Thursday, December 30, 2010

The losing chance of USA to remain as the sole symbol of liberty and freedom in the world



Without any doubt, USA is the most sought after destination of every other countrymen in the world today,  to come, live and settle-down, irrespective of its current economic and political turmoils. It is the place where life is supposed to be full. Human effort is well accepted and rewarded, irrespective of one's color of the skin, religion or nationality. Individual dignity and liberty are the most treasured virtues that  USA’s socio-political system uphold.

After the 1st World-War, we would be astonished to hear, how reverently the war-weary European nations looked-at USA as world's Savior and redeemer ! Let is hear it from the mouth of the famous historian H.G.Wells:


" To the working class of Italy, his name ( President Wilson of USA) was a heavenly clarion at the sound of which the earth  would be renewed. The Germans regarded him and his doctrines as their sheet-anchor of safety' .In German-Austria, his fame was that of a savior,and the mere mention of his name brought balm to the suffering and surcease of sorrow to the afflicted..( from H.G.Wells's 'A short History of the world' wherein he had quoted Dr.Dillon,from his book ' The peace in Conference')   


It is said that in France, men bowed down before US president Wilson,in awe and affection. 



But is this the predominant image that USA is projecting before the world today ? No. Certainly not. Its prominent image is that of the most powerful country in the world, in its military as well as industrial sense. Though what they try to achieve may be a power balance in the world, and the restricting of the rogue nations from acquiring dangerous weapons of destruction etc, what the world at large get is a general image and impression of arrogance. 

Who is responsible for creating this somewhat negative image of the otherwise great nation? Who is responsible for making USA a hate target of many men and nations in the world?

The un-parallel wisdom and sobriety that its founding fathers had shown in establishing a nation, based on certain hitherto unheard principles of individual liberty and personal dignity, was sidelined and ignored in the course of its progress. USA’s emergence as a symbol of liberty and man’s free spirit  was indeed a great milestone in mankind’s history. Prof.Thomas M. Franck, ( late) the renowned international law scholar narrates what is unique features of individual freedom that Americans enjoy: 

" they are increasingly allowed to define their specific personal identities by creating a 'portfolio' of of variegated loyalties to family,state,culture or transnational interest groups.They are relatively at liberty to alter the mix and hierarchy of affinity groups and allegiances,always consciously seeking an individualized identity that reflects their free conscience,values ad concept of good."( web-link to the paper;http://www.nyu.edu/steinhardt/e/pdf/humsocsci/mias/readings07/28.pdf , page 27) 

But the later stage image of the country was built around the FRUITS of its beautiful foundation!. The basics were forgotten, and only its results were projected, up and high.

But if the non-mainstream media and emerging public murmurs in USA are to be believed, the present state of affairs at home is far different from its inception stage reign of individual liberty and freedom. Public resentment about police / bureaucratic  highhandedness, and the stage managed mainstream media reporting etc. is rising ! Is her brand value as the one and only nation in the world that was built around the great ideals of individual liberty and freedom is fading ?

America could have set  best example for other nations to follow its path, for achieving human excellence in all fields. The multitudes of wars and campaigns(secret  as well as open) USA is now engaged into,against its real and imaginary enemies could have been avoided if this twist had not taken-place in her priorities. USA could have achieved better results with great sense of pride and satisfaction if she had emphasized and publicized  her foundational principles around the world, instead of projecting her as a superpower,whom, other countries should look-at with awe and fear!.  

The great example set in history by America is mostly unknown to common man in the other parts of world. Hence world today is some what orphaned for want of a clear cut example for other nations to follow, and lead their respective nations to all around success, especially with emancipated spirit of their men. It is the absence of this emancipated spirit of man that nations by and large turn into functional anarchy, but with the stamp of DEMOCRACY affixed on their letter heads!

America is attempting to install only the hollow symbols of Democracy in troubled countries in the world, but its foundational principles that was instrumental in creating their own great nation always ignored,or not emphasized.  This led these pseudo democratic countries to indulge in self deception with the great principles of Democracy. Its meaning  is twisted and disfigured, with  competition and conflicts for grabbing political power, by putting to shame the meanest of such conflicts in the past jungle time stories of mankind !

The passion of USA’s founding fathers about freedom and liberty, and their success in converting these virtues into national character of a people and a new nation was un-parallel in human  history.  

Alexis Tocqueville, the French jurist who was deputed by his government to study the wonder system called democracy in the new country of USA had observed many genuine aspects of the foundational principles of your great country that should inspire any other country to emulate it.

In America the lowest classes have conceived a very high notion of political rights, because they exercise those rights; and refrain from attacking the rights of others in order to that  their own may not be violated.

To the European, a public officer is represents a superior force; to an American, he represents a RIGHT. In America, then, it may be said that no one renders obedience to man, but to justice and law.

Hereto no one in the US has dared to advance the maxim that everything is permissible for the interest of the society, an impious adage which seems to have invented in an age of freedom to shelter all future tyrants

Leave the French man and listen to what your own Ayn Rand says about what America should have taught the world :

.” The system they (the founding fathers) established was not based on unlimited majority rule, but on its opposite: on individual right, which were not to be alienated by majority vote or minority plotting. The individual was not left at the mercy of his neighbours or his leaders: the constitutional system of checks and balances was scientifically devised to protect him from both.”

“THIS WAS THE GREAT AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT  - AND IF CONCERN FOR ACTUAL WELFARE OF OTHER NATIONS WERE OUR PRESENT LEADERS’ MOTIVE, THIS IS WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TEACHING THE WORLD

Those beautiful foundational principles are virtually died for the world, including perhaps, at least partially, in USA itself. Instead of the past’s gaiety and simplicity of its state functions, pomp and glory has taken over as the main theme. If people were real participants by head and heart in the country making and country running in the past, they  more or less have become blindly applauding dump crowd these days –  -like in the case of multitudes of other fake democracies in the world.! The original principles are at the verge of disappearing totally from the minds of people.

Emergence of USA in the political scene with its principles deep rooted ideas of inalienable freedom and dignity of man  was the best  thing that could happened to mankind ever! It was a miracle, but unfortunately short lived as we have seen  in paragraphs above. Hence USA was compelled  to intervene militarily and diplomatically at various destinations of the world  to restore democracy.

A symbol does not mean anything without its foundational principles no where in picture. Hence what America should attempt now is to sell its foundational principles in the troubled countries, instead of installing democratic figure heads. It could have propagated those forgotten foundational principles of  human liberty and freedom in all corners of world, at less than 25% of the cost at which she now wages her peace keeping operations (wars)

America with its deep insight into human emotions and motivational energies should have waken up to the foundational truths by now. The more it is delayed, the more would be the number of fake democracies emerging in the world, where its runners indulge in self deception with its self as well as with human history itself. In such fake democracies, the game is that of a musical chair for capturing the old thrones once abandoned by Kings and Foreign rulers! Real concepts like genuine human freedom is dumped beneath the smart rhetoric of the media and political leaders !  


By :  Abraham J. Palakudy

He is a seeker and researcher in subjects like Mind,Faculty of Reason, Equality and liberty, Spirituality, Metaphysics, Epistemology and finally polity

Contact; ajoseph1@rediffmail.com
Twitter: Voice of Philosophy@jopan1
His profile and other blogs: https://www.blogger.com/profile/14249415589712707293

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