Coffee & Cigarettes ☕️

Coffee & Cigarettes.

    All a man really needs. Maybe a glass of whiskey too. Mix it all together, throw in a little sun, and the world is yours to conquer. Life’s recipe for unlimited success.

    Alrighty, perhaps not the cigarette. Perhaps we can skip that one for the time being. However, it is truly remarkable how far we as a species have gone off of those three substances. Caffeine, Nicotine and Alcohol have been responsible for probably 70% of the world’s advancements. How did I get 70%, you ask? Simple- I made it up. I thought it sounded like a viable number. Who knows what the real answer is? However, I am willing to wager I’m pretty close with that guess. 

    Have you ever seen the meme where they compare stoner societies to alcoholic societies? It always makes me laugh, for some reason. Stoner societies tend to be laid back, relaxed, and a bit of a gongshow. Alcoholics, on the other hand … different story. They tend to be run like a tight ship, everything build and structured in a specific order. At the end of the day, my guess would be that alcohol is a stimulant. Much like coffee, much like nicotine. Stimulating the human mind, to the point where they are in need to move around and burn off some steam before their hearts explode. Amazing what can be accomplished when your heart is “in it”, eh? 

    It’s fascinating to compare two societies from different parts of the world. Each has access to unique raw materials, which more or less determine their projection as a whole. For example, when we look and compare societies from the Middle East, such as Babylon, Assyria, Egypt etc. vs. societies from the West, such as the Mayans, we find drastic differences. Hell, even when we compare Far East societies like the Chinese or Mongolians, we find huge differences in both culture and structures all around. The same humans, the same capabilities, all given different natural resources. And guess what- they all come out with different results. 

    When we zoom out and look at the bigger picture, it becomes clear that we as humans are very much effected by our surroundings. We are effected by nature itself. The forces and resources which we find ourselves surrounded by, directing influence our minds. One example I can think of, which always fascinated me, was Japan. Japan was known to be a great culture and society, with ferocious warriors. The Japanese were known, throughout history, to be absolute savages. They were some of the most feared individuals in the entire world, especially before WWII. I can’t help but think that this effect, this ability to become absolute mercenaries, stems from the fact that their entire nation was trapped on an island. They were born and raised, surrounded by the Sea in all four cardinal points. I can’t fully explain my theory, and I openly admit I do not have all the facts. However, I am convinced to my bones, that being forced to live on an island, with foreign enemy nations surrounding you on most sides, changes a population. It changes them, to become absolute warriors with no mercy in their veins.

    The same can be seen with the Mongolians. The Mongolians were absolutely ruthless, ravaging everything in their path. I don’t recall the specific dates and scenarios, however I do know that Genghis Khan pretty much conquered Eurasia. If you ever get the time, there are great videos on YouTube which break down his conquests. I believe he even had three sons who conquered with him as well. Overall, the sheer brute force and effectiveness of Khan and his empire basically sliced through the entire region like a hot knife in butter. What is so amazing, is that he could have even continued further in his expansion, were it not for some unknown cause. I believe that the ferocity in which the Mongolian Empire demonstrated stemmed from their difficult lives living in the cold. The natural temperatures and harsh lands were forces enough to create hardened men and societies alike. The conditions in which they were forced to live in, helped develop a society of conquerors. Again, natures conditions, driving the impact upon its men.

    One society which really stands out to me, and is a bit of a head-scratcher, is the Greeks. The mystical and legendary Greeks. So much of history has been dedicated and directed by their accomplishment and achievements from the ancient world. Most of our literature and languages have been determined simply by their culture, especially here in the West. While they were known to be ruthless and calculated, it still surprises me none the less. When we observe the conditions in which their society was born from, we find that they had everything needed to succeed. They were gifted the warmth of the sun, no harsh seasons, crops, water, fish, metals. Everything a society could ever need in order to succeed. Yet they pushed forward, regardless, in search of expansion. There was no dire need of survival, no drastic requirement for resources. It was simply an act of will. An act of men who wished for more.

    If I had to guess, I would say that this stemmed from Philosophy. From men, sitting around all day, pondering their own thoughts. If we as a society were given everything we ever needed, with great weather, great food and great women- would we not search for a higher meaning as well? I would argue that we are doing exactly that, here in the West, thousands of years later. We have everything handed to us, on silver platers. Food? No problem. Women? Swipe right. Gold? Everywhere. Entertainment? Fire it up. We have so much of everything, that we have began to sit and reflect upon ourselves. We’ve reached a mid-life crisis point almost, where we long for meaning. Where we simply feel like there must be more to life than what we currently have. Where what we have is simply not enough. I am convinced that the Greeks went through the same thought process, before they began their expansion across the known world. 

    Perhaps that is what is about to happen, here in the West. Perhaps, we are preparing for a great expansion. Perhaps we have finally hit the mid-life crisis point as a society itself. Which would make sense, when you look at what is going on around us. How everybody and everything is simply burning itself to the ground. Perhaps it is in mans nature, to seek conflict. To conquer the world- to conquer the galaxy- in search of something more. Maybe we’re just violent creatures.

Creatures, who are simply unable to live with themselves and their thoughts. 

        Glory Be,

                    Amen.