More examples

The case of the Marcos Dictatorship in the Philippinies

The different stages in the political evolution of a country do not necessarily occur one after the other. There can be cases when it slips into a more degenerate stage instead of moving up in the natural evolution of power. The Philippines had experienced the age of kings very early when each island would be ruled by a king or a Raja or a Datu. The advent of the Spaniards was pushed by the ambitions of the Church to spread its power over greater portions of the world. The warriors and the kings were at the forefront of this venture at the instigation of the Church. For three hundred years the power of the priests held sway over the islands until the conquering ambitions of the Merchant class personified by the Americans caused the Spanish to forego their hold on the Archipelago. The Philippines therefore fell under the hegemony of the Americans which was motivated by the Merchant of profits.

The Americans left the Philippines under the guardianship of the Oligarchs or the Filipino merchant class. Ferdinand E. Marcos was a dynamic, brilliant visionary who belonged to the warrior class. He managed to present himself as a member of the merchant class and was elected president. He soon showed his true colors by embarking on a campaign of militarization which saw an increase of the military from 50,000 to 500,000 troops. He also set his sights on Sabah which was owned by the Sultan of Sulu but leased by the British and was eventually turned over to Malaysia when the British abandoned the direct rule of their colonies.

When his term was about to end he engineered a continuation of his rule by declaring Martial Law. All in all he ruled for twenty years as an absolute dictator but he was eventually driven out by the merchant class who had their standard bearer in the person of Benigno Aquino a member of the elite oligarch class. His rule therefore represents a falling back and is not really an evolutionary step. The visions of military rule by Honasan and the Oakwood mutineers are mere pipe dreams and will never prosper owing to the tremendous force of historical necessity.

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Different stages in different countries

Different Eras

There are four different eras which can be traced in human history:

1. Era of the workers or laborers
   
2. Era of Warriors and kings
3. Era of Priests and thinkers (usually Spiritual Thinkers)
   
4. Era of Merchants or Businessmen

The first era cannot really be called an era because everyone has the same status. Everyone hunted or tilled the land and food was shared by the community. No one really had any power over the others.

The second era was the natural progression from having little or no rule. As a result of advances in agriculture the problem of feeding the general populace had become greatly systematized leading to an increase in life expectancy and fertility driving the growth of population thereby necessitating the institution of rules and Rulers.

The next eras followed in succession.

This is not to say that this model represents a common model in all countries or societies. Different countries have different stages that can be observed. In highly-developed countries like Great Britain we can easily chart the rise of the warriors and the monarchists as well as the rise of the priests in the form of the Authority of the Pope which did not sit well with the kings who challenged the authority of the Pope by separatiing from the Catholic Church and creating its own which is the Anglican Church. That the Anglican Church had to be created proves the ascendancy of Spiritual authority over temporal authority.

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Rise of the merchant class

The Industrial Revolution: the new empire

A new development in the application of science and technology brought an unprecedented revolution in human history. The ability to mass-produce any commodity drove the engines of the Industrial Revolution. Suddenly more wealth could be created, emancipating individuals from their station in life if they just used any means available for them to make money. Poor, but smart men could suddenly amass millions and millions of dollars and pounds and francs and gold bullion if they are lucky but more importantly, ruthless enough to achieve their goals of making money. Ordinary men could now be richer than the kings and princes who ruled of old. A new ideology was born and is aptly called: Profits. Anything can be done in the name of profit. Any wheeling and dealing, machination and maneuvering was accepted and lionized if done in the name of profits. A great hunger to amass more and more wealth overcame the imaginations of many causing them to leave their homes and try their luck in the land of plentiful opportunities.

Warriors and kings were made subject to priests and intellectuals in the previous cycle of power. Now, warriors and kings, thinkers and scientists have become the willing tools of businessmen in the pursuit of profits. The principles of democracy fits squarely and snugly into the silk gloves of moneymen whose rallying cry of :"The Economy" is carried far and wide by all the communications mediacausing a president to fall and another to rise. Everything is dictated by "the economy". If some money can be put in the pockets of the many then the man who can claim to have done that would become president or prime minister; never mind that the money that trickles into the pockets of the majority is a mere pittance in comparison to the billions that flood into the coffers of the Multinational corporations.

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Changes in the seat of power

The ascendancy of Intellectuals.

It might have been physical strength or strategic ability that gave rise to the rule of Warrior-kings but as minds evolve and societies grow in sophistication, the arena shifts to the realm of the intellect as the main sources of power. Long before they wielded power themselves directly intellectuals have had a pivotal role in the decision-making processes of kingdoms, empires and tribes. A leader would have his wizard or shaman or seer who would help him decide a course of action. The final say would stil be had by the king who could arbitrarily put to death anyone who displeases him. This gives rise to the system of courtiers, bureaucrats and civil servants who help run the day to day affairs of the state.

Very early on in the evolution of power, God was always a handy tool to invoke hence, the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings. Very often, kings would invoke the divine favor bestowed on them by stating the obvious: i am king hence God wants me to be king. Taken to the extreme would be the claim of being descended from God himself. This would silence even the most vociferous critics who are every bit as superstitious as everyone else. Elaborate rituals would be performed where the king would invoke his divine abilities usually in the matter of agriculture and general prosperity.

The data needed for his mysterious rituals would be provided by his priests who also happened to be scientists in their own right. Priests would perform this elaborate exercise on a regular basis. Pretty soon priests would turn the tables on the kings and become the actual leaders themselves. We find examples of this in Egypt, South America and in the rise of the Holy Roman Empire for christians and the rule of the Imams in the Islamic world.

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Physical prowess and strength

Might is right

In more primitive times, a man exhibiting great strength or physical prowess would earn the admiration and respect of people. He would tend to become the leader when it comes to leading hunting expeditions and similar such activities. In those simpler times, the problem of hunting required physical strength and agility and dexterity. The one therefore who could bring home the meat would be an important personage indeed. As communities prosper there arises a need to organize for the common welfare and protection. The cultivation of hunting skills led to the development of warrior skills as well since the two functions utilize the same skills and abilities.

A man who has the capability to kill others becomes someone to be feared and respected. When he is able to defend his tribe from the marauding raids of other tribes then his fame increases. This probably led to the development of the Warrior as supreme leader or king. From the different cultures and from different parts of the world this phenomenon can be observed and became quite widespread and universally accepted.

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No bed if roses

The trick is to survive

Life is no bed of roses. Any birth is always tumultuous. The birth of the universe is called The Big Bang owing to the tremendous force that was expended in the beginning when time, space and matter were first created. Human birth is not so easy either although science has created various ways to alleviate the painful entry of a new life in this world. Life is characterized by the birth of one heralding the death of another. But is death really a final death or merely a transformation? Human survival is no less easy.

If one were to trace human history one would find that life is not so easy to do at all. From the point of view of those who have less the struggle could be more basic like having food on the table or shelter over their heads. From the point of view of those who have more the dilemma might be: which shoes to wear? which car to buy? Either way having more does not exempt one from having problems.

Many times when one feel that the burden one is carrying may be too much to bear and one is tempted to take a way out which is unthinkable and rarely solves anythng. The lure of suicide might be seductive and temppting but is it really a a real solution or merely an illusion? There is one thing that is certain when one commits suicide: this life and all its pain and suffering ends but so also the chances and opportunities to take control and to make changes if not to one's life but to one's attitude towards life and what being alive could mean.
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Waves and Particles

Nothing rests. Everything moves

It is said that the only constant is change. This sounds like two contradictory ideas: constant=change. If it is constant then how can it change? If it changes then how can it be said to be constant? Yet we know without being quantum physicists that everything changes. We can, from empirical observation tell that a day which seems to be like other days is really different from the other days we have seen. So a day which is called a day is really a different day. Sounds confusing? or maybe even trivial? This however, is the very nature of the universe. It is made up of waves and vibrations. Physics tells us that there is very little difference between a particle and a wave although a particle ought to be the opposite of a wave But on observation a wave sometimes exhibits the behaviour and characteristics of a particle and the same is observed of the particle when it behaves like a wave.

A garden of only white flowers becomes boring quite easily

When one plants a garden one makes sure that there are more than just one type of flower and that also goes for colors.. One tries to find uniqueness and tries various techniques to produce hybrids from two different parents. Man somehow tries to mimic nature which creates varieties profusely. From a simple element: hydrogen which has only one electron orbiting its nucleus comes other elements like oxygen, helium, carbon and many others with ever increasingly-complex structures. Electrons do not stay with one nucleus in its lifetime but gets bumped and driven away and meets and merges with another nucleus fo form another element or maybe just a variation of that element as in the case of ozone, a variation of oxygen which has three electrons instead of the usual two in the garden-variety, run-of-the-mill oxygen.

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