"I testify that wickedness is rapidly expanding in every segment of our society. It is more highly organized, more cleverly disguised, and more powerfully promoted than ever before. Secret combinations lusting for power, gain, and glory are flourishing. A secret combination that seeks to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries is increasing its evil influence and control over America and the entire world." - Ezra Taft Benson, October 1988.

<$firstname$>, as a young lad in school, I was required to read William Golding's masterpiece, Lord of the Flies. Whilst superficially simple, Lord of the Flies is in fact a highly complex novel. Golding uses the story of a group of English schoolboys marooned on a deserted tropical island to explore the existence of evil and violence in human nature, like the evil referred to in the quote from Benson above. 

At the time of writing the book, Golding was devastated by the genocide committed by the Germans and, to a lesser extent, the Japanese during the Second World War. He found it difficult to believe that civilized people could be capable of the atrocities committed. Golding tended to believe that mankind was not inherently evil; rather that evil behavior was the result of ignorance and superstition. The apparent behavior of Nazi Germany caused Golding to rethink his ideas and in Lord of the Flies he attempts to explore and understand why people who are supposedly civilized can embrace evil.

Golding, who was a British prep school teacher, observed his students and came to believe that far from being naturally good, humankind was basically evil and that it was only the rule of law and civilization and the threat of punishment that kept people from behaving in an evil manner.

In his resulting novel, Golding allows the boys' barbarity and evil to increase. When Jack and his hunters kill a boar, they leave the pig's head impaled on a stake, arguably as the ultimate symbol of their descent into savagery. The head is soon rotting and covered with flies, hence the title of the book.

You may remember back to May 2004.  At the time, there was a morbid fascination in an American's beheading: Nick Berg. 

Of course, all of that is old news and completely forgotten by now.  But at the time, I had to wonder: "Had the head of Nick Berg, held aloft by supposed Al Qaida operatives, become this age's 'Lord of the Flies'?

"The tears began to flow and sobs shook him. He gave himself up to them now for the first time on the island; great, shuddering spasms of grief that seemed to wrench his whole body. His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy."

Do you weep for the end of innocence and the darkness of man's heart, <$firstname$>?

Society around us is descending into savagery, but together we can remain sane in this increasingly crazy world.  If you ever need encouragement, please drop by and visit us in the Forum, or contact me (but please don't reply to this email - it goes to a mailbox that is not monitored by a human).  I do read every single one received, and reply as quickly as possible.

That’s all until next week, <$firstname$>.

As always,

Live Free and Keep Thinking!

All the best,
ThreeWorldWars.com

PS. Are any of your friends avid readers and might have read Lord of the Flies, <$firstname$>?  Why not forward this email to them?  Or you can simply Tell Your Friends about ThreeWorldWars.  They'll thank you for it, and so will I!

PPS.  Not finding my emails stimulating enough?  ThreeWorldWars is geared towards those who are new to Conspiratorial History.  Maybe it's time for you to graduate to Ultimate Freedom.