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| Edward Hopper, Soir Bleu, 1914 |
In an unhealthy society, facts, logic, and entire narratives can be reshaped by the majority or those in power to serve their predetermined goals. Power often requires no justification beyond its own existence.
The story of the lamb and the wolf illustrates a key truth about how the world often works. The wolf exemplifies the saying "might makes right" by fabricating reasons to eat the lamb, despite the fact that none of them make sense.
Facts don't care about feelings, but a wolf's hunger doesn't care about facts either. "The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must." Despite the lamb’s rational responses to the wolf's accusations, the wolf was going to eat him simply because he could. The wolf doesn't care about being right; he just wants his dinner.
No matter how unfairly they act, those who are or think they are powerful will always find excuses to justify their actions.
They operate like a Wikipedia page written and edited by a group of people - confident and convinced that their version of events is the only one that matters. They believe they should be the ones controlling the narrative. When they do, they do so with the same questionable accuracy and deep conviction with which a toddler holds a crayon and colors outside the lines while claiming to follow the rules impeccably - and still being smug about it.
The majority does not always dictate the story, but they often have significant influence over how the narrative is shaped. The power to control the narrative should be constantly contested and evolve rather than remain permanently fixed in the hands of those in authority.
