Medical diseases are fortunately at least symptomatic in their onset. There are signs to spark that conflagration of suspicion and fear. A small consolation, I know.

As we progress, exponentially, with mankind-affecting-epochs occuring multiple times within a generation, we must eventually realize that our hubris and unnatural fervor within the state of nature is not without consequence. Ever even more subtle is her attack on us, for we have turned it into a war long before now. We have forsaken our symbiotic role within Nature, instead holding onto a deserved mantle of superiority, supposing that domination is our manifest destiny.

We do not realize that Nature, as the ecology of our planet, and the natural order of the universe we inhabit, is insurmountable. We throw stones around us without regard to the fact that we reside in a glass construct. You might expect Nature, or god, or whatever, to come along and bitch-slap us back into the primordial ooze from which we sprang, but it seems that our construct has better means to deal with its present disease - namely, mankind.

Why not strike back within the fashion that god is accustomed? Let that ever-present morbid sense of humor that enjoys irony above all else teach us a lesson. And so we are all diseased. Consider the following list:

What could this seemingly unrelated set of disorders have in common? They are all a product of man. They are all attached to the mantle of superiority that we have assumed. Of course, let us not forget that most insidious of diseases, so subtle in its pervasity and encompassing in its damage : cynicism, the crowning achievement of post-modernism. It's danger is so potent because it is often seen as an antidote to the sickness that plagues the modern world. But this hook has barbs, and once it sets in it is impossible to remove without leaving a mark.

I offer no cure except a preventative one : vigilance. This world may have innumerable problems to offer all of us, but cynicism cuts us off from experiencing that which is worthwhile in life. When everything has gone to shit, truth and faith offer hope only when not gagged by the greasy rag of cynicism. Skepticism can be healthy in a world that is saturated with illusion, but be careful of riding this train where the ultimate destination is Void, retaining a population that consists only of the pathetic mewling sob that used to be your innocence.


The Warmth

I'd like to close my eyes and go numb
but there's a cold wind coming from
the top of the highest high-rise today.
It's not a breeze cause' it blows hard.
Yes and it wants me to discard the humanity I know,
watch the warmth blow away.

So don't let the world bring you down.
Not everyone here is that fucked up and cold.
Remember why you came and while you're alive
experience the warmth before you grow old.

So do you think I should adhere to that pressing new frontier?
And leave in my wake a trail of fear
Or should I hold my head up high
and throw a wrench in spokes by
leaving the air behind me clear

So don't let the world bring you down.
Not everyone here is that fucked up and cold.
Remember why you came and while you're alive
experience the warmth before you grow.

So don't let the world bring you down.
Not everyone here is that fucked up and cold.
Remember why you came and while you're alive
experience the warmth before you grow old.

Before you grow old.
Where did it go? (x4)

Incubus - 1999