Destruction

Self destruction

Why would people choose to pursue behaviors that are self-destructive or self sabotaging as individuals and as societies.

Behavior is said to be Self-sabotaging when it creates problems in daily life and interferes with long-standing goals. Besides the obvious forms of self-destruction like eating disorders, alcohol use disorder, substance use disorders, sex addiction, self-injury, body-focused repetitive behavior and suicide attempts or even forms of self-injury such as cutting. Common self-sabotaging behaviors can also include procrastination about inevitable consequences, denial of historical or even present known truths about what will inevitably happen, or what is known bar success and lead to ultimate failure. Engineers can predict with precise certainty that things will break down through use. The same is true with the acceptance of certain cultural behaviors, practices, and policies.

Patterns of history

The study of the historical past tells us that that “The real destroyers of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits.” Plutarch

Plutarch would write in his Life of Coriolanus (c. 100 AD.)"That the man who first ruined the Roman people twas he who first gave them treats and gratuities. But this mischief crept secretly and gradually in, and did not openly make it's appearance in Rome for a considerable time."

He was not alone in that understanding for Juvenal wrote, "… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses.""..that the common people—rather than caring about their freedom—are only interested in “bread and circuses” (i.e. food and entertainment)".

Julius Caesar knew the people would abdicate more willingly when he provided free bread as long is it was at the expense of others. Socialism only works on the smallest and most intimate of scales and when there is some place to go when things break down and the selfish nature of people becomes the driving force.

Nature requires struggle for growth and that struggle only comes when there is inequality. The same is true of the noble characters of mankind like the choice of self sacrifice and mercy. They must be perpetually practiced.

Rome should have known that their choices to depend on legal charity through men who exercise authority when they chose to institute systems dependent upon force and violence because Polybius warned them of the inevitable outcome. All of history warned them that these policies would degenerate the masses. But if they did understand they may have chosen to turn a blind eye to it for they desired power more than righteousness.

"The masses continue with an appetite for benefits and the habit of receiving them by way of a rule of force and violence. The people, having grown accustomed to feed at the expense of others and to depend for their livelihood on the property of others... institute the rule of violence; and now uniting their forces massacre, banish, and plunder, until they degenerate again into perfect savages and find once more a master and monarch."

Polybius saw the downfall of the republic by way of their free bread and welfare a 150 years before the first Emperor of Rome and 175 years before the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ who opposed these same systems of free bread at your neighbor's expense.

The authoritarian State often uses force and violence to become the Benefactors of the people if the covet what is their neighbors'. They make a social contract where one class of citizen is forced to provide for another class through "legal charity" which is not true charity. The writings of the Apostles warned along with countless passages of ancient writings of the prophets including Proverbs 23 which warned them about what Christ forbid which was the covetous practices of socialist forms of government.

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Loathing

Intense feelings of self-loathing or self-hatred can produce a proclivity to self-harm. This may involve a conscious and willful intent to injure oneself, or a more subconscious process or psychosis.

Self-loathing is a feeling that resembles self-hate and as a consequence, people might feel like they do not deserve love and actually have feelings of guilt when people are kind to them. They lack trust in others and seek to prove that people do not love. They prefer being victims and choose to judge others. Hatred of self may often lead to hatred of others and a desire to fail.

A well known way to avoid or reverse destructive behaviours in your relationship is to become self-aware and recognize why you might engage in them yourself. According to Dr. Randi Gunther, to break out of self-destructive patterns, “you must be willing to look at them without defensiveness or negative self-judgment.”

Those claiming to believe the Bible, or Christ should have known "He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live." Proverbs 15:27

• "And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Luke 12:15

National destruction

Why would a whole society or nation choose a path of self-destruction?

Civilization

The final three terms in Drake's Equation, and would allow us to identify which classes of solution to Fermi's Paradox fit with the evidence (or lack thereof).

Biblical destruction

Proverbs 10:29 The way of the LORD is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Hosea 7:13 Woe unto them! for they have fled from me: destruction unto them! because they have transgressed against me: though I have redeemed them, yet they have spoken lies against me. 14 And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.

Micah 2:9 The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever. 10 Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction. 11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

The word for destroy in verse 10 of Micah 2 is not from shamad ShinMemDalet nor Abad AlefBeitDelat nor charam ChetReishMem. which are the most common Hebrew words translated destroy. There are many words translated destroy such as machah, shachath, caphah, mashchiyth , karath , shabar, quwr , huwm, chabal, but is from a different chabal.

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Romans 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Philippians 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly; 7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

2 Peter 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

1 Timothy 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: