TL;DR#
In the big strategy game Civilization VI, famous quotes from history show up whenever your civilization makes a major leap forward. These lines, spoken by actor Sean Bean, aren’t just for show they carry a lot of meaning.
For example, when people are upset about high salaries for government leaders while they struggle to make a living, it goes against what Lincoln said. Instead, it feels more like a quote from Karl Marx: “Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please… under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past.”
This quote shows us that policies aren’t made from scratch. They are shaped by old power structures that favor a small group of people. The big paychecks some officials get, while the public faces money problems, suggest that things are still set up to benefit the powerful few.
In Civ VI, power is one of the keys to victory. But the game also warns us about its bad side with a quote from Lord Acton: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
This is very true for real-world corruption, which makes people lose trust in their government. When elected leaders, chosen by the people, are caught in scandals, it shows how easily they can be corrupted by too much power. The game suggests a strong system should prevent this, but in real life, those systems can sometimes make corruption even easier.
Protests are a clear sign that people are unhappy with their government. They are a message from the public that isn’t being heard. A quote from Marcus Aurelius perfectly describes this: “Often injustice lies not in what is done, but in what is not done.”
This is a criticism of a government that doesn’t act or care about what its people need. Protests are a cry for things that are “not done” like providing good wages, a stable economy, and justice. A harsh response to these protests only proves that the government is failing to listen and talk with its people.
In the end, the quotes in Civilization VI are more than just a part of the game. They are a mirror that shows us the complex problems of human civilization. They remind us that political issues like inequality, corruption, and injustice are not new. They are timeless challenges that constantly test whether we can truly achieve the ideals of a fair and prosperous society.
This isn’t just a game. it’s the reality we’re facing now.