Plato ventures the philosophy that men are a tripartite structure containing reason, emotion, and soul. These various attributes vie for power over the individual. The soul is meant to control the volatility of emotion and the coldness of reason.
Our society is seeing the consequences of unrestrained emotion. When dealing with people, on the surface, they appear rational. Even kind. However, this has proven to be a thin layer. Not much is required to light their emotional powder keg. We’re seeing this most prominently in criminological statistics. People are committing more crimes per capita.
While we are tempted to focus on the macro side-effects of this moral collapse, I think it’s more damaging at a personal and social level. It has become increasingly impossible to develop any meaningful connection with people who have not worked to develop the strength of their soul. As a result, more often than not, you’re interacting with quasi-humans, savages driven by impulse.
Why this is so damaging to good people is because we’re struck by their ferocity and our own confusion. How can someone metamorphose from a decent, rational individual and then gossip or steal, or even murder? It’s the reason mothers speak to the press after their child has committed a crime and vow that they are a “good kid.”
To an extent, the mother is right. From a certain perspective, these are good people, even if they commit crimes. However, they’re only good when they exist within rationality. The problem is that the distance between rationality and emotionality has narrowed. He has a short fuse is not just a useful platitude—it has become a reality for most people.
In all of this mess, what is lost in society is soul, that inner voice of consciousness that restrains harmful behavior. When people give their lives to addiction, gossip, infidelity, or crime, they are killing their rational selves. After a certain point, their soul ceases to exist.
It has reached the point where men and women are behaving so animalistically that we must question their humanity. More specifically, can we even consider a non-rational, non-soulful being as human, let alone sentient?
As uncomfortable as this question is, I think it’s necessary to protect ourselves and the other good people in our lives. Our purpose as soul-driven individuals is to develop restraint over our darker impulses. Most do not put in that effort. The opposite is true—they actively destroy what humanity remains, not only in themselves but also in others around them.
As we continue to navigate the ever-complex moral landscape in society, we must acknowledge that savage behaviors have been encouraged and emboldened through media and parasitic relationships. To then become more human and thus in power over your rationality and emotion makes you a threat to lesser beings. It also makes you a target. Such a mindset shift is required to survive in these spiritually archaic times.
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