As we’ve explored in previous chapters, the forces of evolution have shaped human behavior and societal structures. Yet, as we look around at the state of the world today, it’s hard not to conclude that some of our greatest achievements as a species are overshadowed by our glaring failures—failures that often stem from collective human idiocies.
This chapter will examine the concept of human idiocies, particularly how certain self-defeating behaviors and flawed systems have resulted in a social and economic “pyramid scheme” where a small minority holds the majority of wealth and power, while the vast majority struggle at the bottom. This scheme has perpetuated cycles of inequality, exploitation, and systemic problems that seem nearly impossible to escape.
The Evolution of Human Idiocy
It might seem harsh to call human behavior “idiocy,” but history is rife with examples of decisions that, in hindsight, were irrational or destructive on a massive scale. From environmental degradation to endless wars and exploitation, humanity has often failed to act in its collective best interest.
One explanation is that our evolutionary past (The Human Condition), where survival depended on short-term gains and immediate rewards, has wired us to prioritize personal or group advantage over long-term collective well-being. In this sense, much of what we see today—the global inequality, environmental crises, and political dysfunction—can be viewed as the product of evolved instincts that have outlived their usefulness.
Here is the list of Idiocies that I have identified as of now (this could grow as we identify more of them):
The List of Idiocies – reclaimurlife.com
Of course, it would not be fair to designate any random thing as an Idiocy without putting it to some sort of due diligence or test. So, I have come up with an Idiocy Litmus Test. Here it is:
Idiocy Litmus Test – reclaimurlife.com
This leads us to what can be considered one of humanity’s most glaring idiocies: our tendency to create hierarchical structures that benefit a few at the expense of the rest of Humanity (and Earth).
The Pyramid Scheme of Power and Wealth
The term “pyramid scheme” is often used in the context of financial scams where participants are promised exponential rewards, but only those at the top benefit. While illegal pyramid schemes are generally associated with get-rich-quick schemes, the metaphor can also describe the broader socio-economic structure of human societies.
From ancient civilizations to modern capitalist economies, societies have consistently been built on hierarchical structures where power and wealth are concentrated at the top. Whether through feudal systems, colonialism, or modern corporate capitalism, a tiny fraction of the population has always controlled a disproportionate share of resources, while the majority struggle to get by.
- Historical Pyramid Schemes: The idea of the pyramid scheme isn’t new. From the pharaohs of ancient Egypt to the aristocracies of medieval Europe, history is filled with examples of societies where wealth and power flowed upwards. The commoners or serfs at the bottom were expected to toil, produce, and sustain the elite few at the top.
- Modern-Day Pyramid Scheme: Today’s global economy is no different. The wealth disparity between the richest and the poorest is staggering, with the top 1% of the global population controlling more than 40% of the world’s wealth. This concentration of wealth is often justified by economic theories that claim the free-market rewards merit and hard work, but in reality, it has created a self-reinforcing system where the rich get richer, and the poor are left with dwindling opportunities.
The sad part about this state of affairs of human society is that in my opinion, it is preventing humanity from living a life of freedom and decency – a potential that exists on earth especially in today’s day and age. A properly developed human mind should be able to comprehend that there is something glaringly wrong with this system of exploitation of the majority to benefit the few using wage slavery. It’s a zero-sum game where the elites want to live the good life on earth with Time, Location and Financial freedom, and it is in their best interest for the working-class folks to remain helpless and dependent on the elites for their survival and act as cog wheels in this system to feed and sustain this system.
And on top of that nature is also playing a cruel joke on us in the form of “The Human Condition”, which maintains this toxic and unjust equilibrium in the society. Let me explain below.
Human Tendencies / Tricks That Perpetuate the Pyramid
Several human tendencies (read “The Human Condition”) contribute to the perpetuation of this social pyramid scheme. These include:
- Greed: Evolutionarily, greed may have been advantageous for survival when resources were scarce, but in the modern world, it has led to the hoarding of wealth by a small elite. The pursuit of limitless growth and accumulation of capital is driving environmental degradation, financial crises, and political corruption.
- Tribalism: Human beings are naturally tribal. We form groups based on shared identities—whether national, religious, ethnic, or ideological. While this helped early humans survive, it now often leads to division and conflict. In a globalized world, this tribalism manifests as nationalism, racism, and xenophobia, which distract from larger systemic problems and make it harder to unite in common cause.
- Protection (the need for Defense): This I believe is a genuine factor for the need for communities, cities or groups of countries to flock together under a common umbrella to create some sort of defense or military to protect themselves from external aggressors/mercenaries/barbarians etc.
- Short-Term Thinking: Many of the decisions made by individuals and governments are driven by short-term interests, such as maximizing profits or winning the next election, rather than addressing long-term challenges like climate change, inequality, and global poverty. This kind of thinking is at odds with the complex, interconnected problems we face today, which require long-term, systemic solutions.
- Powerlessness leading to Complacency: The majority of people, despite being aware of the inequality and dysfunction in the system, often remain complacent. This is partly because they feel powerless to change it and partly because the system is designed to keep people busy with survival—making it difficult for them to fight for any sort of systemic change.
- Artificial Barriers Invented & Erected by the Elites (Systemic Obfuscation): The deliberate creation of artificial obstacles by those in power—whether political, economic, or social elites—to prevent common people from organizing effectively or fighting back against systemic injustices. These barriers often serve the dual purpose of maintaining control and preventing dissent by making the act of resistance overly complicated, costly, or seemingly futile. The goal is to exhaust resources, sow confusion, and discourage collective action.
- Authorities – For Keeping the General Public in Check: Society often relies on a tier of individuals who, while not part of the elite class, occupy positions of authority and wield power over the general public. Their role, either intentionally or by design, is to maintain order and control. These gatekeepers include:
- The Police
- Politicians and Lawmakers
- Legal Professionals (Lawyers, Judges, etc.)
- Armed Forces personnel
- The Tax Department of any country
- Notably, these groups are predominantly Federal or State government employees, enjoying stronger job security, better benefits, and greater institutional protections than those working in the private sector. As a result, they often align with the interests of the elite—not necessarily out of malice, but from a sense of self-preservation and loyalty to the structures that grant them stability and privilege. This alignment becomes apparent when these gatekeepers act to uphold the elite’s interests, even at the expense of the struggling general public. Despite recognizing inequities or injustices, their actions frequently reinforce the status quo, maintaining control rather than advocating for systemic change. A compelling example of this dynamic is the case surrounding the killing of the CEO of United Healthcare—an incident worth examining in detail. I’ll elaborate on that soon.
- TBD: I’ll be listing out all the Psychological Phenomena (Behavioral Responses) that are relevant to our exploration here.
The Pyramid Scheme in the Context of Wage Slavery
The pyramid scheme structure of our modern world presents a significant challenge to anyone pursuing a somewhat sovereign life free of wage slavery. For the majority of people, real freedom is elusive because they are stuck in the lower tiers of this hierarchy. The elites manage to hoard and hold any and all resources of the earth (Land, means of production etc.) and the majority of the people are forced to depend on the elites for earning a livelihood to sustain themselves and survive on this planet.
True freedom and a purposeful life, as discussed in the previous chapters, is not just about accumulating wealth; it’s about achieving independence from the exploitative systems that benefit the few at the top.
Conclusion
Given this sorry state of affairs, we are in today, I believe that anyone would agree that it is desirable to escape from this shackle of wage slavery and be able to live a more meaningful life with ample time, location and financial freedom. Nobody in their right minds would love to be at the mercy of someone else for his or her life’s decisions and sovereignty. So, yeah, its desirable to dismantle this pyramid scheme and create a more just and equitable society.
But alas, due to the “The Human Condition”, which leads to the human idiocies which then gives rise to our modern pyramid scheme is not easily overcome. It is keeping us stuck and we agree that it does not seem right. You could argue about market forces the whole day, but I can’t buy it anymore. Morally I can’t accept the fact that its ok for the 1% elites to keep on blocking all the resources on this earth for themselves and then forcing the rest of the society to be dependent on them to keep this bloodsucking pyramid scheme functional by using these powerless masses as cogwheels in the system.
This gives us a clue as to how we could ever manage to escape and move beyond this bottomless pit of wage slavery, and that realization to me is this:
Escaping the Pyramid = Breaking Out of The Human Condition
In the next chapter, we will explore whether there’s anything we can realistically do about this pyramid scheme—or if we’re just going to keep pretending it’s fine, living with it until we’ve polished the chains enough to call them jewelry.