“Nothing forces us to know what we do not want to know except pain”
– Aeschylus
There are specific thresholds governed by confrontation that divide the personas of homo hubris. These thresholds all ask but one question:
How much pain is your ego worth?
Threshold one – intimations or threats of violence
At this threshold the individual will abandon their abusive persona when it is indicated that their behaviour carries a moderate to high probability of violence.
Threshold Two – physical aggression
At this threshold the individual will abandon their hubris when it is made evident that their behaviour has resulted in non-violent physical contact toward their person.
Threshold Three – initial attack
At this threshold the individual will abandon their hubris once they have received a minor attack as consequence of their behaviour.
Threshold Four – subsequent attack
At this threshold the individual will abandon their hubris after recieving multiple physical attacks.
Threshold Five – concluded attack
At this treshold the individual will abandon their hubris once they are incapable of returning to their feet after enduring numerous attacks.
Threshold Six – glimpse of death
At this threshold the individual will abandon their hubris once a physical act has been committed which demonstrates a moderate to high
probability of imminent death for the individual.
Threshold Seven – torture
At this threshold the individual will abandon their hubris once continuous psychological and/or physical harm has been carried out against them.
Threshold Eight – threat to humanity
At this threshold the individual will abandon their hubris when a threat of violence is levied against the general populace.
Threshold Nine – threat to heart
At this threshold the individual will abandon their hubris upon a threat of violence or captivity being made toward someone(s) the individual cares greatly about.
Threshold Ten – guilted heart
At this threshold the individual will abandon their hubris upon self-reflecting on their decision not to submit to Threshold Nine. This is the most tragic of Thresholds, as the individual’s hubris is partly responsible for the untimely fate of someone(s) that could likely be of civilized and empathetic character, ergo not deserving of such a fate.
Threshold Eleven?
If an individual still retains their hubris after Threshold Nine the only remedy is a socially reformative culling. Thus there is no Threshold for them except death itself.
The Thresholds of Hubris remind us that homo hubris can be transmuted from megalomaniacs and sycophants into empathetic and civilized beings with some pressure. Sometimes a stern word is enough. Other times something more ‘encouraging’ is required. Either way, society will benefit from people learning the Thresholds of Hubris and introducing a little humility to their respective communities.
Afterword:
It could be argued that ‘some thing’, such as an institution or ideal should be included in Threshold Nine and Ten, but when an individual sacrifices for an institution or ideal, they are sacrificing themselves for the people whom created the institution or ideal and/or the people that will carry it. People precede and proceed ideals. Ideals cannot exist independently of people, therefore an individual can never sacrifice solely for an ideal.
Do soldiers that are not motivated by bloodshed and money, or conscripted [when actually fighting for the future of their country instead of fighting proxy wars] enter war for the country itself, as a reference point of value, or do they enter war for the people of the country, those that built it and will carry it forward, including those they value personally? It goes without saying that this example cannot rightfully — at this time — include NATO countries because of the geopolitical trend of proxy wars, e.g. invasion of Afghanistan, Russo-Ukranian war. Therefore, the term “soldier” is to refer to ‘freedom fighters’ and militaries of non-NATO countries currently involved in a war that does not benefit the central banking system and the military-industrial complex.
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