Why do we put ourselves through this? What is our obsession that drives us to the deepest pits of Hell and back? What makes the Magician so different that he spends his life looking God in the eyes and proclaiming himself superior? Is it a hunger for power? Or knowledge? Or something more?
A man lives. He works hard to be happy; with his wife, kids, big house and sports car. He amasses wealth to the best of his ability, and then he dies. Why then are some men so drawn to the Infinite? Are we just so selfish that nothing short of the Universe will satisfy us?
The magician Lives. He gives his life to the Great Work; with his robes, circles, weapons and bells. He amasses victories to the best of his ever growing ability, and then he dies. Are we really so different from the slaves? Is our Pride, so strong that we force God to turn away when looking us in the eye, the only thing that sets us apart?
We claim total mastery of all situations. Yet we sit alone, our "store of women" lacking any real depth of emotion. We turn away what makes us happy in order to follow the Path of Initiation. But is it really that we are just so scared of being hurt, of not being in control, that we run from our love?
Desperately calling out to a Goddess who will never retract her Love? We are men, with all the love, joy, pain, and fear that other men face. What sets us apart is an insane drive of preservation. We are romantics that feel the smallest slight to the very core of our being, and we know our only chance of survival depends on conquering what we feel. All the other attainments, all the other miracles, grades, orders, and games are just casualties and side-effects from our one Great Battle with ourselves.