Unlearning the Myth of “Ineffable Times”
- john raymond
- Sep 15
- 2 min read
The claim that “these are ineffable times” is a lie of convenience. It disguises uncertainty, confusion, or ignorance as some mystical condition beyond human comprehension. In reality, there are no ineffable times—only failures of thought, failures of inquiry, and failures of coordination. To unlearn this myth is to recover both agency and responsibility.
The Structure of the Myth
The myth of ineffability functions as a sedative. It suggests that history has reached a phase where rational analysis no longer applies, where events are too novel, too chaotic, or too sacred to be described. This is not an admission of humility but a refusal of duty. It denies the possibility of structure, and thereby paralyzes action. It is the modern version of saying the gods are angry or fate has turned inscrutable.
The language of “ineffable times” is itself an asymmetric weapon. It removes the obligation to look up what one does not know, to learn civics if one has forgotten it, to chase down facts until new questions emerge. It makes ignorance respectable.
The Counter-Structure: Byzantine General Thinking
Against this myth we must assert a disciplined structure of thought. The Raymond Method insists on the three pillars:
Pillar One (Regime Security): Every actor, however unpredictable they appear, operates for survival. “Ineffability” obscures this, as though leaders act randomly or history unfolds without logic. Strip away the fog and you see the moves of regimes defending themselves.
Pillar Two (Asymmetric Warfare): Lies, propaganda, and claims of ineffability are asymmetric tactics. They make the opponent doubt that rational calculation is possible, inducing paralysis. Unlearning ineffability means recognizing this as enemy action, not cosmic mystery.
Pillar Three (Byzantine Traitor-General): The traitor thrives on making coordination seem impossible. “We can’t know, these are ineffable times” is precisely the false signal that ensures the good side cannot act in unison. Naming times as ineffable is itself a traitor’s move.
My Analysis of the Times
The refusal to analyze, the elevation of uncertainty into mysticism, is not neutral. It is active complicity. If you cannot conceive something, you must search until you can. If you cannot explain what is happening, you must keep testing frames until one holds. Effort is mandatory; ineffability is dereliction.
This is why thinking like a Byzantine general matters. The traitor will use “every ghastly thing” available—violence, propaganda, mystification—to keep the good from aligning. The only counter is relentless structured thought: clear models, clear history, clear facts. The myth of ineffability is shattered the moment you refuse to stop thinking.
The Reclamation Begins Here
To unlearn ineffability is to reclaim history itself. Our times are no more mysterious than those of Rome, Byzantium, or the Cold War. They are difficult, yes. They are dangerous, yes. But they are not ineffable. They are describable, analyzable, and therefore actionable.
The duty is to strip away the lie, to resist the narcotic of “unknowability,” and to name reality with precision. The moment we do so, we rob the traitor of his greatest weapon: the myth that the present cannot be understood.
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