(This is Part 3 of a series. Go back to Part 2.)
1. Overextending (the first source)
In an earlier section we talked about the suffering that can befall an entity—person, tribe, organization, nation, even a planet—when it reaches an extreme of some kind.
Now, in seeking the first cause of "evil" consequences in human affairs, we need look no further than overreaching
or overextending, since such a process strongly tends to bring about extremes. And as we've seen, any kind of extreme is fragile territory that can easily lead to disaster.
Overextending is a very human trait that is common to us all at various times. And there's even something beautiful about it—the way we humans reach for the stars at times even though the odds are against us.
Nevertheless, there's a kind of artform or creative balance that can be found where we do reach out into possibility —sometimes against great odds—while still remaining continally mindful of the danger of allowing our situation to get overstretched.
That is, we ride a creative balance where we do reach
for the stars when that seems appropriate, yet do so in a "prudent" way. (Yes, this is another one of those times when I seem ready for the nice men in the white coats.) However, this artform is do-able.
And it's quite important. Because a situation that gets overstretched can easily lead to very "evil" results both
for ourselves and—sometimes even more so—for others. Let's look at an example:
In 1812 Napoleon was in a formidable position in his mastery of Europe. Yes, he had problems, but they were manageable. However, he was irked by Russia's refusal to go along with his Continental system. Further, Napoleon dreamed of bringing Russia under his sway, which would greatly solidify his domination of Europe.
Consequently, he assembled an army of 600,000 men, the largest ever up to that time, and marched into Russia in the late summer of 1812, expecting a quick victory. But the Russians wouldn't cooperate; instead of engaging in battle they just kept fading back into the heartland.
As summer turned to fall Napoleon occupied a burned-out Moscow and waited for the arrival of Russian diplomats to begin negotiations. But none came, though he waited and waited. Finally, with the brutal Russian winter rapidly approaching, Napoleon reluctantly ordered a retreat back towards Poland and his supply bases.
As his soldiers retreated, now the Russians under General Kutusov came out and attacked. And winter at last came on with terrible ferocity. As Napoleon's soldiers froze and perished in unbelievable cold and misery, they were then attacked again and again. Of the 600,000 that Napoleon started with, only 25,000 made it back alive.
Certainly, from those French soldiers' point of view, a great evil had befallen them. And what was the cause? Fundamentally, their suffering was not caused by the cold or the Russian attacks; those were symptoms.
Fundamentally, the "evil" that befell them came from Napoleon's overextending. He had come to see himself
as so successful that he could undertake anything and it would succeed. But here his reach exceeded his grasp.
Napoleon's overextending illustrates the ancient Greek concept of hubris—pride, arrogance—which can arise in anyone who is very successful at something. This often leads to ate—an act of arrogant overreaching—that then leads to nemesis—downfall and defeat.
(This is the end of Part 3. Go to Part 4.)
—jim sloman, 4.2.05
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