The Will of Fire

We are the children of light, the embodiment of life everlasting on the plateau that is our home: our humble planet, Earth. Our mortal deeds have and will continue to echo throughout eternity, testaments of what we are capable of, what we can accomplish, what we can essentially become.

From the heights of Mount Olympus, fire was taken from the Gods and given to humankind, its warmth and might representing its elemental will, a tool which granted us the strength to survive and endure, to struggle and subdue death through both winter and foe alike. Fire granted us a clearer chance over life and it accelerated the development of our species. Through the might of one of nature's most fickle elements, we witnessed our kind crawl from the caves, shape and mold bronze, iron, and steel, and consequentially conquered the four corners of the world.

The will of fire entangled with our spirits has allowed us time and again to challenge our destiny and shape our fate. We have built towers of metal which scrape the skies, we have walked amongst the stars and played golf on the barren landscapes of the Moon, we have smashed elementary particles with such force that the very creation of the Universe can be glimpsed if only for a moment, we continue to make strides in curbing illness and soon, we will treat age as nothing more than a degenerative disease; we are all this, and so much more.

Through the flick of finger, Generals and Emperors, Presidents and Tyrants, Heroes and Villains, have laid bare the fruits of the Earth, liberating—or oppressing—a history’s worth of individuals. Where once we heard the clash of steel and sinew in the battlefield, we now tremble over the unadulterated power of the atom—the ultimate weapon of judgment, the destroyer of worlds. From a single spark we have challenged the very fabric of matter and existence, being able to convert a field of sand, into a crystalline bowl of glass. From a single flame we have looked at raw ingredients and said, I can do whatever I can imagine with this—I will shape the Universe itself to serve my needs.

With such a legacy ordained to us, with such power embedded within us, many sit around by the fire’s warmth, whining on the vicissitudes of life and the hardships of existence. Some however, have no need to be physically facing the fire to be reminded of its power, they carry it ablaze within their hearts, using it to batter through any obstacles that stand in their way, through any challenges that may emerge. Whomsoever may manage to entangle their spirits with the will of the power brought down from the heavens by Prometheus, are the ones who raise Atlantis to its heights, are the ones who bring human civilization to bear. Lo and behold: the law of man stands as a reflection of the law of nature and its God.

Those laws know many permutations, yet their fundamentals are simple: survival through power; might through wisdom; faith through will. Zeus bided his time to strike against the Titans, and so did the children of the Gods take their time to end the reign of Olympus. The cycle is ongoing, the paradigm always shifting, from father to son, through mother to daughter. It was a very particular set of humans who displaced the Gods from their realm, and they became those paragons of legend that inspired so many to strive for more. With each rung of the ladder, a new reality emerges, and the truth of the matter is that those who make this reality possible are the ones who fight, who struggle, who challenge the norms and break the pattern, who create new forms of wealth and enterprise, who consistently seek the path of knowledge to cross new frontiers, these are the individuals responsible for bringing humanity to where it is, with the vast majority suckling at the fruits of their labor, doing little to show gratitude, doing even less to escalate themselves to the levels of potential demonstrated by their “peers”.

Nowadays we see a popular movement rising which seems to have lost sight of what is truly important. The 99% movement clamoring around a banner of blind, in fact senseless hatred towards the top 1% richest individuals in this planet, seem to have found comfort in laying blame for all their woes on that top-most economic segment of society. Granted, there are elements to how the market works that should be revised and reformed, for a true representation of capitalism beguiles and abhors favoritism, cronyism, partisanship, and corruption. A true free market punishes mistakes and rewards cautious entrepreneurship; in a true market, there are no bail-outs. The frustration of the 99% is understandable, yet their methods, their message, their intentions, and their beliefs are completely misguided. Mathematically speaking it is impossible for everyone to be a part of the 1%, however, and this is the crux of the matter, to not strive to become the incarnation of the potential embedded within each individual, is, well, disgusting. To not strive to shift the paradigm through personal and collective achievements, be they of a financial, scientific, social, or artistic sort is deplorable. Rather than protesting and defiling public domains, the so called Occupiers should instead be Liberators, perhaps even Heroes. Their actions show the complete opposite of what is needed to enact any real change. No scientific mind has ever revolutionized his field by protesting his predecessors, but rather labored for hours on end to make his theories triumph over all others. No artist has ever contributed to our conception of beauty by sitting in a tent as the seasons go by: they picked up the guitar or brush or pen and got to crafting. No statesman defeated tyrants or uplifted nations through complaining, no general motivated his troops through grumbling, no tycoon amassed his wealth through whining, and no revolutionary ever accomplished a single deed without rallying and acting.

To be a 1% is not merely to have that much more than everyone else, but it is the rather sad depiction that only a few have the nerve, the fire, the will and want to do what needs be done in order to enact some modicum or change. While the 99% talk, the 1% do. While the 99% complain, the 1% transform. While the 99% demonize, the 1% prophetize. While the 99% occupy, the 1% elevate.

Whether you agree or not, I am willing to debate, just make your case clearly and back it up with evidence. Don't ever resort to mere one-liners and name-calling, that is just lazy. Make this forum what it should be, make your case and if I respond it is because I find the comment worthy of argument.

Welcome everyone to Atlantis.