Emergence is not will

 

We march in small circles until a giant appears, 

then we start taking orders 

from the giant we just invented.

It is the oldest trick of the light: 

the aggregate pretending to be the architect.

One ought not mistake emergence for will.

The collective "face" has no eyes of its own; 

it only sees through yours.

When the "Big Thing" starts whispering instructions, 

remember: it’s just your own voice echoing off the crowd.

Meaning grows from the ground up; 

it doesn't fall from the clouds down.

We call it "Top-Down" when we want to feel governed.

We call it "Bottom-Up" when we want to feel free.

But the direction is an arbitrary choice of scale.

The "Giant" only exists

because we zoomed out 

until the people disappeared.

It is a useful fiction for the state, 

but a dangerous one for the soul.

Meaning doesn't fall from the clouds; 

it is grown in the dirt by the marchers.