Are We Truly Alive Anymore?
The Artifice of War
Once, I believed in the principle of “live and let live.” It promised simplicity: that tolerance would protect freedom, that equality would ensure balance, that each person could choose their path without interference.
But experience stripped away this illusion. In practice, tolerance without vigilance becomes a beacon for exploitation. Those who live gently are seen as weak, and the malevolent forces of the world are always on the hunt for weakness. What was meant to be a shield of peace becomes an invitation to attack.
The Breakdown of Egalitarianism
Egalitarianism rests on the assumption of mutual respect—that if I allow you to live freely, you will do the same for me. Yet reality does not honor this bargain. There will always be those who position themselves as arbiters, who assume the right to dictate the ground beneath your feet.
In such a world, equality is not the rule but the exception. The egalitarian lens cannot survive where domination is the default.
The Disappearance of Freedom
This realization strikes at the heart of freedom. If one must remain constantly alert—scanning for hidden authorities, wary of exploitation—then freedom is no longer lived but rationed.
The carefree, formative rhythm of human life—the curiosity to explore, the tinkering that deepens understanding—is sacrificed. We are caged not only by systems but by each other, hemmed in by factions that grow increasingly intolerant. What once was freedom of motion and choice is now entangled in laws, codes, and unspoken hierarchies.
We are in a constant, low-grade war. The entropy of conflict spreads quietly, restraining liberty even before law fully forbids it.
The Ideal of “Live and Let Live”
And yet, the phrase itself carries a long and noble history:
Tolerance and Open-Mindedness – Accepting others despite difference.
Non-Interference – Focusing on one’s own path rather than controlling others.
Respect for Autonomy – Upholding the right to live according to one’s own values.
These ideals echo through cultures and centuries: in the Jain teachings of Mahavir Swami, in Stoic acceptance of the uncontrollable, in the Dutch proverb “leven ende laten leven” of 1622, and later in English writings of the 1880s. Even in Alcoholics Anonymous, the phrase serves as a reminder to withhold judgment, to let each person find their way.
The Contradiction of Our Age
But what shines as wisdom in theory becomes peril in practice. To “let live” without vigilance is, in our age, to invite conquest. Those who do not impose often find themselves imposed upon.
Thus, we face a contradiction: we revere tolerance while living in an environment that punishes it. We hold fast to freedom while simultaneously binding ourselves in cages built of fear, law, and mutual suspicion.
The Question Before Us
So we must ask: Are we truly alive anymore—or merely surviving within the artifice of war?
We mistake our cages for freedom. We mistake our silence for safety. We uphold “live and let live” as an ideal, even as it erodes beneath the weight of exploitation.
To live today is not simply to exist. It is to walk through a battlefield disguised as society, where every step requires vigilance, and every freedom is provisional.
And so the tragedy of our time emerges: what was once a path to harmony has become an illusion that blinds us to war’s quiet expansion.
In essence, we are alive—but only barely, suspended between the dream of freedom and the machinery of war. The question is whether we will awaken from the artifice, or perish believing the cage was ever home.
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