gods have risen again, oh! poor commoners, sharpen the swords of your minds I say”
Nevertheless in all goodness and horrors, may the Gods be merciful.
