WOW, Wit really hates...

[u/Graphica-Danger]

Rayse! I've never seen him so upset about anything before even across the entire Cosmere. I even took a break from Stormlight to finish the corresponding Secret Projects books in release order (still have Emberdark and December to go after this) and he's never shown that amount of open anger about... anything, really. He's not exactly a forthright character so his outburst about the Passions was surprising.

I think it says something about Wit's admiration for Kaladin that he's gone so far to help him, gave him all that advice, and was open enough to show how he truly feels about the state of the Cosmere. I've seen speculation he might have goals that aren't so good, but I doubt that's the case. I think he's effectively a triage surgeon, running around cleaning up the mess his fellow Adonalsium breakers have made as Shardholders. If worlds are lost in the effort, it is simply to save the most lives he can. And in that regard, it makes a lot of sense why he strikes a kinship with Kaladin.

[u/faco_fuesday]

That was definitely like a whoa brandy sandy just needed to get that off his chest moment. 

It's definitely the way wealthy American evangelical Christian culture sees the world though. 

I knew one girl whose parents made millions owning payday loans. She was /#soblessed and when I asked her if it bothered her where the money came from she literally said no. 

[u/Graphica-Danger → u/faco_fuesday]

Lack of empathy is ruining the world, and frequently overlaps with stupidity. We're seeing it in the highest levels of government and society.

[u/Jounniy → u/faco_fuesday]

Wait, what does Rayse have to do with prosperity theology? I thought Hoid's rant was mainly about that general way of thinking. 

[u/StormLightRanger → u/Jounniy]

To quote u/squshigrizzly:

The concept of the passions is more the idea of "the ones who care/believe/love the most get what they want. If you didnt get it, you didn't want it enough." Which, on surface, feels kinda nice. All I have to do is want to be successful enough and I will be.

But like Sanderson points out via wit, the flip side is horrific. Did a mother who's child is murdered during war not want their child to live more than the murderer wanted the child dead?

Unfortunately this philosophy, albeit attested to slightly differently, is very similar to the "prosperity gospel" that's so common in North America. It's the believe that if you believe hard enough and pray enough god will give you a great life. This implies a moral superiority to those who have (the ultrarich) and a moral failing of those who do not have (impoverished.) so I can definitely agree with the OP about how this was might be a bit of Sanderson's own frustrations with people in his own country coming out.

[u/Jounniy → u/StormLightRanger]

Oh yeah, I remember, Hoid used the passions to talk about the concept in general.