Philosophy of the gods, part 1

Kaeli vs elder god Orcus, by Awet Moges

In this blog I will be drawing a distinction between two philosophies – one espoused by Kaeli and her guru, Cartaphilus, and the other, by the Elder gods. (Click here for Part 2) Hopefully this will explain how Kaeli’s worldview compares and contrasts with those of the elder gods.

The insurgents
Kaeli’s innermost beliefs are buttressed and articulated by the radical ideas of the anarchist, Cartaphilus. The elder gods, on the other hand, serve as the antithesis to her defiant stand, as the wizened cynics who disdain the fervor of youth. Kaeli’s idols were established in a youthful frenzy during her awakening and early experiences with Cartaphilus and his team of renegades. Kaeli has a formative self that was insufficiently experienced to develop a skeptical shell & reject the siren voices of the illusion generated by being alive. She received Cartaphilus’ teachings with enthusiasm and used his philosophy to legitimize her innate need to challenge and undermine authority. She easily rejected the standards of conventional thinking – i.e., proper morals and acceptable speech – in order to express her relish for destruction. She found Cartaphilus’ philosophy attractive, not only because he had a tremendous rationale for rebelling against tradition and authority, but also because he deciphered the secret of godly power.

Rather than a superficial, yet cynical obedience that’s merely a mask of secret & ulterior motives, Kaeli adopted Cartaphilus’ philosophy as a starting point, an organizing system in the frenzied dynamics of her thought and actions. Kaeli’s worldview reflects her temperament & strong inclination towards tragic heroism that values courage & power, rather than the refined sophistry of the intellect. Moreover, Kaeli is deeply fascinated with the mystery of life, for the most important thing about existence is its consonance with the bubbling of the power of life, with its irrational & exceedingly individual life.

For Kaeli, the totality of existence is a chaosmos – which consists of nothing but dark transformations, contradictory episodes, a perpetual competition between creation & destruction. Reality at bottom isn’t harmonious, controllable, but instead it is beholden to the implacable vicissitudes of evolution & unlimited changes – a cruel process that continues fatally, without purpose or reason. Kaeli’s perspective of the anarchic clamor of life, its delirious & barbarous rhythms, mirrors Cartaphilus’ philosophy that’s about the abyss of existence. The constant exchange of forces as the foundation of existence forges a vision animated by tragic heroism, which is incompatible with either optimistic views of the fate of the universe or the apocalyptic fantasies of the pessimists. By rejecting passivity, monotony or resignation, Kaeli tries to emphasize a bold confrontation between the trials of life and the overrated beliefs about their consequences. She seeks a possible fusion between optimism & pessimism, a synthesis that ought to surpass them both.

Kaeli is convinced that the solution is found in the aggrandizement of living, the deciphering of life’s paradoxical self-consumption, the acceptance of the horrors and the dynamic detonations of life. This vital de trop, a gateway into the vortex of existence is the only way to lead an authentic life. Accepting meaninglessness is not an excuse to wallow in despair, but the secret for the strong to decide to face fate (the accumulation of events preordained by destiny), without remorse or restraint. Although Kaeli feels trapped inside the monstrous spectacle of the universe, like an advertised ingénue in an irrational cosmic drama, she loves life.

Kaeli tries to encourage others to love life, become devotee of life. Given this view, the only sin or error is the diminution of life, the obstruction of its primal & fundamental force by perilous tools that doubts the meaning of life, & disputes its absolute value as a goal in itself. The sole formula to decipher the secret of life is a strict devotion towards the animation of appearances, a dedicated effort at consuming their charms, relishing their tangibility and limitless diversity & disavow anything that contradicts with the natural tendencies of the individual to fully realize his/her potential.

The effort to discover a deeper level of reality or truth that is accessible only to certain senses, abilities, or powers with a method where such abilities have access, the power to see through veil of Maya, are only symptoms of mistrust of the transformative power of life. That is why Kaeli thinks all attempts at deciphering Maya are in vain and they lead to an acidic attitude, a somewhat diluted nihilism, i.e., a confused discontent with life.

Far better to don a mask & be absorbed with life!

Her vision of the universe as anarchic agglomeration of forces is derived from Cartaphilus. Power is the predatory instinct that governs gods. Their method of gaining dominion over other beings has nothing to do with moral virtue or anything else other than pure will to power.

Cartaphilus intends to liberate enough sentient beings to veil the abyss of existence, to conceal the meaninglessness that mysteriously pervades over the barbaric assimilation of life. One must have illusions, or more importantly, the ability to develop a screen of beliefs strong enough to enable comfortable survival without exposing themselves a glimpse of the background drama, the frenzied spectacle of being born, & the headlong rush towards destruction.

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Awet

...a philosophisticator who utters heresies, thinks theothanatologically and draws like Kirby on steroids.

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