There are days when I feel like a vigilante on the verge of stepping into the shadows, seeking justice with a vengeance that would make Batman look like a kindly monk. If only, like in the comics, true evil could be wiped out with a single shot, the kind that would vanquish the hydra-headed monsters of injustice, corruption, and sheer moral bankruptcy. But alas, the beast regenerates, growing stronger each time. I wish it were that simple. Instead, today feels like one of those days where I’d rather disappear—20,000 leagues under the sea, far from the relentless churn of societal absurdities.

 

The Inescapable Web of Systems

Let's be real—society has become an intricate, inescapable web of political, social, and psychological mechanisms that keep us trapped. A system where real heroes—those who stand up to injustice—are seen as nuisances at best, and collateral damage at worst. The machinery of our world, with its endless gears grinding humanity down to dust, is far more ruthless than anything the Joker could cook up. The most amusing part? It’s a machine we’ve built ourselves.

 

Our political structures are a joke, a tragic one at that. We have rulers who dress their incompetence in elaborate rhetoric, promising a brighter future while holding hands with corporate overlords who prioritize profits over people. Socially, we’ve become numb to the parade of atrocities that scroll through our newsfeeds. We sip our lattes while reading about another war, another mass shooting, another act of corruption. It’s not our problem, right? And so, we continue to thrive in this system built on injustice, occasionally clicking a “like” on a protest post to feel involved, but doing nothing of substance.

 

 Apathy: The Modern Disease

In the age of social media, apathy has become our most contagious disease. It’s easy to forget that behind every news headline lies real pain, real suffering, and real victims. But why should we care when we have a constant stream of distraction to numb us? Twitter, Instagram, TikTok—these platforms have become the new opium of the masses. We’ve replaced religion with viral memes and TikTok challenges, and in doing so, we’ve managed to stay anesthetized to the atrocities unfolding around us.

Ironically, we’ve never been more connected yet more disconnected. The real issues—poverty, systemic racism, political corruption—are too overwhelming, too monumental to address with a single click or hashtag. So we scroll past them, favoring cat videos and influencer drama instead. And in that moment of distraction, we lose our humanity.

 

 Heroes, Monsters, and the Hydra of Injustice

Having worked closely with both survivors and perpetrators of atrocities, I’ve seen firsthand that the lines between hero and villain aren’t as clear-cut as we’d like to believe. Society loves to fantasize about heroes like Batman swooping in to vanquish evil, but real-life evil is far more insidious. It’s not some singular villain lurking in the shadows; it’s a hydra with infinite heads. Every time you cut one off—be it systemic racism, corruption, or inequality—two more grow in its place.

 

And herein lies the helplessness. We’ve built machines to help us accomplish so much—technology has enabled us to map genomes, reach other planets, and connect across the globe. But for all our achievements, these same machines have also made it easier to perpetuate atrocities. Governments spy on their citizens, corporations exploit workers, and we—sitting comfortably behind our screens—watch it all unfold, powerless to stop it.

 

The Cost of "Progress"

The cost of our so-called "progress" is staggering. How many people have been sacrificed as collateral damage in the name of economic growth, technological advancement, or political stability? Too many to count. We’ve become so desensitized to human suffering that we barely bat an eye at headlines detailing yet another war, another climate disaster, another act of police brutality. The numbers of the sacrificial lambs outweigh the thriving population, and their silent cries echo through the machinery we’ve built to sustain our modern world.

 

It’s almost laughable how we continue to exist despite our staggering stupidity. We tell ourselves that we’re advancing, evolving, moving toward a brighter future. But take a step back, and you’ll see that we’re just cogs in a larger machine, grinding away at our humanity. And mercy—oh, mercy—has become more elusive than immortality. Those who need it most are the least likely to receive it, while those who least deserve it hoard it like some perverse treasure.

 

Declining Birth Rates: The Unsurprising Consequence

In a world so broken, it’s no wonder birth rates are declining. Who in their right mind would want to bring a child into this? What kind of future are we offering? One filled with environmental disasters, political instability, and social systems that prize profit over people? The world we’ve created is one of perpetual sacrifice, where the vulnerable are chewed up and spit out by the very systems designed to "protect" them.

 

And yet, governments, particularly those helmed by the out-of-touch elites, still ask women to bear more children, to continue the cycle of sacrifice. The logic is as ridiculous as asking someone to dive into a burning building to retrieve a single coin. Perhaps it’s a blessing in disguise that fewer people are being born into this farce.

 

The Irony of Mercy

Mercy, like justice, seems to have been misplaced somewhere along the way. Those in power who should be holding the reins of justice are often the ones fueling the fires of oppression. Meanwhile, the people who most need compassion, understanding, and second chances are cast aside as collateral damage. It’s as if the world’s supply of mercy is rationed out unfairly—those who don’t need it swim in an ocean of privilege, while those who deserve it are left to drown in despair.

 

This is the new divide between the "Haves" and the "Have-Nots." It’s not just about wealth anymore. It’s about access to basic human decency. The powerful hoard mercy, compassion, and empathy as if they were commodities, while the rest of us are left to fight over the scraps.

 

Social Media: The New Opium for the Masses

And what better way to numb the masses than with social media? Forget opium dens or religious institutions—now we have Instagram and Twitter to distract us from the crushing weight of our collective apathy. We scroll mindlessly through our feeds, consuming content like junk food, never realizing how it’s dulling our senses. We’re fed just enough outrage to keep us mildly engaged, but not enough to spark real change.

 

It’s a brilliant system, really. Keep the masses distracted with influencer drama, viral memes, and the occasional social justice post, and they’ll never notice that the real injustices are happening right under their noses.

 

The Absurdity of Our Survival

Perhaps the most absurd part of all this is that we’re still here. Despite our best efforts to destroy ourselves—through war, environmental degradation, and sheer incompetence—we persist. But it’s not a victory. It’s a testament to our stubborn refusal to acknowledge the reality of our situation.

 

We exist, but at what cost? We’ve sacrificed our humanity for the sake of progress, and we’ve built machines to perpetuate this endless cycle of injustice and apathy. The saddest part is that we’ve become so accustomed to it, we barely notice anymore.

 

Conclusion: The Daydream of Escape

And so, on days like today, it’s tempting to fantasize about disappearing 20,000 leagues under the sea, away from the madness. But deep down, I know that no amount of distance can truly free us from the inescapable web we’ve spun. The world may be broken, but we’re stuck here, forced to endure the tragic comedy of our own making. 

Until, perhaps, the real heroes—whoever they are—decide that enough is enough.