What is enlightened democracy?

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Enlightened democracy is a vision based on the view that mankind needs guidance and direction to move in order to achieve social and political order which can be the foundation of peace. It is a guideline that sees the world as moving forward to higher and higher stages of evolution, where every human being has the responsibility to
participate. It views the world existing at this moment of history as a ground
where diverse stages of social evolution live together – some societies are
still in a primitive stage bound to hunger and basic needs, while a few has
progressed  to fulfill greater aspirations of human freedom as creative beings searching meaning and greater possibilities of self-realization.

Enlightened democracy professes that human beings are endowed with the power to realize themselves in ways that may fulfill the meaning and purpose of our existence. Humanity has the possibility to evolve in directions that we can steer ourselves once we are equipped with knowledge of nature,  and dynamics of history and understanding about the power of our consciousness. We may guide this development that can bring harmony and peace in the world instead of generating chaos that may arise once we conceive the evolution of society resulting from interaction in a random way. It is a progressive path: First, to free man from hunger and needs, then from ignorance, prejudices and superstitions derived from culture and belief which binds man to a particular tradition and culture. It seeks to empower man with understanding and vision,
with which one may appreciate the values and ideas which can be accepted by all
people and cultures of the world. Thus man may free oneself from the narrow
views inherited from the culture where one is born. It is a way to march
forward by disentangling oneself from views and practices in which one lives
and instead identify oneself as part of the whole of humanity sharing same
values and visions.

Enlightened democracy prescribe the values and visions that can be accepted by human beings of all nations, cultures and races once they are equipped with knowledge and information about the nature of the world, the dynamics of the social and
political cultures and the inner nature of themselves as creatures possessing
higher power of consciousness. It can pave meaningful paths of freedom leading
to higher and higher ways. It is a path which needs to be trodden by using the
power of knowledge and visions of the unity of all living beings with the
cosmos, permeated by a meaning that one needs to explore. It is an exploration
and journey towards higher heights of the mind towards freedom that may liberate
us from bondages that the mechanical world imposes on our existence.

In this journey we will find many of our fellow human beings still struggling to free themselves from the basic needs. Enlightened way is a way to act to bring changes in the world that will create conditions of freedom for them. Beyond pursuing the path
of knowledge, the enlightened democracy teaches man to be compassionate about
the suffering world. Success of enlightened democracy hinges on the prerogative
that societies produce teachers and guides who will transmit knowledge and
vision and inform people about the direction and goal one should pursue. With
it, one needs to promote the growth of an enlightened Civil Society i.e. the
community of these teachers, trainers and guides, who will be the backbone of
security and peace in the world.

 

What is wrong with democracy today?

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As I have said, democracy is in a doldrums except in few societies belonging to the advance economies of the world. Even in these societies, narrow parochial views about
the superiority of their own cultures over the other are symptomatic. Holding
on to the ground of economic and military superiority they preach values of
human rights and democracy to the rest of the world. In turn, to maintain this
superiority they make alliances with nations where democracy and human rights
may be in dire state. They support dictators or democracies according to their
own strategic necessities. When it is necessary to get supply of resources of
other nations, or they need access to military bases, which may be beneficial
for their economic and military dominance, they change allegiance to democracy
and dictatorship as opportunistic means. Except in very few countries, like for
example, the Nordics, the preaching of democracy and human rights have become
hypocritical means to find ways to control the political rivals. The capitalists use it to fervently counteract the advancement of socialism and communism in countries where they have military or economic interests.

The instruments of human rights and democracy developed by the UN as Declarations of Civil and Political Rights, and Declaration of the Cultural Social and Economic Rights
are the only mechanisms which inspire the Civil Society today to engage in
spreading information and building awareness about democracy and human rights in
the world. These Declarations are results of a political tug-of-war between the
capitalist and the socialist camps. So the elements of these Declarations  are an amalgamation of individual rights where capitalist interest are preserved, and the rights of the people where the collective rights of the poor and the disadvantaged are guarded against capitalistic exploitations. They are highly politically motivated and used by
both camps as means to furthering their political influences in the world.

The Declarations builds a ground for all people and cultures to claim their rights equally with all others and inspire minority culture to engage in a political battle to free
them from the hegemony of the majority. On one hand it stimulates the growth of
the political rights of the minority which, instead of forging understanding
and harmony among different conflicting groups, tend to splinter the cohesion
necessary to build a society of peaceful coexistence. Similarly the
Declarations also provide the contrary view and profess the rights of the
people and nations before the narrow interests and cultures of minorities. They
argue that by this way one may guarantee the security to people as a whole. It,
in turn, can be abused as means to annihilate minority traditions and cultures
and encroach on their resources in an undemocratic manner.

By declaring all human beings are free and equal in a world, while freedom does not exist for the majority of mankind (in the way I have explained), and equality is only a
statement of utopian nature which has no resonance in real life for more than
99% of mankind (except in Scandinavian), the UN builds on the ideas of freedom
which have little substance in reality. By declaring the civil liberties, without any moral guidance to follow, and professing rights of all cultures and people to practice their traditions and beliefs in the way they wish, the international community promotes the problems and challenges I have mentioned. I repeat again: It does not provide any moral guidance and project any vision of how to resolve conflicts and forge harmony among individuals, nations and cultures. It does not profess the necessity of higher evolution of man, and point to any particular path for building an enlightened world. By declaring that all religions, beliefs, traditions and practices enjoy the same rights to
develop without giving any warning about the misgivings which they may produce,
the UN declaration appears to open a stage for competitions that will generate
more chaos than bring peace.

What is the meaning of freedom?

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In this multifarious world, democracy and human rights have many faces. Democracy,
which implies rights to vote and elect people to govern the society, without
any restrictions based on race, gender, belief, ideas and views, has become the
universal demand by people all over the world as  expressions of freedom. However, freedom needs a context in which it may receive a meaning. The context is often framed by the conditions in which one competes to survive and seeks to secure life,
property, opportunities of self-realization etc.. More insecure is the human life,
more restricted becomes the arena of freedom. Only in conditions where human
life experiences greater securities, freedom to choose and realize oneself it
receives greater meaning. Freedom for a man in hunger is to satiate his/her
need for food. In exchange of food he/she will submit the other dimensions of
freedom to the society.  After the insecurities of food, shelter and heath are overcome, human beings seek freedom to explore the possibilities hidden within themselves as creative beings. This freedom extends beyond biological necessities to realms of the mind where one dreams, and strives to realize new possibilities of living.  Only in a social order, which succeeds in freeing man from the basic needs, one can create ground for freedom where creative spirit of man can emerge. Creativity evolves according to the cultural environment where one lives, and the way the society inspires people by providing information and knowledge, and freedom to explore new frontiers of
intellectual and emotional life, which may open a path of self-realization – a
new dimension of freedom. Once this higher freedom is guaranteed by a society
by creating cultural environments, where new ideas can be brought forth, old
views can be challenged and a climate of openness and respect for all ideas and
beliefs can be ensured, the role of the human beings in building a social order
becomes more meaningful.  In societies that are based on inflexible ideology, or fundamentalist religious beliefs, or cultural prejudices and superiority of one group over the others, and where people may be coerced to follow the premises of freedom imposed by dogmatic rulers, the meaning of freedom lies in breaking away from confinement.

Only in a social order, where human beings are free from the basic needs, and liberated from the cultural dogmas and prejudices, and enjoy opportunities of engaging in the
pursuit of higher freedom, which may open richer dimensions of life, human
beings are able to descry the next realm of freedom representing the higher
stage of evolution of society.  This expanded freedom will bring transcendence of the human life through the emergence of a higher form of consciousness, which may open the doors to explore beyond the limited understanding of life by using the knowledge and methods available to man. This is a way to move beyond the world of material bondage and enter into a union with all that exist in the cosmos. The first step of
realizing this freedom is the compassion, and respect and love for all. In realizing one`s oneness and connectedness with all beings, who exist as wonders of the universe, the life may move forward to reach an enlightened stage of evolution. It is like moving out of darkness to light that opens the vision of existence, not ascertainable by knowledge and reason alone. This consciousness is the source of true peace and harmony in the world.

The way the development of human society is still bound in its primitive stage while hunger is not eradicated and the basic needs for survival are lacking for a large part
of humanity, it is a long way to go.

Dynamics behind progress and evolution of social order

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The main dynamics of social evolution hinges on the question of survival and security of one`s life and the progenies. The will to live and reproduce is common urge in the animal kingdom. The ground where these urges can be fulfilled is strewn with challenges and competitions. In the animal world life is mostly a struggle for escaping the predator and seeking to live by preying on others. We have inherited this natural instinct as human beings. However, more intelligent animals develop creative means to succeed in this evolutionary competition. The physical weakness can be compensated by creative abilities that can ensure safety and security, as well as facilitate the
availability of resources for survival. Cooperation among individuals, aiming
towards the same goal, is an effective method of self-defense and strengthening
the chance of survival. In the primitive level it is natural to cooperate on
the basis of biological relations. However, within the biologically linked
human beings conflicts and competition for dominance based on ethnic identities
can arise. With the evolution of the society this ethnic alliances may be
superseded by a new form of alliance based on cultural commonality among
groups. Culture provides the ground for sharing common views about the nature
of the world and human destiny, and methods to surmount obstacles by common endeavors. It is also a platform where people may share their emotional life triggered by
suffering, confusion, bewilderment, or joy and happiness. Culture develops in an
environment, which reflects the stress and tension of life as well provides the
opportunities of self-realization. The conceptions of the world and understanding of the nature of the reality which equips human beings with the means to deal with challenges of life are often drawn from the cultural ground.The identification with a particular culture forms the premise that can protect one from threats rising from competitions with people of other cultures. People, who ensure the security of a social order based on cultural belief, practices,and premises defining values and morals, become the rulers. The loyalties to these rulers become the foundation of building nations and states.

Human history is a story of incursion of one culture over the other utilizing military advantages and dexterity of the rulers. With incursions and invasions cultural amalgamations have taken place and created new cultural identities around which nations have strengthened themselves. However, the movements and adjustments have taken place based on the basis of the elements inherent in the circumstances of
history. The conditions existing in the external world were catalytic to such
changes. They did not include any projection of ideology, or vision of man
outside the questions of survival, security, dominance and conquest.

Man`s vision of a higher social order came with the rise of scientific knowledge and the adoption of rational thinking, with which it could scrutinize the nature of the world.
The industrial revolution, which followed the rise of the modern science,
created new circumstances of production and expansion of markets across the
globe. The economic disparities among the nations and between the nations grew
with the ownership and control of the technological modes of productions, and
hegemony of the colonial powers over the global market.  It generated the so-called proletariat class, whose labor became the foundation of capital generation. They were enchained in the mechanical world of production like slaves without any rights over what they produced. Capitalists built their castles on the profits gained from the
labor of the working class, and establishing a market based on unfair mode of
exchange.

It gave rise to moments of history when man started reflecting about the ways to find freedom without being led by circumstances and the power of the traditional players
governing the social and political order. Ideas about a better social order,
which may free the oppressed and move history towards a universal goal of
freedom for all, started taking roots. Nature of man`s freedom and the ways it
may be achieved became a sphere of philosophical speculation and sowed the
seeds of revolutionary ideas. The ideas of socialism and communism inspired
many intellectuals willing to defend freedom of man with the vision that man
should redefine social order beyond the animal behavior by using the power of
ideas and reason. With it history took a turn. The ideas about the way human
history should move, without following the blind tracks governed by circumstances, came to challenge the old order. However, in a socialist/communist environment where all should enjoy equal opportunities and freedom of development, the question ”how to secure the grounds of survival, and inspire creative engagements, which would fulfill the desire for self-realization?” became the hard nuts to crack. How to neutralize the forces
of the capitalist and traditionalist power groups constantly pressing on to dismantle the socialist ideology, became the greatest challenge for the revolutionists.

These developments of history made human rights proclaiming freedom from hunger and need and life in dignity for all, the main pillars for building social order everywhere, irrespective of culture, race and tradition.

Challenges of peace in the world today

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At the present moment of history even the most progressive societies are undergoing stress in fulfilling their democratic and humanitarian aspiration. The influx of the
immigrants in Europe, who wish to adhere to their religious belief and continue
to practice the culture of the society from where they have come, is the main
cause of this social tension. At the same time the deteriorating socio-political structures in many developing countries, governed by authoritarian rulers and afflicted by the problems of poverty, are forcing population to move to affluent part of the world. The struggle between the undemocratic fundamentalist religious rulers and the democratic progressive society is becoming a conflict between technologically organized superior
nations with people who wish to assert themselves by adopting the means of
terror. While one side clings to religious belief and values of old traditional
cultures contradictory to universal human rights and democracy, the other side
builds mechanisms in the global arena to bring an end to fundamentalism which
will contain the groups trying to subjugate others by acts of terror.

This increased tension in containing the religious fundamentalism, combined with the conflicts between capitalist and communist ideologies, is building  a polarized world, where promotion of democracy and human rights is considered by the opponents, as a tactic of the  capitalists and old colonial powers to interfere into the sovereignty of other nations. For example, operation of NATO in Libya in removing Colonel Gadhafi from power has been interpreted by Russia and China as a way of the western powers to maintain control of the energy resources they need for their economic development. According to their view by inciting demonstrations and public protest in demand of human rights and freedom similar tactic is underway to remove Assad from Syria and bring Iran with its oil reserves into their fold.

Thus human rights and democracy has many facades. While country like Norway, who enjoys sufficient oil reserve, and is not to any major way affected by immigrations of religious fundamentalists, promotes human rights and democracy from humanitarian point of view without hidden political agenda, US exploits democracy and human rights as a way of interfering into sovereignty of other nations in pursuit of economic resources
and military bases.

The US, being the uncontested superpower rattles saber in order to bring changes in the world in the way they want. When it is possible to act by building consensus in the framework of the UN, the US works in that way. If they fail to gather support in the UN they go in their own way by building alliance with nations friendly to the US, and/or rely
on the military firepower of NATO.

The success of maintaining dominance in the world depends on the technological military superiority as well as hegemony over the global financial market. It, in fact,
reflects the same psychology which has driven human beings to subjugate and
dominate others for ages.

Thus the nature of ruling the world is a mixture of old tactics of making alliances or breaking alliances according to one`s need to execute programs which will bring success, without concern for what may be universally considered as right or wrong. The
emphasis is more on the security through building alliances with others who
have similar cultural history and values. The antagonism against other values, and
skepticism about other cultures, hinder humanity to find a common universal
ground on which one may build a peaceful world. Unless the moral foundation on
which different cultures and nations draw their nourishments  converge, the prospect of peace will remain far-fetched.

However, in this peaceless world, the hindrances based on religious faiths are diminishing with the increasing spread of the knowledge of science and its easy availability to larger and larger groups of people. With increasing technological advancement the global market is getting more and more integrated where more and more people can participate in a free market competition in equal terms. Moreover with
increasing facilities of communication through social networks the youth in the
world is finding ways to organize and agitate against authoritarian rules and
seeking collaborations among groups beyond national boundaries. The open access
to information through internet is helping to shred off prejudices and
misconceptions about other cultures and views.

It may seem that humanity is marching forward to a goal of merging together as one nation and one culture that may one day create the ground for universal values and
increased security for all. It will be a world cleansed of dogmas and prejudices against other nations or races, which are catalysts for conflicts in the world.

The situation of human rights and democracy in the world today

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The poor nations have not yet been able to come up on their feet to assert themselves in a meaningful way in the world stage which is still dominated by a handful of countries. Many underdeveloped and developing nations are suffering from violations of human
rights and lack of democracy.

Democratic participation of the population in the political process is mostly realized in
the countries enjoying advanced economies. The rule of law and respect for
human rights has grown solid roots in these places. With a few exceptions the
rest of the world is reeling from violations of human rights under the grip of
authoritarian rules. Most of the Islamic world is infected with military
dictatorship, or authoritarian regimes. Whatever democratic process may exist
in these countries are mired by violations of human rights and coerced by
violence and corrupt judicial practices. In Asia, some of the previous colonies
have started adopting the democratic rule and moving away from a history of
dictatorship. However, in many cases, they represent nothing more than a formal
democracy, where electoral process is corrupted by different means in conflict
with the aspirations of free and fair participations of the people. Vote buying
and other methods of frauds are known. India is the best example of democracy
in the developing world. Indian democracy is mobilized by the force of poverty
and illiteracy based on issues like castes, regional language, ethnic and
cultural differences, religion, popularity as sport and media star, and
economic problems among others. People do not participate in voting with any
greater understanding and vision beyond one`s own security for survival in a
poverty stricken society. Corruption, lack of transparency in bureaucracy and
police, and shoddy legislative apparatus making the legal system questionable
in defending the human rights, make Indian democracy more a show of voting
rights, than any meaningful participation of people in building a social order
that can secure disadvantaged population against injustice and abuse of power.
In this biggest democracy the historical bondage to the feudal system still
plays an important role in electing its leaders. However, in spite of many
loopholes and deficiencies, the rise of the activities of the NGOs and media,
not controlled by the government, is making Indian democracy as an example for
the developing world.

Among the advanced economies, the countries,who did not participate in colonizing the world, and where the ideas of equality had strong appeal from the past, social-democracy had taken deep roots. These countries, with a long history of social-democracy have become the citadels of human rights. Presence of well- organized civil societies, lack of corruption and preservation of high transparencies in legal, cultural, economic and political systems have made them the best example of democracy today. Other advanced nations, where colonialism have a long history, democracies carry the
shadows of the past. In capitalist countries democracy is a free competition
based on the strength of money, power of mobilizing the interest groups who can
best support the growth of free liberal market. Human rights are based on the idea of individual freedom and the rights to maximize one`s wealth by utilizing capital and human resources of the world.  They seek to maintain economic and military hegemony over other nations. These nations support democracy, or authoritarian rule depending on what best fit their military and economic interests. When they wish to replace existing authoritarian rulers by persons of their own choice they take leadership in promoting human rights and democracy.

In communist countries, like Russia and China, the democracy is counterproductive to the goal of ensuring the rights of development of the people instead of the individuals. External actors interested in resources of other countries, play substantial roles in shaping the political development. Countries enjoying military and financial hegemony,
utilize covert means to influence and manipulate these political processes. They
exploit the climate of religious infighting, tribal conflicts, minority grievances, and antagonism between socialist and capitalist world views.

Are democracy and human rights means of perpetuating old colonial oder, or channels of freedom for the poor and the oppressed?

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Although, the ideas of democracy and the human rights of the individuals have become a weapon of propaganda against socialism and communism, who wish to succeed in their goals by curbing individual freedom, the attempts to promote democracy and human rights have generated a plethora of other forces. Those groups of the
population, whose interests were once suppressed by the dominating classes,
have got voices to demand their rights without feeling fear of prosecution. The
competitions between the two camps have unleashed the genii who cannot be
controlled anymore by traditional methods of manipulation and coercion. In
nations with diverse ethnicity and cultural diversification, the battles for
rights are splintering nations into groups subscribing to ethnicity and cultural
idiosyncrasies. With it, political parties subscribing to the idea of
strengthening local cultures, languages and traditions have started emerging counteracting the ideas of development based on universalism. By adopting cultural
narrow-mindedness and submitting to counter-revolutionary agenda, parties and
organizations are divided in line with caste, clan, religious affiliation etc..
Thus democracy has harnessed an era in history, where competitions among
diverse ideas – promoted either by the most ignorant, or the most enlightened
ones- are recognized as the way to achieve freedom.

The development of technology of communication across the globe and increased independence of the people disseminating information to the population, have added new dimensions to this process. Increased assertiveness of the journalists and reporters, and easy methods of communications in bringing information quickly to the mass are making all political systems accountable to people. The battle between the two camps has extended in this arena of information and communication too. Advertisement, disinformation and technological warfare that may weaken others` abilities to engage the population seeking information have become a new method of winning political grounds.

In the historical phase where unimaginable amount of information can be brought to people for scrutiny and judgment, mankind in every corner of Earth is being bombarded by waves of propaganda coming from different groups trying to catch attention and win
support. Treachery, lie, false information, deceit are abundant in all camps in
fulfilling ambitions of achieving success by using the mass media. The grab of
power over media and communication has become an essential strategy behind
social-political dynamics in achieving success in the communication age.

History is undergoing stress and tensions of newer dimensions due to rapid technological development and spread of knowledge and information to larger and larger mass across national boundaries. It is opening up new frontiers of social and political behavior beyond those once decided by the traditional actors like military, clergies and bourgeoisie. The entrance of the socialists and communists in the scene has helped in dismantling the walls which once kept minorities in the societies in
confinement without any voice and freedom. For all actors it has become a more
challenging arena to operate. All have to guard themselves against violation of
human rights and need to be aware of the public eyes and ears scrutinizing
their behaviors.

The power of the public has strengthened with the proliferations of non-governmental
organizations keeping vigilance against violation of human rights and seeking
to ensure transparency in the society. They keep eyes on corruption of the ruling
class with a purpose to ensure a healthy growth of democracy and rule of law.
The nature of growth and efficacies of the Civil Society has become an
indicator of the social progress.

Though humanity has progressed with the establishment of the supranational body which seeks to secure peace and promote human rights, while the non-governmental organizations have proliferated with the ambition of keeping vigilance on the realization of human rights, democracy and peace the world is till bleeding in injustice and
violence. In spite of the development of effective communication and information, which seek to make the actors in the society accountable to the public opinion, and the increased role of the intellectuals and humanists in molding the social and political developments,  the old mechanism of exploitation characterizing the colonial time is still holding its clutch.

Historical perspespectives for understanding evoution of democracy and human rights today

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History has seen evolution of many religious constellations and the tribal and ethnic
conglomerations seeking methods of ensuring self-defense, security and searching
dominance over the other groups. The main keys to success have been the military
advantage against the opponents by using knowledge and innovative technological
knowhow. Following power struggles, cultures have taken shapes, evolved and
diversified: Ideas have taken new branches; heaven has become “multicolored”.
With rising military competence of diverse groups power sharing among them has
become a political necessity and the strategy of forming alliance has become pivotal
to success.

The history, which has preceded the modern time, is basically a history of ethnic and religious conflicts, where cultural belongingness to particular ideologies and views have played central roles. Military advantages and strategic alliances to achieve the military goals have been the way to win and subjugate. Military success has given control over
resources and means of exploitations of the vanquished. Thus one`s success has
been the loss of freedom for the others.

In recent history the nations, who had gained military superiority by making use of scientific knowledge and developing technological means of communication, colonized a large part of the world. The purpose of such colonization had been mainly to
transfer resources and exploit the life and labor of the population of the
colony in order to promote one`s freedom and luxury of living. The alliances of
the traders, military adventurists and religious men belonging to the
colonizing power had fed on and exploited the economic and cultural resources
of other people and shaped a history in which humanity still bleeds.

With the end of the colonial period, a new political culture had emerged in the global scale. After the big powers had exhausted themselves during the Second World War, the security of the nations and cultures were sought under the supervision of a
supranational global institution. This gave a platform to build political and
cultural framework of  nations based on universal ideas and values, which all human beings must respect without reservations.

However, in this supranational body, the nations who possessed the highest capacity to destroy the world by using weapons of mass destruction were given the rights of
steering the security and destiny of the rest of the globe. They became the
leaders of the Security Council. By threatening other nations by overwhelming
military arsenals, the Security Council sought to bring peace in the world and
promoted the idea of building governance of nations based on universal rights
and values. All nations and cultures were supposed to submit to these universal
principles. After the world was devastated by a war initiated by racial hate
and fascism, democracy became the ideology in building a new world.

The idea was to strengthen cooperation and understanding among nations. Instead democracy became a way of competition among bearers of different ideologies and views – particularly the communists and the capitalists.  After the colonial powers left nations poor and underdeveloped many came under the governance of military dictators. Those, who took to democracy, got splintered into factions following the cultural diversity existing among them. This weakened their bargaining powers against
the powerful nations, who could meddle into the affairs of the other nations by
using the strength of their economic might and military superiority. Though
colonial era had ended, democracy gave the mightier nations, possessing
hegemony over the global economy, military and technological know-hows, the
power to maintain controls over the global resources. They “bought” loyalties
of political players who could manipulate democracy to serve the interest of
the colonial powers. This is how the powerful nations maintained their hegemony
and secured themselves easy access to resources of other nations by riding on
the idea of democracy.

While the capitalist nations were thus manipulating the global arena to serve their interests, the period of turmoil after the Second World War opened a new political frontier. The socialist and communist ideologies, which professed changes by armed
revolutions, rose to counteract the power of the exploiting class. To thwart
the power of the capitalists trying to tear down socialism and communism, the
new social order resorted to undemocratic methods of control. The liberty and
freedom of the have-nots were given priorities before the idea of freedom of
the elites to compete as one will.

This new situation generated a new form of ideological conflict not known in history before: On one side the traditional players exploiting the population in the name of
religion and tradition, or using the might of weapons and finance; on the other
side the bearer of socialist revolutions brought the prospect of bringing freedom and security to those who had always lived in the dungeon of poverty and insecurity in the past. The fear of the spreading fire of socialism brought backlashes to democracy. Powerful capitalist nations started supporting autocratic military regimes in many places in order to stop the rise of socialism and communism. In a divided world military competitions between the socialist and capitalist nations accelerated giving rise to more and more accumulation of weapons of mass destruction. It resulted into a world balanced by the fear of nuclear annihilation.

Communist ideology of freedom guaranteed by collective social cooperation, and the capitalist concept of individual freedom to compete and secure one`s wealth in the society by using one`s capacities and initiatives clashed head on. Competition to draw
supporters to each side intensified. The people who had found solace in
religion, and lived a secure life abhorred the communists. On the other side
the poverty stricken population, to whom security of survival, the opportunity
to live in dignity and respect, and get proper valuation of their labors were
more vital than the religious beliefs, found their ways of emancipation in
communist ideology. The religious groups supported capitalism, while the
liberal minded humanitarians took to the cause of the liberation of the
oppressed. It was the period of the rise of the liberal intellectuals in
support of humanitarian causes against the financial, military and religious
men.

However, people duped by religion and tempted by the prospect of increasing financial wealth and power, still dominated the history. By using covert organizational support, injecting corruption and influencing activities which money can generate,  while at the same time manipulating the weaknesses of people to religious beliefs, and spreading disinformation about other ideologies the capitalists had succeeded in halting the march of the revolutionaries. The power of advertisement and the capacity of spreading information through mass media by the wealthier class had been the crucial factors in halting social, political and cultural revolution. The idea of democracy had been an effective way to maintain the dominance of the class enjoying unequal financial and
political strengths. The desire to make best use of one`s condition through
competition and bring oneself into an advantageous position of power and wealth
had tempted this class to engage in socio-economic activities with greater
enthusiasm. In contrast, the ideology, which posited all as equal as regards
enjoying the resources of Earth, prescribed authoritarian methods to achieve its
goal. So, communism turned less appealing to the individuals aspiring for
security and happiness for themselves. The communist political system failed to
deliver the freedom required to grow in diverse directions by dictating ways of
freedom through class struggle. With it democracy stressing individual freedom
won ground where capitalist free market competition thrived.

However, since the Second World War the socialist and communist ideologies have lingered on. Unlike the old time, when only the military men, the religious leaders and the merchants decided the social, cultural and political evolutions, now the roles of the
intellectuals, thinkers, philosophers and humanists are recognized. The view of
the importance of the collective interests and freedom of all has gained more
solid footholds in several cultures of distinct religious and cultural backgrounds.

So humanity has evolved one step further. The antagonism between the old players of history and the new revolutionaries professing social and political system where individual freedom must make place for the collective advancement and freedom of all, is characteristic of our time. Both sides try to gain control of the development
of history. One camp tempts individuals seeking power, wealth, liberty without
constraints, and freedom to self-realize the way one may wish. The other camp
tempts those who may fear failure in competitions driven on unequal premises
among the individuals, and seek comfort in a system that can guarantee security
to life, health, education etc. for all.

Our nature as animals and forces behind social cultural diversification

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Living things are characterized by their abilities to survive by consuming material available in their environments while assembling highly complex structures from simpler
elements available in the surrounding. They have the abilities to replicate themselves
and grow by using intelligent methods, where many assembly-line types of works
are done in the process of this replication. They can move, motivated by the
necessity of survival, reproduction and growth, without being commanded by
external forces, or carried by other entities. This is absent in the non-living
world. A non-living object does not move unless acted upon by external forces,
or cannot grow and multiply by assembling simpler structures into highly complex forms. They are not able to choose to act, which can resemble intelligence of the living organisms.

However, most plants do not wander around in search for grounds for survival, reproduction and growth. They make use of the conditions available locally in the environment and seek the best strategy to secure their needs of supply of nutrition and energy within the conditions where they grow their roots. They respond to the changing
climate and orient themselves according to the ways their existence can be best
secured. Their choices arise more as responses to the changing external climate,
in which they are destined to live. In contrast, in the animal kingdom the choices
are more than mere responses to natural state of affairs.  In pursuit of better ground for nutrition, and energy and security for survival and reproduction, they constantly choose
their environment defying the rigid ground which tries to destine and control
their existence. This indicates a sort of will, which one may call the
will-to-live. However, as long as their mobility is constrained within a
sphere, they are also destined by the conditions available in that sphere. Higher
the mobility and greater the intelligence to make best use of the available
resources, more successful the animals are in their struggle for survival and
growth.

This freedom to move and choose is invariably threatened by competitions posed by others who are similarly seeking their grounds of survival and security. In a situation where there are not enough resources to sustain and secure all, desiring to live in the
same environment, the life becomes an arena of conflict. The primary method of
resolving conflicts in the animal kingdom is often the use of brutal physical power.
Normally one, who is physically stronger, will win over their weaker competitors. Conflicts also inspire innovation and creativity. By making intelligent use of the brains in newer ways one may be able to find strategies and methods to secure oneself against the dominance of the physically stronger animals. Thus by using creative intelligence one can prevail, like the homo-sapiens has succeeded against the ferocious animals in the jungle.

However, creativity does not bring an end to competition, rather it can, in fact, inspire fiercer competition among the members of the same group. Once one fails to secure one`s ground for survival by one`s own initiative alone, the best strategy is to form
social network of cooperation with others living in a similar situation. This can
give a stronger ground to stand against those who may threaten the existence.
The efforts of the many, while sharing methods and means, which have been
proved successful and exchanging knowledge and experience, one can greatly
enhance the security of life. Most animals develop their own social modes of
interactions, which are aimed at this goal.

The animal species, who have been able to secure the desired ground by using creative means and social networking and cooperation, carry urges to maintain their dominance over the less successful species.The fear of losing the secure ground often motivates one to dominanate over others. If the dominance goes unchallenged, the successful groups tend to extend their sphere of security even further than what the immediate conditions may demand. Thus they may become more power hungry and develop future strategies to perpetuate their hold of power.

It is in this social environment cultures evolve. One may define culture as an intelligent creative way of forging common platforms of cooperation among individuals. By sharing
common view, or forging cooperation around a common social endeavor, or
communicating emotional elements appealing to the common nature of the group,
who live in similar environment, bonds of cultural cohesion are formed. This is
a sphere of interaction which is solely reserved for the human beings. Culture
is also a means to develop strategy,  acquire knowledge and invent ways to forge social platform where individuals can share their creative possibilities, which may be appreciated by others and made use of  to characterize the identity of the group.

With evolution of man, the cultures have diversified. Many different innovative approaches and ideas have created many different cultural groupings. An individual culture can be identified by the knowledge of the world and nature which its members share, and the views about the creation and meaning of life they subscribe to.  The fears about the natural catastrophes and the uncontrollable destiny bringing death, unleashed by the natural forces, have led human beings to speculate about a world outside the realm where they live and compete. This has inspired imagination to believe in the existence of supernatural world inhabited by supernatural beings. Often the fear about the supernatural world and the curiosity to understand the dynamics which drive
natural phenomena around have resulted in forging a cultural platform. The
belief that the supernatural powers can be appeased and invoked to intervene on
behalf of a group in order to secure success in the competition against its
rivals, has a strong appeal in most cultures. Rituals are prescribed to seek blessings
of the supernatural power to fight against others. Societies have thus two main
pillars for ensuring securities – one is the military strategists who execute
powers in affairs under human control, and the other is the representatives of
Heaven, who can call for the intervention of supernatural power to act in one`s
favor.

Thus most social and cultural diversifications have taken place according to the military-strategic constellation and the spiritual-religious institutions which promise security
to the members adhering to the culture. In early days of human civilization, often some living mortal represented Heaven, like the Faraos in Egypt, who ruled in the name of the gods. The military men were amalgamated with the spiritual world, or spiritual representatives became subservient to the military men.

With the passage of history there had been power struggles between the military men defending the society against external threats of power, and the religious men defending the mortals from the wraths of the gods by conducting rituals to appease Heaven.