The Wicked Witches of the Right

Wise Old Man

For the next couple of days, I sailed around the five boroughs of rainy New York City. Manhattan had the most life on the outskirts, not so much in midtown. Sporadic signs of civilization sprouted up here and there along the other boroughs. Most people were silent. The few who spoke did not have much to say. It was sad to see less than half a million years of humanity reduced to this.
I met one peculiar man who was elderly, white hair with a grayish beard, an unusual, weathered face - he kind of had that John Huston thing going. He floated on a log and had a soggy bag of Saltines to munch on. I met him in Staten Island of all places. I remember sailing past the tops of the Verrazano and finding him shortly thereafter. I was happy he took the time to speak with me. He was a wise fellow, a seemingly knowledgable wizard of sorts. In Staten Island? I know what you're thinking. It was that, or he was a crazy fool, which might make more sense. Either way, it was most interesting hearing his philosophy.
"God was created in the image of Man, or Man was created in the image of God... Which is it?" he asked me.
Before I could respond, he was quick-witted to answer his own question:
"If you believe the answer is neither, and that everything which happens in life has a scientific explanation, how then do you explain what is happening here? The logic is irrational, for there is none to begin with!
"I believe that God was created in the image of Man. Man came first and created God as a security blanket. Man asked for a leader to step above the rest and guide him through life, so he wouldn't have to be held accountable, face consequences for his actions. He could just blame whatever went wrong, or right, on God. Man made God so powerful that God Himself took control of our conscious selves and began to dictate our thinking, our self-ruling. How else can you explain society's actions? We have leaders who play the part of God. And as we know, history always repeats itself. It is human nature to allow this repetition to occur, to simply allow these cycles to play out, even celebrate them. The result? We've recreated God in the form of our modern-day leaders. We've made them our idols, and we worship them as such. We always have.
"How has this happened? All the answers continue to lie within our deepest fears and insecurities."
Suddenly, the man threw his hand at my lower extremities! As if attempting to strike them.
I flew back.
"Why did you do that?" he asked.
"Sir, you almost hit my balls!" I replied.
"Yes, but did you not trust that I would stop? Ah! Without answering, of course you didn't, or else you would never jump back the way you did. An insecurity! Generally centers on the idea of castration anxiety. A logical insecurity. We all have that in common, I'd react the same way. But nevertheless, an insecurity."
I was confused. "What are you trying to prove?"
"That since the beginning, when Man took his first breath of air and realized he could think, he has needed a protection, a shield to guard... well, the lower extremities. He had to find someone to protect him. He had not the ability to think inventively, so he found God to fill in the blanks. And through this divine source, he would evolve, inventing things such as... well, the jock strap. But previous to this and any invention, when nothing protected our vulnerabilities, Man was naked with only a belief that God would guide him. And the figure of Man's reliance has gained so much power, which we fed it, that it grew into Him. Now, He is a force to be reckoned with."
    He fed Odysseus a soggy Saltine, then continued.
"With this power comes admiration from those seeking His strength. There are those amongst us who seek this strength, who know that it's core was developed by humanity, not an eternal distant light. There are those who wish to not only uncover the secrets of these manmade powers, but to tap into and control them. Sourcing the same collective unconscious that made God a public reality, they prey on societal fears, weaknesses, hopes, dreams, and INSECURITIES, molding themselves into idolized deities."
I looked at the old man with an almost blank gaze, but not because I thought he was nuts. As I stood there and took it all in, I began to realize that this old man, through all his intricate yet chaotic philosophy, was speaking about-
"They know magic.  They burn fiery cauldrons and do rituals with animal flesh.  They can cause events of catastrophic proportions from the safety of their ceremonial grounds."
Well, now he was talking about something else, an old folklore commonly dismissed as myth and legend.  I thought he was going one way with it, but the words distinctly sounded like he was talking about witches.