Servility: the Sycophant | Archetypical Philosophies 6
a Short Essay for the Modern Existentialist
1 | Servility: The Envy of the Impotent
When a pack of wolves makes a kill, the coyotes circle—eager, and ready. While lions feast upon the prairie, vultures watch with hungry eyes. And, as soon as the hunters have had their fill, those scavengers rush forth—diving in to fight for scraps amongst their lowly peers.
Such is the life of the Servile—the Sycophant; they who believe themselves less-capable, and the strength of their own Agency lacking. Judging themselves to be weaker and inadequate, they thus latch on to someone better than themselves—someone who commands greater power and Agency—in order to survive… and, perhaps, to even gain a taste of that greatness for themselves.
Thus, the Sycophant is the one who believes that there are two kinds of people in this world:
The tactful, and the capable.
There are those who throw themselves blindly into their work—who give it their all, and who work themselves to the bone to see their dreams and goals achieved. And then, there are those who are rational and realistic—who hang back and take it easy, letting the strong take care of jobs fit for the strong, the quick take care of jobs fit for the quick, and the smart take care of jobs fit for the smart. And one, thus being the tactful Sycophant, could offer to lend a hand where one could manage… but still, is just so lacking in the skills of other, greater men—and thus, might best make one’s contribution by simply lending some words of encouragement instead.
The Servile want what the Pragmatist has—the safety of the wall and the fruits born of hard labor. Knowing, however, that they lack the strength and the will to take what they want—to challenge the garden’s master—they bow and submit themselves to that master’s will instead, praying that they’ll thus be granted access to even a fraction of what the Pragmatist has made.
And so, while the Complacent sits comfortably in his belief that he deserves a piece of paradise—that, because the world is an Ordered place, he is therefore entitled to partake of the fruits of a garden built not by his own hands—the Servile is the one who understands that there is no such thing as entitlement; instead, only what one is permitted to take. And so, they attempt to endear themselves—to convince the Pragmatist that they do, in reality, serve a purpose; that they can provide value and make themselves useful, and that they really can earn their keep.
Both are like parasites—like ticks or fleas—who desire to reap the rewards of hard work while expending as little of their own time and energy as they can manage. Instead, they would draw and sap away at the lifeblood of the garden—stealing the Agency of those who work hard to maintain it while claiming to be doing the same themselves.
2 | Onward
And so, the Sycophant looks on, regarding the Pragmatist’s crown with envy. They desire for themselves what the Pragmatist has—food, drink, shelter, and security; an Eden shielded from the Chaos of the world by the Agency of loyal men and their wall. And so, he works only as hard as he must to earn the favor of the garden’s master—to be awarded a share of the garden’s bounty.
But what if, the Servile may thus begin to wonder. What if there were some way for someone to take the garden for themselves?
What if someone could usurp that king—that Pragmatic master of Order? What if someone could steal his crown? An usurper doesn’t have to, after all, necessarily actually be strong or capable. Instead, he only has to be able enough—cunning enough—to convince everyone else that he is.
Philosophy: a mindset. An attitude. The way that a person chooses to see the world, and therefore to approach living their life.
Αρχή | archí: origin
Τύπος | týpos: form
An Archetypical Philosophy is the bare-bones, logical basis of a person’s mindset or attitude, inferred from observation of the way in which they choose to live their life.