THE MEASURE OF MAN

Note from the Author: As some pages and posts of this blog have been disappearing from the editor page and, therefore, I cannot work on them though they are published, I create again today, April 23, 2014, some of the pages that are gone. This one: The Measure of Man was written and published on November 14, 2013. Silvia Davila MM 


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PIPOL TALK 2
THE MEASURE OF MAN

By: Silvia Davila MM
Bogotá/ COPYRIGHT
Illustrations: Google Images



  
From the start, every time people gathered and settled together, they developed ways to make the community function to its best. Skills in different disciplines were put to the service of the community, those who could do it well attended the various aspects of life, and leadership was defined by individual abilities, knowledge, criteria and experience. That way societies got assembled everywhere. As they grew in volume, number and shape, and responding to every culture´s wits as well as to the world development powers, forms of government were born establishing to life on Earth the measure of man. Humanity has seen many of them: monarchy, democracy, republics, authoritarian regimes, dictatorships and many blends of all of them.  Along with all those forms of government, religions have shared political stage either because of open participation or, the contrary, total denial of it. Earthly and Heavenly power have moved parallel along Human history.

This World seen today in a wide scope shows three leading forms of government ruled by basic theories. Democracy and all its variations imply people represented in power, a voice for everyone. Its banner: freedom in all fields. Communism and Socialism imply government of the people, equality for all. Its banner: the workers. The third form is represented by governments where religion unifies people into decisions of power. What is interesting about the way these three leading forms of government are set in this world is that all of them have "pros" and "cons" but depending on the light shed on them, a slight turn of the mirror throws a totally different picture.  When "cons" prevail as a view, the entire World enters confrontation, government’s theory and interests clash, and differences surface on the board. Democracy´s lassie faire- lassie passer build rich societies, not just in terms of monetary product, but also in terms of what economic power provides. Technological, intellectual and artistic creations are its trademark. But then, not for all. The system, everywhere in the world, shows that the strongest get through while many struggle behind. Communism and Socialism promote equality, "everyone on the bed or everyone on the floor"; distribution is their aim and tool. But then, the cost, as it is designed, is individual freedoms, freedom to think, to speak, to create, to be, all that makes the human soul unique. The third form, religion driven governments like some in the Muslim world, hold tight to solid dogma, wise knowledge. A powerful faith holds them together under unifying precepts. But then, dogma that is eternal for the soul, strictly applied to government challenges in a turning ever-changing world often derives in extremes or isolation. As Humanity watches itself from "cons" point of view, confrontation rises, the light on the mirror highlights differences, fear rules relationships, and a consequent escalation of weapons takes place, weapons as powerful as the fear that drives them. Everyone cornered. 

But then, the light on the mirror does have shades. If, oppose as it happens today, Humanity would focus on the "pros" of each leading form of government, the World - as a whole - would benefit from successful experiences in each of them. A World that stands for Human individual and collective freedom, driven by the clear intention of taking care of all its inhabitants in a fair way, and guided by the pillars that faith creates would be a productive, creative, pacific, happy place. A gentle world´s blend of positive trends - the "pros" in every leading form of ruling - will nourish common grounds, avoid extremes, add up wits, vanish war, and toil the soil to care for both the individual and the group. So that the picture of Humanity - defensive behind the trench - would give way to an open, round, blue field where differences meet bringing expertise and respect to handle - as Human Race - the impending, present and inevitable transformations on planet Earth. A World that highlights and make good use of successes. Utopia? Ok, by doing it or failing to do it, men and women of this second millennium will define for history the Measure of Man./ SDMM Nov 14, 2013



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