Imposition of order = Escalation of Disorder

There is a Discordian maxim known as the Law of Eristic Escalation. It states:

Imposition of order = Escalation of Disorder.

And it’s really all you need to know to understand how we’ve come to this point. We sought to impose our industrial technological Order on the world…and now the Arctic is on fire.

We sought to impose a US-centric New World Order on the planet, backing a dictator here, overthrowing a dictator there, depending on what was best for our capitalist class…and now have a global refugee crisis which has sparked violent nationalist and racist backlash.

We sought to impose Order on the bodies of our citizens with a century-long War On Drugs…and got an opioid crisis and an incarceration crisis.

“What should we do? We have to do SOMETHING!!!” we yell, in our pain and confusion.

And I imagine Eris and Lao Tzu and Bodhidharma reaching down and patting our collective head. “Poor child”, they murmur, “‘doing SOMETHING’ is exactly what brought you to this pass. But you do you. You’re going to anyway, no matter what we say,” and wiping away a tear of pity for us foolish mortals.

Beware grand plans to “improve the world” or “make it all better”. Help the person next to you. Occasionally sit your ass down and be quiet for a minute.

That’s all I’ve got this morning, as news of Dayton piles on top of news of El Paso piles on top of news of Greenland melting and the Amazon being razed to the ground piles of top of news of rising suicide rates…