In this Passionate Cri de Cœur, Ashaley Koblah confronts the illusions we cling to about life, circumstance, and morality. Through a raw and reflective narrative, he challenges the cliché that someone “would love to be in your shoes”, exposing the weight of self-loathing, societal hypocrisy, and the search for validation in a digital age.
From historical injustices to modern obsessions with technology, this episode explores the tension between human fallibility and the divine. A contemplative interlude invites listeners to look beyond mere survival and confront the deeper truths of existence.
Transcript
Main Narrative
That mindset, the idea that people would love to be in your “shoes”
is an excuse to avoid confronting self-loathing.
People say,
“Oh, your situation is better;
some would love to be in your shoes.”
But would you truly want anyone in those shoes?
Shoes so tight they’ve twisted your toes
and cracked your toenails?
Shoes that do not stretch?
Please don’t wish my circumstances on anyone.
Loathe yourself if you must,
but don’t assume your circumstances are better or worse than anyone else’s.
This world has no metric for an “ideal” person;
we’re in need of salvation, contingent on the divine.
It comes from above
it is promised,
undeserved.
The world and its moral ideologies are warped.
especially when executives and founders of colossal corporations
imagine themselves the rebirth of Napoleon, Julius Caesar, or Marcus Aurelius
no matter how you see and say it: great men, grandest of men, gods, idols, rock stars, geniuses?
Men who, despite everything, were fallible and became etched in history
because they pushed beyond the conventions of their time.
They’re dust and ashes, lying bare at the mercies of the elements.
On the other hand, so-called men of God sometimes subscribe to despicable things on the dark web.
selling fallacious blessings, insisting we’re not evil.
How long will you look to your fellow man
who’s just a mist and, at best, dust and ashes
when humanity craves validation
through a three-dimensional rectangle of wires and circuits,
kneeling to it like a god
perhaps the reinvention of Baal?
Do you forget the echoes from long ago?
Know that man’s proclamations are illusions.
Remember that slave trading ended only about two centuries ago;
among the many justifications used,
pigmentation was a predominant one.
And women were treated as property.
To conclude: if you believe in God,
seek to know the mind of God by grasping His word.
And I say to whoever comes to me:
hold your peace and your wicked, twisted words;
don’t come to me claiming I live in better circumstances than someone else.
By what metric do you claim this,
from the infallible viewpoint of the Maker of all things?
Bury those abominable sayings,
keep them to yourself,
and pray in silent reverie,
because the only truth is He.
All else is corrupt and twisted
even my own words and aching heart.
