Social Hierarchy and Existence

Polished Version

Within the complex network of human society, hierarchy is an unavoidable reality. Every person is an independent being with unique characteristics and experiences. Yet despite the nearly infinite differences among individuals, society tends to simplify people into several broad categories for the sake of management and understanding: the upper, middle, and lower classes. Although this classification appears to facilitate social organization, it also conceals a profound power dynamic. Those at the top continuously influence—and sometimes control—people in the other classes. They establish rules, promote particular values, and control resources, while everyone else attempts to find a place within these predetermined frameworks.

When we turn our attention to the natural world, we can observe similar hierarchical structures. Human beings consider themselves to occupy a special position at the boundary between living and non-living matter because of their complex capacity for thought. However, when we expand our perspective to encompass the entire Earth, we find that humanity is merely one part of this vast living system. Through its complex ecosystems, the Earth gives rise to human beings and influences our thoughts and behavior. The Earth itself may, in turn, be only one component within the countless forces and material structures of the wider universe.

Within the social hierarchy, the upper class maintains its advantageous position by creating and controlling different forms of value. These include economic wealth, political power, cultural influence, and intellectual property. Individuals from the lower class may occasionally experience changes in status because of manipulation or selectively granted opportunities from above. Such changes do not arise entirely from personal choice or effort; they may also be driven by the intentions and decisions of those who hold greater power.

The dimension of time cannot be ignored when discussing social dynamics. The current state of society is not necessarily destined to continue into the future. The rise and fall of different peoples and civilizations throughout history demonstrates the instability of social status. These historical changes do not prove the inherent superiority or inferiority of any particular group or civilization. Instead, they show how the speed of value creation and social development can accelerate over time.

Although society emphasizes the importance of personal effort, effort is not always rewarded accordingly. This may result from decisions made by those at the top, who influence who receives opportunities for advancement—often independently of individual effort. Therefore, people should focus on living each day well because the future is filled with uncertainty. Pursuing personal happiness and embracing a natural way of life may be wiser and more attainable than blindly chasing a definition of success imposed by those above us.

Although we live within a social structure that appears orderly on the surface, the forces that truly shape individual and collective destinies may exist at a higher level—whether they are decision-makers at the top of society or unknowable laws of the universe. We should therefore avoid blindly pursuing goals that may never be realized. Instead, we should learn to discover and create our own value and happiness within the limits of our lives.

In this complex world, self-fulfillment and happiness may be the most genuine pursuits available to the individual.

Original Reflections

I believe that hierarchy exists from a human perspective. If we examine society at the level of individuals, everyone is different, which means that everyone occupies a different position within this hierarchy. This is unequal, and complete equality is impossible. However, because the differences between many people are relatively small, society groups them into the same broad categories. For convenience, I will generally refer to these categories as the upper, middle, and lower classes. At any given moment, we are all subject to the influence or control of those above us. Moreover, the levels above us are infinite and do not form a closed loop.

If this idea is extended to matter—and I consider living things to be above non-living things—then I believe the Earth is above humanity because it encompasses human thought and influences how humans think. At the same time, matter beyond the Earth may be controlling the Earth. This hierarchy may also continue infinitely.

However, all these comparisons apply only at a particular moment. The upper levels control the lower levels to create more “value,” with value referring to a comprehensive combination of money, power, ideas, and everything else. While lower-level entities create value for those above them, they may naturally rise above the middle level. However, this does not necessarily occur because of their own efforts. They may be monitored or controlled by the upper level. Alternatively, the “collective human consciousness of the Earth,” which controls human thought, may decide that a particular lower-level individual should succeed and therefore grant that person “good fortune.”

To control the middle and lower levels more effectively, the upper level tells everyone that they must work hard. If the still-higher level controlling the upper level no longer wants the current upper level to remain in its position, someone from the middle or lower level may eventually surpass it and become part of the upper level. Alternatively, at a certain moment, the upper level may allow someone from the middle or lower level to rise, while still retaining its own superior position.

Suppose humanity were given the opportunity to destroy the Earth with nuclear weapons. This might occur because the force controlling the Earth wanted humanity to do so. It could also be because the Earth wanted to exist somewhere else or in another form, with different forms of matter and consciousness merely drifting to another place.

I would also like to introduce the dimension of time. I have consistently referred to a particular moment, but this does not mean that the same conditions will necessarily exist at some future moment. Higher forms of matter may exercise control, and outcomes may not be determined by our efforts but by the entities above us—what some might call Heaven or fate.

From a historical perspective, at a particular moment, Group A may be stronger or more advanced overall than Group B. However, this does not mean that the situation will remain unchanged. At some future point, Group B may become stronger than Group A. Yet Group B at that future moment may not necessarily be stronger than Group B was at an earlier point in history. Over a sufficiently long period, however, the same group in the distant future will generally become stronger or more advanced than it was in the past. Overall progress is likely because the rate at which “value”—including money, power, ideas, and other combined forms of value—is created continues to increase.

For example, Group A may once have been stronger than Group B. Group B may then attempt an invasion, causing both groups to suffer severe losses. At some later point, Group B may nevertheless defeat Group A and become stronger by comparison. However, this does not necessarily mean that the future Group B is stronger than its earlier self, because it may have lost a great deal during the conflict. With time, Group B may gradually recover and reintegrate. At the height of its renewed prosperity, it will probably become stronger than it was in the earlier period.

Here is another example: under the influence of the upper level, we may come to regard something inherently painful as enjoyable or exciting. It may even reach the point where no one considers it painful anymore, and people willingly engage in it. This suggests that we are weaker than those above us.

Some people in the lower class may believe that the upper class is superior only in certain respects. In reality, however, the upper class may possess advantages in every respect. The belief that the lower class can surpass the upper class may itself have been encouraged by those at the top, motivating people below them to work harder and create more value on their behalf. What those at the lower level may not realize is that the people who ultimately enter the middle class are selected by the upper class rather than advancing solely through their own efforts.

I have always believed that luck is more important. Hard work often does not receive a corresponding reward. I believe that we should live each day as well as possible because we never know whether we will still be alive tomorrow. We should do what we genuinely want to do and allow life to unfold naturally. As human beings, we all ultimately face death, so the final outcome is the same for every living organism.

Today, many people are influenced by society’s glorification of hard work. When their efforts fail to produce the expected rewards, they may become desperate or feel that they have been treated unfairly. But this is how society operates: complete fairness is impossible. Society’s promotion of fairness may merely be a mechanism that helps people accept existing differences. We need to acknowledge this reality, accept the natural course of events, and learn to live peacefully within it.