We're in this together

      History has witnessed the rise and fall of many empires. Many of which strove to reach a harmonious peaceful state. Empires through the centuries have had times of “peace” and “harmony.” However, this was usually accomplished by conquering neighboring societies. Early empires such as Athens, Sparta, Thebes and Persia fought for supremacy and prosperity. Leagues and empires such as these gave rise to republics. Republics sought to end monarchies and empower the people (the privileged). Athenian philosophers such as Socrates and Plato thought that the key to harmony was wisdom. That is a city/republic/society could only be harmonious when ruled by “philosopher kings.” Philosophers who ruled objectively, only concerned for the love of wisdom and knowledge. Yet, these ancient societies fell…

      History continued to produce various ways of organizing human interactions. Aristocracy, feudalism, capitalism  and many other forms came and went. Socialism/communism rose in popularity due to the 19^th century philosopher Karl Marx. Marx believed the true path to freedom or harmony was the empowerment of the working class. The closest model of Marx’s ideas was Communist Russia…which wasn’t too successful. Some would argue that Communist Russia did not follow all the steps necessary to realize Marx’s ideal. I am not qualified to comment.

     You might be thinking, “Hey these are just forms of government!” However, these philosophical, political and economic ideologies were all created by humans trying to get along.  

      It occurs to me that humans are flawed. Humans are the problem. 

      For example, I know myself best; I tend to be naughty. Talking with friends they feel the same way about themselves. It’s not that we always lie, cheat, and lust. But, those thoughts do rip through our minds. We have a conscience, yet as history shows humans always mess things up. Lord Acton, a British historian, made an observation that transcends time, "All power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

     It seems to me that humans cannot reach a state of harmony. Sure we can get along for awhile but, we always screw things up.  History is a witness of this.

     Humility I think is the best policy. Not weak humility. Humility that says, “I’m messed up, you’re messed up, we’re in this together.” If I realize that I am not perfect, no better than anyone else, all of a sudden everyone else isn’t look’in to bad.