The Persians surrendered to the Greeks, barbarians sieged Rome, and the Ottomans lost WWI. Although history’s most legendary empires have fallen, empire still lives on in countless forms in the modern world. Rather than referring simply to the reign of a supreme geographical entity, “… empire is in many ways about power,”¹ and it can refer to any dominating system; the oil industry of the Mediterranean, for instance, holds a massive domain over global oil markets. Even rap music is an empire which currently greatly overshadows such genres as classical melodies. However, it is important to recognize that the key empires that will be discussed in these blog posts are merely notional perceptions centered around human thoughts and behaviors.

With this in mind, today’s blog post will focus on the Empire of Success and its relationship with the Empire of Ethics.

Figure 1: Monetary Success vs Justice⁴

The Empire of Success is a prominent force today. The territory is populated by slaves— worshipers of money, fame, and status. The slaves to the Empire of Success dismiss the seemingly expendable “distractions”— perhaps close personal relationships, ethics— that interfere with their pursuit of these things, and therefore many live by an “ends justify the means” mentality. On the other hand, the Empire of Ethics is representative of morality, and it is comparably much smaller in relation to the Empire of Success. A plausible explanation for this is the fact that our world itself tends to revolve around the ideals of the larger realm. The dynamic between the two can be clarified through a few examples.

I’ve personally seen the empires at war many times, but a notable instance was during the college application season last year. At this time, seniors were frantic, overwhelmed with heavy “who are you, what matters to you” type questions put forward by universities. With millions of students attempting to stand out amongst their competition, writing a unique answer to these questions proved to be a difficult task. Gaining admission to a prestigious university by formulating exceptional essays is a priority for many of us, but to devout worshipers of the Empire of Success, it is a necessity for wealth² and thus it often justifies the abandonment of morality on some level. In other words, people began to desperately examine their lives for tragic stories for their personal statements, often resorting to exaggeration or even fabrication of life events in order to create the glorified illusion of a unique individual. I myself was urged into this process by my counselor, who advised me to “utilize” a heart surgery I had when I was seven, an experience I rarely recall, as motivation for wanting to become a doctor in order to stand out. In essence, many of us felt forced to abandon our honesty and integrity in an effort to climb the ladder of success.

A broader example of the domination of the Empire of Success can be seen through politics, specifically with the gerrymandering (see figure to the left³) of congressional districts in the upcoming election. Once again we see the domain of the Empire of Success manipulating even the democracy in order to guarantee the victory of the majority party. Though the practice is clearly unethical, it still occurs simply for the conquest of power.

Figure 2: Gerrymandering, Explained³ Gerry mandering refers to the dividing of congressional districts in such a way that gives an unfair advantage to one party over another.

Though the Empire of Success is powerful, so is the Empire of Ethics, a fact which can be seen by many great moral heroes in history. Take MLK Jr., for instance— the road to end discrimination towards African-Americans was long, and choosing to do so through non-violent protest made it even longer. There were several arguments urging for a shift to violent protest, as many believed that doing so would solve the discrimination issue faster. MLK Jr. and his supporters denied these claims because they understood that a victory through violent means would be short-lived and unfulfilling. The advocates for equality hence took extra time and effort to ensure the equality of African-Americans, and their efforts to solve the issue ethically are the reason that discrimination has significantly decreased in our modern world.

It seems that worshiping the ideals of the Empire of Success results in a quicker route to a lavish lifestyle, which the Empire of Ethics doesn’t seem to provide, but the cost is heavy. The biggest consequence of being a slave to this dominating realm is the loss of those close to you and/or the loss of yourself. Sacrificing everything to achieve victory often means doing so at the expense of your peers or at the expense of the values that encompass who you are. Once you reach the top, then, you’re left alone— alone as a ruler of the Empire of Success, yet still a shackled slave to its materialism.

Our world tends to prioritize the methods of the larger empire, while disregarding the importance of its smaller rival. It’s crucial to recognize, however, that being ethical and being successful do not have to be mutually exclusive. The North and South parts of the United States had once been strict rivals, yet they combined to form a world superpower. In this same way, one can be moral and take the longer road to victory. Success, in turn, will undoubtedly be much more fulfilling.

¹Lazo, Rodrigo. “Chapter One: Empire and the Humanities.” Humanities Core Writer’s Handbook Empire and Its Ruins 2018-2019, pp. 4–5.

²“Wealth” is in reference to the three pursuits of the slaves— money, fame, and status.

³Nass, Stephen. “Gerrymandering, Explained.” This Is the Best Explanation of Gerrymandering You Will Ever See, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2015, http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/03/01/this-is-the-best-explanation-of-gerrymandering-you-will-ever-see/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b8e06e4e320e.

⁴“Business Ethics.” http://www.grupoicohari.com/tag/ethics.