Heirarchy is Slavery. We are Capable of Better.

Has anyone else ever pondered our current reality, and the fact that we grant fellow human beings power over our very lives? The current system in place allows fellow human beings the power to dictate every aspect of our lives. From laws, to taxation, right down to the ugliness of war. We allow this system to continue. We even go so far as to call it freedom.

Why is it that we allow certain human beings to inflict so much power over the rest of us? We place them on pedestals, we cheer for them, we even help to finance their campaigns.

The truly sad reality is that every election we hold out hope for change and it never really happens. We return to the polls every four years to elect the next incumbent who will inevitably choose power over the people. Who will inevitable choose the elite over the majority. Who will inevitably choose to promote themselves over their constituents.

This of course has been the reality for many many years, and yet time and time again, the people return to the voting stations to elect the next shill that promises change.

We keep hearing this change, yet millions continue to starve to death. Billions more can barely make ends meet. The cost of living continues to increase, while wages stagnate or continue to decrease. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Many nations spend billions or more on military expenditure. In fact the USA spends more on defense than every other nation on earth combined. Does that not seem disgusting to anyone else? Imagine what just a fraction of that money could do to ensure that no-one on earth starved to death and that everyone had an adequate form of shelter to protect themselves from the elements.

It is clearly evident that granting human beings excess power over others almost always ends in corruption. As the saying goes: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

I feel that self governance is the most practical governance. True freedom, less suffering, less misery, and a greater emphasis on unity as a species could be achieved via a system devoid of a hierarchical structure. Perhaps even a worldwide system without classes. You may claim that is communism, however look at the current state of affairs. There is already very nearly two classes and two classes only: The wealthy and the poor.

Let us not forget the fact that without a system of hierarchy, there would be no room for a tyrannical government to form, install a communist dictatorship, and rule over the people. In essence, this would be a system by the people and for the people.

This system would see a sharp reduction in crime as everyone would be guaranteed enough food to live on and an adequate form of shelter. As well as health care and an education. You would even be free to educate your children at home if it were in line with your principles and beliefs.

As I previously mentioned this form of society would wind up reducing crime. The current system, under a hierarchy, will never see a reduction in crime because there will always be poverty, and poverty, which in turn leads to hopelessness and desperation, breeds crime.

The current system will never solve the problems that plague this planet. The war on terror will never end because violence begets violence. The war on drugs will never end because their are always users and more importantly, there are always individuals who seek to profiteer off of a planet where the motto: Money makes the world go round" reigns supreme.

A planet in which people help each other. A planet in which we continue to advance technologically without financial reward as the incentive, and without competition, and without a hierarchical system in place would eventually lead to a better world for all.

A world where starvation is non existent. A world in which health care is provided for free of charge. A world where shelter isn't something any family or any individual has to ever worry about again.

A world for the people, and by the people.

en.wikipedia.org...(Star_Trek)

two lines

Originally posted by eldard
en.wikipedia.org...(Star_Trek)

two lines

Improving the quality of life for all inhabitants of Earth, and offering hope is related to the Borg now? Perhaps this is a form of indoctrination, or fear mongering to ensure that nothing ever changes for the better.

Have you ever considered that possibility?

And let me just state that if my rant was influenced by the borg, then they are certainly on the right track. In my humble opinion, anyway.

Originally posted by eldard
en.wikipedia.org...(Star_Trek)

two lines

At the risk of spamming my own thread, I just want to state that I find it extremely offensive that you would accuse me of being a part of some collective.

I spent a lot of my time to make this thread. I also utilized my own mind to make this thread. I see this as a way to better the world, to solve many of the problems that this world currently faces.

If anyone dares to dream up strategies to better the lives of people on this planet, you automatically assume that they must be part of some evil race of outsiders that want to take over the planet for their own nefarious deeds?

What kind of attitude is that? How will we ever get anywhere if anyone who dares to speak their mind is accused of being an automaton?

OP Excellent thread!

I have to say I completely agree. Even in high school I wondered how people argue and defned politions and law makers as if they were better than everyone else.

A book I am writing deals with this very topic of heiarchy. Mind you I must admit my ideal world is not popular I found your point well thought and it made me feel loads better to know others in the world are thinking similarly.

My father and I argue about mainly money and its role. He argues people need money to work. His example being that:

Guy 1 raises chickens for eggs.

Guy 2 makes pans to cook the eggs

Guy 2 will likely only have one pan to barter with but will always need more eggs hence the reason for money.

My argument was why does their need to be an exchnage at all. Why can't people simply work togethe rand provide what they can for all including those that, through physical or mental limitations, cannot provide at all.

His contention is that not all work is equal. For example, a surgeon would have far more taxing work as far as having to deal with peoples lives next to say a clothesmaker.

He essentially argues that men and women will only work with an incentive and the prosperity of all humanity and the environment simply isnt incentive enough.

While at this point time I tend to agree with him I firmly believe we as a species are simply complacent and addicted to money. Like addicts we rationalize and argue against change, in this case, work for the good of everyone because we don't want to comprehend a world with out prestige in our roles and winners and losers. A job be it a politician or a banker or a construction worker etc. carries with it a prestige that is used as a measuring stick to tell us how much better we are than the next man or woman and how far we need to come to reach those we deem above us.

Competition and greed are not necessary for progression. Tesla did not invent for gold or fame but for humanity. There is simply no reason we as a species could not bring ourselves to meet that challenge.

Thank you OP for such a thought provoking post.

Cheers

[edit on 23-12-2009 by thebulldog]

reply to post by eldard


What a garbage reply.

A link and "two lines". Totally irreverent. Is this what ATS has come to?

Anyway... I agree with the OP, on an ethical level, but not a practical one. Heirarchy can be slavery, but it can also be willful and serve the purpose of organization. Do you think the military would function without heirarchy? Or government? Heirarchy is what replaces chaos with order.

Everyone wants a world free of starvation and so on, but that level of equality is impractical because the individual will always want the right to what they have earned. If you force them to share, you institute a heirarchy where your ideals take precedence. Putting you back at square one.

reply to post by SteveR


This is the very debate I have with my father from time to time. Mind you I am young and the sum total of my experience is coloured by my ignorance but I agree with the ethical and believe that it is possible in the practical though I don't see it happening any time soon.

The problem as I see it is whether or not we are totally products of our enviroment or if certain attitudes and behaviours are simply biological.

Hypothetically speaking, the world may be at peace, everyone fed and clothed and sheltered. However it would only take one person to look around and see that he or she could have more simply by taking it and feed ego or greed or vanity or whatever may be the driving factor.

I hope that I am right and humanity is capable achieving what the OP says but it is an ideal that I don't see ever being possible in my lifetime or my childrens lifetime or their childrens lifetime. Fundemental changes would need to come about in the areas of competition and what we value. Some value a thank you for services rendered above anything else while others want a vast sum of money or prestige or something that marks them as great or one to look up too.

I would argue that yes heirarchy is needed in the army but I lament the fact that armies are needed at all.

Excellent reply I love thoughtful responses.

Cheers

We're all spirits temporarily here. We should all make an effort to make life as reasonably comfortable for everyone as possible. No one gets away with anything the karmic scales are perfectly just. Good deeds reap good rewards, bad deeds bad rewards. Never the two shall meet. By the nature of this temporary world, people are only exhausting their imperfections and they are mercifully allowed to express their desires good or bad. They just have to pay the piper for whatever they do sometime later. For nature to impose an immediate response would not serve the purpose of encouraging the exhaustion of imperfection and thus the eventual purification. That doesn't mean that society can't provide a check on the individual gone astray themselves. But it is worth realizing they we are never doing so for "revenge". Revenge is bad karma, it is cultivating bad karma on top of bad karma.

The reduction of hierarchy is best achieved with a Republic form of government. Where the power of government is derived from the people. What has happened is that the legal society has infiltrated and taken over much of "government" saying what is "law" and what is not. With that power they have turned crime into law. The "Criminal Justice System" is really the "Criminals Justice System". What is allowed is what is approved by the courts. What is history and education becomes brainwashing indoctrination. However, it is also said that only about 3% of the colonists participated in the revolutionary war. 3%! People have been more than abused by social brainwashing. It's not very easy to identify where this laziness of mind comes from, but it is that way in most of us. A great listen is EricWhoRU. Eric have a good capacity for no nonsense thinking which is in no small part courage. www.talkshoe.com...

Most of us lack the courage or we are shy or want to make others happy or we are innocent and naive. These are not bad qualities, they are virtuous to a degree and indicate a spiritual nature. Oppression is done out of ignorance and weakness. The Oppressor is creating sin or bad karma for themselves.

Justice is when "society" intervenes on behalf of the welfare of an individual, in an effort to check their mind, and limit observable bad karma. Observable bad karma is hurting someone, interfering with their property or mentally or emotional manipulating and taking advantage of them ie misleading them in or into agreements. The decision that this is actually occurring is only reached by a grand jury investigation. It is never granted to individuals such as Judges, police officers, prosecuting attorneys, district attorneys, ie, individuals. Today grand jury's have been replaced by Plea bargaining and felony crimes committed by the court and fictional standards of imposed contract law.

In a misdemeanor arraignment court recently 40+ people where before the administrator (Judge in administrator mode). The admin takes their plea and 90% plea guilty, the admin then offer to super size their order by keeping their ticket off their record for only an additional $80 charge. Now the fact that these 40+ people are there for fictional crimes and the only real criminal in the room is the admin/judge isn't recognized by these 40 people. The admin/judge commits all aspect of real crime (Common Law) 40+ times in just one night. That's over 40 felonies and they want to be called "honorable". The city where this occurred has a population of 1,100 people. The city is raking in about $10,000 in night court alone per day. Coincidentally, not only is the city listed on Dunn and Bradstreet but the Cities Police Department is also listed. Coincidentally we now have a fictional requirement to carry car insurance. Coincidentally the cities (CAFR) invest in the stock market and appear to be invested in by the stock market. Perhaps the insurance companies are invested in by the cities and perhaps the cities are invested in by the insurance companies? The police officer knows that ticket sales are good for guaranteeing him employment and so does the judge and so does the prosecutor. Is there, by chance, a conflict of interest here?

Can you imagine a world where Common Law is upheld? Where is it genuinely a crime to manipulate people mentally and emotionally against their will? Where false law simply does not exist. Law is what the Jury says it is, not the Judge or the prosecutor or the state or the feds. Imagine a world where not only does the Grand Jury determine if a claim is real but has the power to investigate who is behind the promotion of crime in the first place?

WOW!!!!
POWERFUL!!!
SUPREME TRUTH;
flag and star for all of you;
i will be posting this on my myspace page;
WE NEED MORE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD LIKE YOU GUYS;
so keep spreading the truth on a massive level and NEVER STOP!!!!!

reply to post by Matrix777


Nothing will change for the better for quite a while because as long as there are people who are stupid, there will be people who'll exploit them.

reply to post by SteveR


No such thing as equality, sorry. Not for a while, anyway.

See post above.