The Trick of the Tree

For centuries, we’ve been told a story about a tree, a snake, and a choice. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil — the moment humans supposedly fell from grace because they wanted to know too much. But what if we’ve misunderstood the whole thing? What if the real “sin” wasn’t about knowing right from wrong — but about awareness without control?

Because that’s the trick, isn’t it? We see the world’s chaos, its suffering, its beauty, its contradictions — but we can’t control what others do with their freedom. And that’s terrifying.

Empire thrives on that terror.

Empire feeds on the fear that comes with not being able to control others. It builds laws, hierarchies, and binary systems — not to protect people, but to manufacture the illusion of order. Empire teaches us that freedom is dangerous, that it must be granted by rulers, governments, or gods. That it can be owned, restricted, or revoked.

But here’s the truth that every revolutionary, prophet, and liberator has tried to tell us:

F…