Our modern civilisation paints a vivid picture of equality, justice, and fairness.
Ideas such as human equality, gender equality, free speech, and freedom of expression are presented as signs that we now live in a far more civilised society.
Yet beneath this surface lies a familiar reality: power still dictates much of how the world operates. This is not necessarily evil or cruel; it is simply a fact of human behaviour.
Narratives shift depending on what those in power need to maintain their position. Ideologies swing from left to right and back again, often shaped less by principle and more by circumstance. The central objective rarely changes — remaining in power.
Historically, cruelty, exploitation, and domination have often been tools used to secure and preserve authority. These tendencies have not disappeared. What has changed is our ability to wrap them in more sophisticated language and narratives. Modern societies have become better storytellers.
At our core, we are not entirely different from our ancestors. Beneath the structures of civilisation, the instincts of the hunter-gatherer still live within us.
Why does this matter?
Because it is naive to assume otherwise. Understanding the world as it is — not merely as it is presented — helps us navigate it more wisely.
But the lesson is not simply to blame “those in power.” These tendencies exist within all of us. Power can seduce anyone. The real challenge is to watch ourselves carefully and recognise when we begin to justify actions in the name of power, disguising them with polished narratives.
Humanity has come a long way.
But we still have a long way to go.
