How is the world ruled and led to war? Diplomats lie to

The satirist Karl Kraus once cast his scornful fire upon the age of men with these words: “How is the world ruled and led to war? Diplomats lie to journalists and believe these lies when they see them in print.” In this thunderous utterance he unmasks the vanity of power, the folly of tongues, and the tragic circle where deception becomes its own snare. The ancients would have called it the wheel of hubris, for here rulers speak falsehoods to shape the world, yet, like blind men chasing shadows, they fall prey to the very illusions they have sown.

This truth is bitter, yet we must drink it. For wars are not born solely of iron and fire, but of words, and words are woven into illusions. When diplomats lie, they clothe ambition in the garment of necessity. When journalists repeat, the lie becomes a trumpet-call, resounding across nations. And when the powerful read their own lies returned to them in the ink of print, they bow before their reflection as though it were truth. Thus do falsehoods harden into policy, and policy into war, until men bleed for illusions spun in the chambers of deceit.

Look to the example of the First World War, that abyss into which a generation was hurled. The thrones of Europe wrapped their motives in phrases of honor, defense, and destiny. The press, caught in the fervor of nationalism, spread these tales as gospel. Leaders then looked upon their own propaganda, now reflected back with force, and believed it with unshakable faith. So, millions marched to slaughter, not for truth, but for illusions repeated until they took the weight of stone. Kraus himself, living in Vienna at that time, saw clearly the madness: men did not die for reality, but for the echoes of lies dressed as truth.

The wisdom of Kraus is not only for kings and generals; it is for every age, and for every soul. For even in the smallest matters, men are tempted to speak falsehoods to gain favor, to shape opinion, to wield a shadow of power. Yet beware! Lies are like smoke: once breathed in, even the liar begins to choke. What begins as a tool of manipulation often becomes a prison of illusion. Believing one’s own lies is the deepest blindness, and from such blindness springs folly, conflict, and ruin.

Thus, O listeners, let the teaching be engraved upon your hearts: truth is the shield of peace, and lies are the heralds of war. The world is not ruled merely by armies and laws, but by the stories men tell and the words they believe. To guard one’s tongue, to test every report, to seek the root beneath the blossom of words—this is the labor of the wise. Those who worship the written lie shall find themselves enslaved by it, but those who demand truth, even when bitter, carve a path of freedom.

Consider this in your daily life. When you hear a tale, ask: Who gains by this story? What interest is clothed in these words? Do not be quick to repeat, nor quick to believe. Let skepticism be your companion, and discernment your lamp. For just as nations are led to ruin by falsehood, so too can a single household be torn apart by gossip believed as truth. Let your speech be seasoned with honesty, and let your ears be sharpened to test what enters them.

Practical action follows: read widely, listen deeply, and question bravely. Do not surrender your mind to the easy lie, nor let the crowd’s shouting drown your reason. When you speak, speak what you know; when you doubt, confess it as doubt. In this way you build your life on rock, not sand. For in the end, truth may wound, but it never betrays; lies may soothe, but they always destroy.

And so, children of tomorrow, remember Kraus’s bitter wisdom. Nations fall when they trade truth for illusion. Men are enslaved when they believe their own deceit. But those who honor truth, though the path be hard, walk in freedom, and lead others away from war into peace. The pen may mislead, but it may also deliver salvation—depending on whether it serves the shadow of a lie or the light of truth.