How to rise to the top of a moral empire
In this piece I explore the role of the Roman Empire in our lives. These thoughts build on top of a theory of civilization described by Yuval Noah Harari in Sapiens. In his theory, throughout history there has been a common pattern of one strongest empire conquering disparate warring tribes, enforcing peace and other common elements like language and religion. At first, the conquered people are disadvantaged but over time individuals learn the new culture and through their own talent and strength have an opportunity to reach high status in their conqueror’s society. Here I want to examine one such example against this theory and how we may apply it practically.
Empires do not simply die. Their borders and laws may dissolve but they continue to live and influence our collective psychology. The Roman Catholic church is one such continuation of the Roman Empire.
The influence of the Church goes beyond religion and even perhaps its obvious connections, such as its explicit influence on culture, in debates around birth control, abortion and the like. In Catholic philosophy, the world is separated and categorized in a rigid hierarchy. God and his angels, man, and the beasts and the devil are each assigned absolute value, and this essentially isolates man from nature. This has justified exploitation of natural resources, of human labour, and of foreign civilizations. Its influences can be subtle, such one is found in the categorization of nature found in biology, which is now being questioned by discoveries such as lichen being both a plant and fungus symbiosis, a theory met with non-acceptance for many years simply because scientists refused to change the idea that kingdoms can coexist in one organism.
In another thread of history, as Europe merchants sailed in exploration of the new world, these risky ventures were funded by monarchs who wished to outdo each other for exotic resources. When arriving on distant lands and meeting sophisticated civilizations, it helped to justify taking their resources if the people were somehow different. These sophisticated civilizations did not see a separation between people and nature and lived sustainably for many generations, which was in stark contrast to how quickly the Catholic-centered communities would deplete natural resources. These ventures to other worlds were risky, sailors and merchants risked their lives at sea, but the profits were lucrative enough. The legal and financial tools surrounding these eventually were the basis for modern enterprise and the joint-liability legal entities we know as the company today.
In searching for a practical application, I turn to my own life as an example. As an immigrant myself I’ve been part of a generational story of being conquered and finding our way forward. (South Korea itself has been conquered by Japan and the United States). For most of my life, starting from the cultural shock of arriving in a Western country, I saw how I needed to adapt to a individualist, western, capitalist society in order to become successful and live with more freedom, control, and resources, and all those rewards that come with status. I’ve learned how to keep emotional boundaries and distance with competitors, to limit idle time for study time, how to be productive and create value. However I am now revisiting that assumption, I believe that even more essential, and more to its core, there is a moral hierarchy that was established by the Roman Empire. Its influence so ubiquitous that it is hardly noticeable—even my name, Angela, was adopted from my Catholic given name when I came to Canada.
So what should I do to rise in a morally homogenized world, should I be more good? Sometimes being good has punished me and sometimes rewarded me. I don’t mean pretending to be good or being good for ulterior motives, I mean truly being genuinely, authentically giving of yourself. As with most pursuits there isn’t one clear strategy but I think recognizing the game is a step towards clarity. If you want to rise to the top you must play with moral ambiguities masterfully. Do not be unkind all the time, and do not be kind all the time. But what you should actually do is your own unique strategy.
