/lit/ - Literature

>>13240347
Yes. I question this as well, though I word it differently. If I honestly were forced to guess, the vast majority of people fall into the latter scenario. I think very few people ever touch into their true nature, and the perception of being a barbarian deep down is also part of the charade of pretending to be a barbarian. I think most people, if stripped bare, would more likely be dispassionate and lethargic than barbaric. People can be depraved, sure, but we see this because a lack of societal structure leads to fear and pain. I don't think that this is inherent, moreso that it is a repsonse to another environment. If we were to strip people down, sort of to their figurative core, without their insecurities, doubts, fears, and everything holding them back from seeing themselves, I believe most people would probably never have chosen to be born. I don't say this because I believe the world is evil. I say this because the world to most is a dull gray, whether they realize it or not. Being born in this reality is like being given a mint chocolate flavor ice cream (a mediocre flavor) and never being told that so many more wonderful flavors, and more wondeful human experiences could exist. People are utterly petty and lacking in purpose. Being born is never a decision. The world is less real than it could be. In the way I interpret your post, I think there's a link here in the question of "does art imitate life, or does life imitate art." I think the reality for this is that both are true in different ways, but the latter is the more profound and useful to understand. When you said a gentlemen pretending to be a barbarian, I thought of this.