_Sovereignty_

_Freedom_

_Capacity_

Mankind is a species with choice.

We do the things we do simply because it is possible.

Anything we can do,

we will do.

We destroy.

We deceive.

We dominate.

Simply because we _can._

Capability dictates what is performed.

So long as it is within the reach of possibility,

it can be done.

It will be done.

But possibility is a spectrum,

and there are no gaps in the distribution.

Every point is represented.

Every extreme.

The negative:

Death.

Dehumanization.

Deceit.

Destruction.

Fueled by the engine of unrestrained desire.

But...

Extremes are polar.

For every negative,

there is a corresponding positive.

Think about it.

Everything we are capable of doing, we will do.

But capability does not only entail destructive capacity.

We are fire.

We burn.

We destroy.

We take.

But fire is energy.

It soothes.

It heals.

It moves.

It nourishes.

It is warmth.

And honestly...

The warmth of humanity is very much alive.

The extremity of mankind is equally represented.

The bearers of burdens,

subjecting the weights of others onto their backs.

The healers,

softly washing away the pain of wounds others carry.

The nurturers,

protecting the feeble as their feet gather strength.

The warriors,

clad in gilded armor, swinging their blades with the weight of honor.

The builders,

sheltering the weak from the dangers without.

The saviors,

selfless heroes with no capes, risking life and limb so others may thrive.

Extreme acts of good are not rare.

We see them.

Perhaps destruction carries greater weight.

It is louder.

But we create as we destroy.

And the truth?

Destruction comes far easier.

Desire propels us toward demise.

Discipline puts the self on a leash.

It guides action.

But most of all,

it guides choice.

And choice is the greatest gift of humanity.

Likewise, its greatest curse.

The ability to choose what we do,

how we act,

either to align action and intent with destructive proclivity,

or to disobey the call of desire.

Choose freedom and be enslaved.

Shackle desire and become truly free.

And that is the thing about human beings:

We are capable of both.

The blessing and curse of dominion.

We are good.

We are evil.

We are war.

We are peace.

We are ugly.

We are beautiful.

We destroy.

We build.

We take.

We give.

We rupture.

We nurture.

The Angels questioned our creation.

To them, we were monstrous,

frighteningly capable of depravity and destruction.

They were right.

We were capable.

We shed blood.

We spread mischief.

But what do they know about temptation?

The struggle to restrain desire is a world outside their programmed virtue.

They do not understand.

How could they?

An Angel does not know choice.

Every day, we battle the weight of it.

And there are other dimensions to desire.

Not always does it lead to demise.

There is the desire to know,

the desire to understand,

the desire to do.

Knowledge.

Comprehension.

Action.

Thus,

we explore.

We build.

We ascend.

We construct bridges from impossible to possible,

from fiction to fact,

from imagination to reality.

_“I know that which you do not,"_ said the Almighty to the Angels.

I cannot claim to have access to the unseen knowledge exclusive to the Divine.

But...

Humanity is the sum of its parts.

Not inherently good.

Not inherently evil.

Simply capable.

Of choice.

Of action.

To dance to the winds of desire and sin,

or sing the song of discipline and virtue.