1) My God. We were taught this was human nature. It wasn’t. It was *his*.

“I have always understood the Nazis,” Golding confessed, “because I am of that sort by nature.” And it was “partly out of that sad self-knowledge” that he wrote Lord of the Flies.” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/09/the-real-lord-of-the-flies-what-happened-when-six-boys-were-shipwrecked-for-15-months

2) We are so rarely taught that gentleness wins. I am wondering how much damage that has done. My God. It’s immeasurable.

3) Sorry for the rambling thread, this is just sinking in. That if we don’t all have a severe deference to authority, we will all tear each other apart, because our natural state is that of monsters. Of course a monster who wanted to be in charge would urge us to believe that.

4) Oh I am just plugging this yet again, because a key character - kind, unendingly gentle - is put under unbearable pressure to be a monster, and they keep refusing to succumb. It’s beautiful. https://twitter.com/okwonga/status/1258116961562738691?s=21 https://twitter.com/okwonga/status/1258116961562738691