When I was a child, I spent a lot of time reading The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and other similar books. Recently, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about a particular passage from the book The Magician’s Nephew in The Chronicles of Narnia series.
Two children from England (Polly and Digory), find themselves transported to a world called Charn that is on the brink of dying. Everything is worn down, the sun is red and about to go out, and no living people are found. Polly and Digory then walk through a palace and find a large stone hall filled with wax-looking figures covered in jewels, gold chains, and fine clothing. These are the rulers of that world from throughout its history, frozen in time:
The people sat in their stone chairs on each side of the room and the floor was left free down the middle. You could walk down and look at the faces in turn.
“They were nice people, I think,” said Digory.
Polly nodded. All the faces they could see were certainly nice. Both the men and women looked kind and wise, and they seemed to come of a handsome race. But after the children had gone a few steps down the room they came to faces that looked a little different. These were very solemn faces. You felt you would have to mind your P’s and Q’s, if you ever met living people who looked like that.
When they had gone a little further, they found themselves among faces they didn’t like: this was about the middle of the room. The faces here looked very strong and proud and happy, but they looked cruel.
A little further on, they were still cruel but they no longer looked happy. They were even despairing faces: as if the people they belonged to had done dreadful things and also suffered dreadful things.
- C.S Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew, pages 53-55
There’s a political and philosophical concept called “noblesse oblige.” This is the idea that those with power, wealth, or high social status have a social responsibility to act generously and responsibly toward those with less power.
It doesn’t seem like those in power are intent on being very noble these days. Public cruelty is admired and held up as a virtue. Of course, there’s always been cruelty in the world (sometimes worse than we have now), but what’s specifically changed in our modern society lately is how flagrant and publicly celebrated it is by people in positions of power (and their followers).
Seneca was a famous Stoic philosopher who tried his best to advise and curb the impulses of Nero, one of the most infamous Roman emperors renowned for his cruelty and (allegedly) watching Rome burn while happily playing his harp.
Seneca ultimately paid the ultimate price for his efforts with Nero, but not before he wrote that “All cruelty springs from weakness.” Self-loathing people treat others the way they secretly view themselves inside.
Humanity is better than this. We can be better than the sum of our parts.
You - yes you reading this - can make a difference with the people around you against this rising tide of cruelty and malice. Small daily rebellions of hope and kindness go a long way in our modern world.