Yeah, but also people have very different ideas of what good life is, and what stops them from having it.

Most people seem to want others not to have a good life, ignoring or disregarding the effects that might have on themselves.

Many if not most would sacrifice their own wellbeing if that guarantees that "the right people" will also suffer. They see the world as a zero sum game, and can't conceive the possibility of having a good life if others aren't having a bad one.

Most people suck, often to the point of being monstrous by any decent definition.

I have been struggling with this lately. I am staunchly anti violence and anti war, and yet, I am conflicted on how far I truly would be willing to go to cull classism, fascism, racism, transphobia , homophobia, misogyny, and pedophilia from the world.

These things are abhorrent to me, and I wonder how much of my humanity I'd be willing to sacrifice in exchange for even one of these to no longer being in existence amongst the ranks of humanity.

How much good does pacifism give to the world in promoting the better angels of our nature? How much harm does it do when those same principles allow the worst among us to march down our roads and drag away our loved ones in the night?

Two scenes from media I consume have lately continually resurfaced in my mind. One is this scene from Vinland Saga, where the main character's father confronts him when he finds his sword. The father is about to go off to war, and somberly asks his son who he wants to kill with his father's sword. This culminates with the father, who again, is about to go off to war, emphatically declaring to his son that he has no enemies, that there is no such thing as enemies.

The other is this scene from Star Wars Andor, in which a high level spy of a burgeoning Rebellion is asked by a compatriot (who wishes to quit fighting the Empire due to possibly being found out), asks what he sacrifices for the fight against the Empire. The monologue he delivers is chilling, acknowledging he sacrifices all things that make him human, he becomes like his enemy in order to defeat them. When he reflects on the question, and asks, "So what do I sacrifice? Everything!"

That...is what I believe I will have to give up in order for there to be a sunrise for the people I love tomorrow. I'll have to give up my humanity, everything. And I am afraid. I am selfish. I don't want to. But I don't know any other way.

The feelings that scene stir up in me resonate because that is how I feel when I think on the fascist cancer that has once again metastasized in America. Having no enemies... if only. Truly. Having enemies robs me of my humanity, because in fighting them I must bury my humanity. And I know that once I do that, there's no going back. There will be no redemption.

The thing I am struggling with is... am I the one who makes them my enemies? Or are they? And if the only thing we can agree on is that we are enemies...then what choice do we have when they come for me and those I claim as my kin?

Actually, I'm special. The right told me my parents told me so.

Nah.

A life of experience tells me most people is awful, and will have zero regards on making your life miserable for whatever reason they see fit.

People is generally bad, they just are like that. My simple existence is hated and ilegal in most of the word. Most of people in this planet wish me death without even knowing me just because how I am.

Paradox of tolerance

No. Some people want to control other people because of their various sky daddies or a simple greed. And those are the ones fucking up your life. Everyone else could more or less get along, but fanatics, billionaires and other people hungry for control of others are actively make sure we don't.

You make this argument and it immediately falls apart because people revert to "Well they want to do this, this, and this, so they actually are an enemy"

You see it here in these very comments. If you are different from the "normal" you will eventually be hated, regardless of whoever is in power. It is human nature. It has not changed, it will not change.

People, families, tribes, nations have risen to power and subsequently lost power. It's cyclical and will continue until we are inevitably wiped out by ourselves or the universe.

Yes, it gets problematic as soon as extreme positions and mentalities enter the equation. All extrem positions are toxic, extreme left, extreme right, extreme religious (any religion), extreme fans of a sports club, extreme anything doesn't matter.

If we could find some kind of balance, some true middle ground without huge extremes, then the world would be a much nicer place.

I'm not sure that's true. One side has empathy. The other does not. I don't want to be friends with someone who doesn't have empathy.

Some are fascists. Some are not. That's a pretty big distinction.