Book: Cloud Atlas. Page 4

Scientists peer into the movement of history and on the basis of these movements to formulate the laws that govern the rises and falls of civilizations. However, my beliefs are the opposite. Namely: history knows no laws, only significant for the results. What precedes the results? Evil and good deeds. What precedes the acts? Faith. Faith is both the reward and the battlefield, the prisoners inside the mind and the mirror of consciousness of the world. If we believe humanity is a ladder of tribes, a Colosseum of the clashes, exploitation and atrocities, that mankind will be there, and to prevail in it are historical Horrox, Boerhaave and Guzy. We, the wealthy, the privileged, the successful, going to exist in this world is not so bad, provided that we will have good luck. What we are concerned about the conscience? Why undermine the benefits of our race, our warships, our heredity and of our rule of law? Why fight the "natural" (Oh, that non-committal word!) order of things? Why? Then, one fine day, a purely predatory world will certainly devour itself. Yes, the devil will take those who are behind, so far behind will not be those who were ahead. The egoism of the individual mutilates his soul; the selfishness of the human race leads him to destruction. Peculiar, this death of our nature? If we believe that humanity is able to transcend tooth and claw, if we believe that different people of different races and faiths can share this world as peacefully as the local orphans divide the branches of the candle tree, if we believe leaders must be just, violence is curbed, power accountable and the riches of the earth and its oceans shared equally, the world is able to survive. I do not cheat. Such a world is the most difficult to implement. Painful steps towards it taken by many generations, can be nullified at one stroke - of the pen is short-sighted of the President or the sword vain General.