Lectures From Hell IV: A Happy Coincidence

Editor’s Note: Recently, Liberty Nation received extraordinary documents from DiaboLeaks containing lectures straight out of hell. They provide unique insight into the inner workings and machinations of devils in infiltrating and corrupting the minds of humans. Each week, we will post a different Lecture from Hell. The demonic influence revealed is shocking. This short parody was inspired by the wonderful work of C.S. Lewis in his entertaining and enlightening epistolary novel, The Screwtape Letters, written in 1942.

My dear gentledevils,

To succeed in our quest for world domination, we must undercut the Enemy’s natural order. As I explained in my last lecture, the most powerful method for making a patient fertile ground for our temptation is to steal his words, thereby numbing his mind with confusion. One of our greatest heists so far is the word “happiness.”

Good Spirit

That pesky Greek philosopher Aristotle literally wrote the book on happiness, but the word he used was Eudaimonia, which translates to the modern language as Good Spirit. I will tell you in the starkest terms I possibly can: We do not know what this “Good Spirit” is, but it is devastating to our cause! Under no circumstance do we want the humans to enter this state of mind. Let me explain why. Have you noticed how we demons cannot hear the voice of the Enemy and his angels? (They used to be called Eudaemons.) It first happened during the Great Fall when Our Father Below and his minions were cast out of Heaven. Since then, the voices of Heaven have been blocked. By contrast, humans – who are part flesh and part spirit – are transparent to us. We can read their thoughts like an open book! Knowledge is power, and therefore our ability to read their minds is the tool by which we gain control over them. Except when they enter this state of Good Spirit. It is like a protective shield that blocks our ability to eavesdrop on their thoughts.

Happiness

Fortunately, our influencers have been successful at severing the connection to Aristotle. When the Medieval scholars translated the word Eudaimonia, our Influencers carefully nudged them to choose the silliest and most misleading word in the dictionary. They landed on the word “happy,” which in the European languages, is connected to the concept of luck.

In Ancient Greece, Fortuna was the goddess of luck and accidents – or happenstance, if you like. That is why the vermin still talk of a “happy coincidence.” They see happiness as something frivolous that happens without a cause, and that, therefore, can be taken away with the same ease as it was given to them. Even more fortunate for our cause, they associate happiness with the hedonic state of joy and pleasure. Good Spirit has three complementary meanings. First, it means to be good in the sense of being a competent spirit – developing moral habits called virtues. Second, it means being true to one’s nature – to live by the Truth with which the Enemy has woven all of existence. Finally, it means to experience moral satisfaction, the dessert of achieving a virtuous life: feeling good about being good at acting good. Whatever this means, it is terrible news for us. We know from experience that once the humans wake up to the meaning of happiness, they change their behavior. Consider the following example: Suppose you ask a man who has just lost his wife and home in a fire how he feels, he might tell you he is unhappy. But if he knows the teachings of Aristotle, he might respond that he is feeling sad, angry, and distraught, but still in Good Spirit. Such spiritual self-insight must be discouraged at all costs. Luckily, Miss Fortune is on our side. That silly word happiness is now working its magic of misdirection in our favor, making our challenge so much easier. In the next lecture, we will look at another one of our successes: Pride. Until next time, Professor Thornside Previous lectures by the (not-so) good professor, include: Demonic Ventriloquism, Truth Is a lie, and Word Control Is Mind Control. ~ Read more from Liberty Nation.