Cheaters DO prosper

A similar idea with an ironic twist can be traced back to the early 17th century in John Harington’s Epigrams: "Treason doth never prosper, what’s the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason"

A common phrase in American during the early 1800s was "cheating never thrives".

In the 1900s the catch phrase changed to "cheaters never prosper".

It is not the case that only hard work prospers. Often as not, hard work leads to blisters and the poor house. Only in a liberal, but law and rules based, order do we seem to be able to prosper by our own hard work.

Stability is as fragile as the silence it enforces

 
People in positions of authority over other people will use force to silence their critics. From my experience, revolution against the powerful occurs when silence is no longer sufficiently enforced.

Ignoring doubt is invitation

Doubt ignored, a seed unseen,
Grows in shadows, dark and mean.
Roots of trouble, deep they wind,
In the silence, chaos finds.

Doubt dismissed, a chance ignored,
Paths untraveled, dreams implored.
In the quiet, whispers fade,
Lost potential, choices made.

Doubt denied, a mask of pride,
Blindly walking, risks beside.
Confidence, a fragile guise,
Leads to falls and harsh surprise.

Doubt unspoken, shadows loom,
In the mind, they carve a room.
Silent worries, restless night,
Peace elusive, out of sight.

The master believes he has more freedom

 The master thinks he's free at last, 

With chains on others, he holds fast. 

The strong do what they will, they say, 

While weak must suffer, day by day.

But power's grip is cold and tight, 

And binds the master to the fight.

For in a land where none are plain, 

The strong would find no strength to gain.

Their might depends on others' pain, 

Without the weak, their strength is vain.

The master, bound by his own chains, 

In seeking power, only gains 

A hollow throne, a fleeting reign, 

For true control is never plain.

In every heart, a truth does lie, 

That power's just a fleeting high. 

The strong need weak to feel their might, 

But in the end, they lose the right.

Cambrian explosion of tools

 

In the fossil record, we find what has been called the Cambrian Explosion. It is marked by a dramatic burst of animal and plant forms, indicating a rapid diversification of life, with many new species emerging and competing for survival.

It seems we live in a similar period of rapid and diverse innovation. Our tool landscape is emerging and morphing at a fast pace. Many new tools seem to last only one or a few generations before being cast into the dustbin of has-beens.

What forms of tools will still be around in a hundred or a thousand years from now? The geological record will maintain the echo of our tools long after all our bones are no longer detectable.

Consider just one example: the Voyager spacecrafts, now well past the edge of the solar system. These two tools will probably not encounter another object for billions of years and may not degrade into unrecognizable dust for many billions after that. Meanwhile, our bones may last only a couple of billion years before plate tectonics buries them in entropic chaos.

Wisdom comes before the question mark?

 

Wisdom is often required to even formulate meaningful questions. Understanding and insight are necessary to ask the right questions, which can lead to deeper knowledge and further wisdom.

Teachers use their wisdom to craft questions that guide students toward deeper understanding and critical thinking. This method not only imparts knowledge but also encourages students to develop their own minds.

Also, my name is Mark.  So when i read this one, it has a comma in my head as in: "Wisdom comes before the question, Mark?"

The tool makes the man

 

They handed me a rifle, cold and steel, 

Taught me to aim, to fight, to kneel. 

In the eyes of the world, a soldier I stand, 

Defined by the tool placed in my hand.

A hammer to a builder, a brush to an artist, 

Each tool shapes the soul, from the start to the hardest. 

We become what we wield, in work and in strife, 

The tool makes the man, in his journey of life.