I have previously mentioned population growth as consequence of the development of agriculture.  This did not only result in the spread of agriculture over the world.  Population density also increased where agriculture was established.  As time went on this led to formal political leadership becoming necessary for society.  By then it was also possible to have specialised professions.  Before that every household had produced its own food.

When positions of power were established, nobody thought about keeping their holders responsible.  Since we never had unchecked power before rulers were not able to handle it.  This did not just result in one-sided exploitation.  Punishments were imposed arbitrarily and often harshly.  As a consequence, subordinates lived in fear of their superiors.  To decrease the risk of arbitrary punishment people were as ingratiating as they could.  Which in turn created ignorance of subordinates having other points of view.

In addition, the positions of power usually became hereditary too.  Ingratiation was then extended to your superior’s possible heirs.  Individuals grew up without the possibility of learning about other points of view.  Within a century the knowledge of the existence conflicting goals was lost.  Then individuals in positions of power assumed only their own point of view.  This way a severe misconception arose which I call hierarchism.  It is the belief that the best for a superior is always the best for his or her subordinates.

Indirectly, such circumstances have also created the myth of ill will.  Human can’t hold 100% quite or lie consequentially their whole lives.  This is simply a matter of human error.  Some would not at all want to even if it had been humanly possible.  A little now and then someone will protest against unfairness.  How would someone then react who has grown up with hierarchism?  For such a person, complaints would come straight out of the blue.  The person would never have learned the point of view behind the protest existed.  It would not occur to the person that it could be considered justified in anybody’s eyes.  So the idea of ill will developed to write off the complaints of others.

The situation did not get better just because state societies developed.  Societies without checks and balances could still exist.  In such societies a particularly crude form of the myth of ill will could arise.  It says exactly anyone can do other than you personally want just for the heck of it.  The belief in this is a requirement for being able to hate one’s own children.  At least this is my explanation for something seaming so weird.

Uploaded on the 19th of April 2023.