OBS Chapter 2372
Chapter 2372
Chapter 2372
If nuclear weapons cannot be used, as long as Apocalypse doesn't act like a human, many things are actually quite simple.
It's important to understand that this country has always been fraught with contradictions. They were once the center of the entire Middle East, the leaders of all Islamic countries! But they were also the first to reach a peace agreement with that noisy neighbor, which caused them to fall from their leadership position and even become insignificant figures that no one cared about.
This contrast creates a great deal of conflict among the people of this country; they are proud of having once been leaders of many nations, yet they also feel ashamed of that escape.
This contradiction, in turn, evolved into a very peculiar emotion... hatred!
In George Orwell's *1984*, the "two-minute hate video" watched daily by Oceania citizens reveals a profound emotional shift. They collectively watch a speech by Emile Goldstein, accused of treason, in which he attacks Oceania. Initially, the crowd appears amiable, but within seconds, their emotions explode, transforming them into an angry mob, insulting Goldstein's image and throwing objects. Even the protagonist, Winston Smith, is not spared, infected by this emotion. Orwell vividly describes: "A terrible fear and a vengeful ecstasy, an impulse to kill, to torture, even to smash faces with sledgehammers, swept through the auditorium like an electric current, turning the people into cold, frenzied screamers."
While this scenario may contain fictional elements, the horror and impact of the hatred it depicts are undeniably real. Hatred, a word derived from the Old English "hete," is generally defined as intense, extreme hostility and aversion towards a person or thing. This emotion often stems from fear, anger, or a sense of hurt, encompassing everything from everyday squabbles, such as "disliking cauliflower or a child doing spelling homework," to more complex political, religious, or ethnic conflicts. Although hatred may be associated with other emotions like fear or anger, it is a unique and complex emotional experience. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle deeply contemplated this complex emotion of "hostility," naming it "misos." He believed that hatred originates from a negative evaluation of someone's nature, an aversion so strong that it generates an impulse to harm the other person. Aristotle further pointed out that people may harbor hatred because they dislike a person or a group of people labeled with the same traits.
To deeply understand the nature of hatred, we can explore it from multiple dimensions, including historical and sociological perspectives. However, the primary task is to reveal how hatred arises in the brain and to explore its roots. If you are a fan of heavy metal music, you may have been moved by the Iron Maidens' classic "There's a Thin Line Between Love and Hate." In fact, the profound meaning conveyed by these lyrics has found confirmation in the field of neuroscience. In 2008, scientists at University College London conducted a remarkable study. They recruited 17 participants who harbored intense hatred for another person, usually due to emotional or work-related conflicts. While the participants viewed photos of the people they disliked, the scientists used MRI scanners to observe their brain activity in detail. The results showed that the putamen and insula were particularly active. Notably, these two areas also showed excitement when the participants viewed photos of their loved ones. As part of the motor system, the activity of the putamen significantly increased under both hatred and love. Scientists speculate that this area may be responsible for protecting loved ones from any potential aggression or malice from those they hate. However, researchers have also revealed a key difference between love and hate. When viewing photos of loved ones, areas of the frontal cortex associated with logical judgment and critical thinking typically become relatively inactive. However, when subjects are in front of people they dislike, this area remains highly active.
Even after humanity entered agricultural civilization and built complex social structures, this deep-seated malice remained ever-present, permeating the entire history of human civilization. From Genesis to the Indian Vedas, and to the philosophers of ancient Greece, hatred has always been an indispensable part of human thought. Diogenes Laertius, in the 4th century BC, even defined it as "a growing or persistent desire for someone to suffer misfortune," classifying it as one of the irrational emotions that plague humanity. In ancient times, people often put their hatred into practice. For example, Hannibal, the Carthaginian general of the 2nd century BC, swore an eternal hatred because the Romans had seized key territory of his homeland. This hatred, like a sharp blade, constantly pierced his heart, and also inspired him to repeatedly defeat the Roman army with fewer troops. However, the Roman response was equally cruel and ruthless. In 146 BC, they decided to wipe the "hateful" Carthaginians off the face of the earth; the Roman army completely destroyed the city of Carthage, searching house to house and killing all the inhabitants. From Buddhism and the Christian New Testament in the 5th century BC to the Islamic Quran, numerous sacred texts around the world explicitly condemn hatred, admonishing believers not to hate others and to refrain from taking unjust actions. However, at certain moments in history, hatred has spread like wildfire. For example, in 1453, the Venetian physician Nicola Barbaro witnessed the sack of Constantinople, the Christian capital of Byzantium, by the Turks. He described the Turks as exhibiting similar acts of hatred as the Romans had during the Carthage massacre, with no one, regardless of age or gender, escaping the slaughter of their scimitars. Even in times of peace, medieval and Renaissance societies were rife with hatred. This extreme sentiment even had a legal term—inimicitia (Latin for "hostility"). In Italy, this deep-seated resentment evolved into the custom of "vendettas," in which a person's relatives and descendants were obligated to seek revenge, no matter how long the path to vengeance.
Hatred is actually a very interesting thing.
Before the Apocalypse arrived in this country, although it was filled with resentment, ultimately, this hatred was not directed at any single individual or any specific group.
Social conflicts are always complex.
However, people's hearts can be manipulated.
Sometimes, when you need to unite the majority of people, it's actually quite simple. You don't need any common interests... that's too big a concept for most people to handle.
Everyone in the world knows that once the cake gets bigger, everyone will have something to eat. But the question is, how many people can actually make the cake bigger?
The world today seems to be in constant flux.
But in reality... a nation's success depends even more on its innate qualities than a person's!
From the moment a country is born, it is destined whether it can become a great power!
If someone wants to succeed, having less talent isn't actually fatal. After all, success isn't solely determined by talent, timing, environment, or personal destiny.
However, whether a country can truly become a powerful nation depends heavily on its own conditions.
Some might argue that the UK is an example.
It is said that Britain seized the opportunity presented by the Industrial Revolution! This is certainly a symbol of hard work.
In reality, this statement is certainly not wrong, but it is definitely not comprehensive.
This ignores the advantages of Daiying itself.
During the Age of Exploration, Europe was the world stage. Thanks to the dawn of this maritime era, Europe had become far more powerful than its agrarian civilization. Britain, situated on the Atlantic, benefited greatly from the Age of Exploration. However, unlike other Atlantic coastal nations, Britain was an island nation, isolated from the European continent. The English Channel provided Britain with a natural barrier, making it difficult for other continental European countries to threaten it. In that era, Europe was a region of constant conflict, with numerous states frequently at war with each other. Spain and Portugal, while initially reaping the benefits of the Age of Exploration and plundering vast wealth overseas, were also constantly embroiled in disputes with other European nations due to their location in Europe. This resulted in the depletion of their national strength through repeated wars, ultimately leading to their decline. Britain, on the other hand, being an island nation, was less likely to be challenged by other countries.
Some people say that's not right, didn't England and France fight the Hundred Years' War?
Yes, England and France did fight the Hundred Years' War. But damn it, the entire Hundred Years' War was fought in France!
The battlefields were all in France!
This allowed Britain to quietly amass wealth and silently accumulate power. After the decline of Portugal and Spain, Britain rose to prominence on the world stage. Continuously developing overseas colonies and plundering foreign wealth, Britain planted its flag on every continent. Britain had risen. The empire on which the sun never sets had emerged!
This is not to say that national efforts are unimportant; on the contrary, they are very important!
After all, besides geographical advantages, there is another important reason.
For Spain and Portugal, the wealth plundered from overseas was mostly used to satisfy the extravagant lifestyles of the royal families. Only a small portion was used to develop national strength. In contrast, the British monarchy did not have the power to squander all the plundered wealth. A significant portion was invested in production. This led to the Industrial Revolution first taking place in Britain, laying the foundation for the British Empire on which the sun never sets!
But hard work doesn't mean everything!
This world is very realistic.
What endowments does the nation of Tianqi possess?
Nothing.
Without resources, the land is all sand.
The geographical location seems excellent, but the problem is that this place is simply incredible. It's a vital land transportation hub connecting three continents, and commercially, it holds the status of a Mediterranean commercial center. Any major empire that wants to firmly control its territory spanning three continents must control this place!
Controlling it would cut off land routes in and out of Africa, control commerce in the eastern Mediterranean, and allow for expansion into deeper parts of Africa, thanks to the Nile's convenient transportation. Therefore, its importance to other great empires was undeniable, hence their willingness to pay any price to occupy it.
Really miserable!
In this situation, even Apocalypse didn't know how to make the pie bigger.
Furthermore, Tianqi is not the kind of ruler who would work for the benefit of his subjects. He is the kind of being who can reduce the entire nation to slavery. Are you suggesting he slowly develop, using sophisticated political tactics to set policies, govern the country, and then gain the support of the majority?
What a beautiful thought!
Although this guy has lived for a very long time, he has never been a patient person, not to mention he is a mutant supremacist!
Therefore, he chose the most economical and practical method.
Create an enemy!
Internal unity based on an enemy is essentially a diversion and dispersion of attention. When an external enemy suddenly appears, a large, unforgettable symbol forces everyone within the family to focus their attention, leaving no time for internal details. Therefore, even without a direct enemy, one should privately adopt an imaginary one to defuse internal friction. If there is no external enemy for a prolonged period, enemies will emerge from within, creating dissenting forces. The key to family harmony also lies in having a common external goal or enemy. Treating outsiders better than family undermines the foundation of the family. Simply allocating excessive time to external matters is enough to neglect family. The scenario of preferring to cook meat at a neighbor's or friend's house rather than sharing it with family is a major culprit in family breakdown. When internal conflicts become too prominent, leading to an awkward cold war atmosphere, the best solution is to find a common external enemy so that everyone in the family can unite against it. Even simple complaints about outsiders can be a powerful tool for laughter and forgetting past conflicts. At this point, internal conflicts had been forgotten, and everyone was striving for an abstract ideal, forgetting their own self-interest and even learning to care for their families. Once the external conflicts were resolved and the enemy left, the internal selfishness resurfaced, and the situation became awkward once again.
The same applies to the workplace.
Why are workplace relationships so complex? This is a question that perplexes many. In the workplace, people not only face work pressure and challenges, but also navigate the interplay of interests and power struggles. Sometimes, relationships between colleagues aren't based on genuine friendship, but on weighed interests. Sometimes, relationships between leaders aren't based on respectful cooperation, but on covert competition. In such an environment, people often feel isolated and helpless, and may even develop hostility and suspicion. So, how can we unite people and form a harmonious collective? Some believe that what's needed is a wise leader who can fairly allocate resources, rationally arrange work, effectively mobilize enthusiasm, and correctly handle conflicts. Such a leader can inspire trust and obedience, make people feel secure and satisfied, and foster mutual support and cooperation. While this view has some merit, it also has limitations. Wise leaders are not readily available, and even with a wise leader, various problems and difficulties may not be eliminated. More importantly, a wise leader cannot replace people's initiative and sense of responsibility, nor can it replace mutual trust and assistance among individuals. Therefore, what is needed to unite people is not wise leadership, but a common enemy. What is a common enemy? A common enemy is an external factor that threatens people's interests and safety, such as competitors, malicious attacks, unfair treatment, unhealthy practices, or even sudden inspections from superiors. These enemies can make people aware of their situation and difficulties, can help them put aside their grudges and differences, and can unite them to jointly address and resist them.
It's like this: if you work at a company, and you talk badly about the boss or leader with your colleagues, you can definitely get closer to them quickly!
I'm so frustrated... the lockdown is still not lifted!!! What's going on?!