‘Barbarism’

Is its meaning ‘absence of civilization’, or ‘extreme cruelty and brutality’? It’s the only word I can think of that is oxymoronic unto itself. Unlikely pre-civ humanways were as cruel and brutal en masse as rotating cohorts of civilized humans have been and continue to be. Barbarism’s commonly connoted meaning manifests not so much in wild humans, as in civilization’s enforced compliance with authoritarianism, power hierarchy, domination and exploitation. It’s not like groups of humans at war or whatever return indigenous. They get uber violent, rape pillage & plunder as civilized beings. After they get it out of their system, most return to civilization’s preferred norms, proud tax paying citizens. Civilization has barbarism built in.

On the edge of oblivion and all the world is Babylon, and all the love and everyone a ship of fools sailing on.