There are some sentences; they are not only read, they stick in one's mind.
It does not lose its impact even after centuries.
Like this quote attributed to Lucius Annaeus Seneca:
“Religion is truth for the common people, fable for the wise, and useful for those in power.”
This sentence is disturbing. Because it does not give an answer; it leaves a question in people's minds. And perhaps what we call civilization is built on the history of those questions.
One of the oldest refuges in human history is religion.
Man has clung to the unseen since his first fear. Because life was often too harsh to be explained. There was death. There was hunger. There was injustice. Man looked to the sky to avoid being alone in the middle of the universe.
So religion has not only been a belief system.
It has also become a solace, a belonging, and a great order of meaning in the midst of chaos.
This is perhaps why it is still the absolute truth for millions of people today. Because man is not always looking for the truth; he is often looking for a meaning he can stand on.
But history changed at some point.
The thought took the stage.
Philosophers came.
Science has arrived.
Doubt came.
And for the first time man began to question the sacred:
“What if what is being told is not the absolute truth?”
This is where one of the biggest ruptures of civilization began. Because the mind that asks questions and the structure that demands absolute obedience have never been fully reconciled.
However, an important distinction must be made here.
Just because a narrative is symbolic does not make it worthless. Humanity does not only live by naked facts. It also survives on myths, stories and shared assumptions.
We see this clearly when we look at the modern world today.
Nations survive on heroic stories.
Economies feed on myths of success.
Politics, on the other hand, is constantly producing new sacreds.
So it is not only about religion.
It's about the human need to believe.
But the harshest part of the quote attributed to Seneca is reserved for the end:
“It is useful for the rulers.”
This is where the dark side of history begins.
Because no power can survive by force alone. The most powerful way to rule people is to tap into their fears, their conscience and their sacred.
Fearful people take refuge.
The one who takes refuge obeys.
And throughout history, no power has ever found a tool as effective as the legitimacy provided by the sacred.
Kings spoke for God.
Armies marched in the name of God.
People killed in the name of God.
Again people died in the name of God.
What has changed today?
Maybe only the vehicles have changed.
Screens have replaced palaces.
Thrones were replaced by pulpits.
But the method remained the same.
Because the easiest politics is still to turn the sacred into politics. Because the moment religion is discussed, people start defending their identities, not their opinions.
This is where the secret of power lies.
Faith can elevate a person.
But organized faith can sometimes become the most functional instrument of power.
Perhaps that's why the saying lives on even after two thousand years.
Because it's not just about the existence or non-existence of God.
The point is this:
Why does one believe?
And more importantly...
Who determines what people believe?
History has shown us this:
Those who seek the truth and those who govern the truth have often not been on the same side.
And humanity is still stuck between those two sides.