This article explores the reality of applied philosophies, ideologies and religions that exist and mostly impede human progress. The primary objective is to understand why Humanity has self-limiting social structures and practices. A second objective is to understand what actions are relevant and required to change those structures and practices.

Ignorance and the fundamental belief in current realities are, of course, the short answer. Social expediency is the reason that lurks behind the curtain of justification. Temporal existence, indeed short lives, drives us to forcing limited solutions to the social problems of Humanity on a grand scale.

Recall the appendix article that discussed the three modes of thinking. Pragmatic, Experiential and Conjectural ways of thinking are a convenient and accurate way of approaching what we have done and why we have made the social decisions that have defined most of the limits in our lives. We will see that human social structures have the characteristics of attempted justification based on conjecture, physical implementations based on the current state of experience and available natural resources, and boundaries for almost all of us based on a limited, pragmatic view of human weakness. The last aspect is most evident in religions and in ideologies that suppress individuality.

As an exercise, consider the following scenario: you exist as a member of an early, uncivilized tribe. You have a somewhat better intellect and/or more experience than the other members of your tribe. You observe what others do in all types of situations and you decide that your tribe needs to improve its habits and practices to support a better and more reliable existence. Now you attempt to change current practices by explaining and demonstrating your ideas to the tribe. You get limited appreciation but mostly you are ignored. Ultimately you recognize that your goals will be met only if the tribe, as a whole, feels compelled to follow your directives. You have learned that general discussion is inadequate as a driving force for major change. What behaviors will you employ to lead your tribe to your understanding of greater success?

The following considerations are obvious but important to delineate: we are members of early, mostly uncivilized tribes today. Our legacy is the social structures developed from the conclusions and methods of our ancestors. This includes implementations of various philosophies, ideologies and religions. The legacy we will leave for our progeny may be static, regressive or progressive. Indeed, the legacy we leave may contain realized implementations reflecting all three possibilities in different areas of life.

Let us proceed now to examine some of the concepts and implementations that affect our lives today. Let us also understand as we proceed that our individual abilities or intellect have changed very little through recorded history. Let us understand that the legacy we have received reflects the best efforts of our ancestors to develop order out of chaos. We do have rather more knowledge than they.

Far Eastern religions and philosophies reflect a view of life in which the individual is eternally weak and born to humbleness and obligation. This includes Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, rigidly structured tribal practices and communism or ill-disguised fascism parading as democracy as ideologies. Mysticism and subordination of the individual to the whole are the practices, and stagnation is the primary result. Oriental art primarily reflects only two modes of existence, military domination and mysticism. Such advances as did occur in earlier periods of recorded history came from dynasties whose wealth allowed a very small percentage of people to explore and to develop technology, science and art.

We find that subordination of the individual to the state or to a nebulous definition of cosmic existence work in assuring social order. So it may be seen that communism or Buddhism have a contribution to make in the elimination of chaos. Alas, they also severely impede human progress, for they do not acknowledge the primacy or right of the individual in creating new realities through growth in knowledge and its application. They allow for one form of semi-stable existence that draws heavily upon natural resources and results in huge, non-productive populations, particularly with regard to the growth and application of knowledge.

Western religions and ideologies are somewhat different. To point, the concepts for democracy and Christianity (as found only in the New Testament in the Bible) are based on the rights, value and responsibility of the individual. It is true that Christianity is primarily a form of socialism in making us responsible for each other, but unlike the Far Eastern religions it acknowledges the individual as one of two prime participants in the drama of cosmic existence. Democracy allows for free enterprise, which at its best grows knowledge and wealth for many, and at its uncontrolled worst is every bit as bad or worse in all the essential respects as communism.

All human activities throughout history that have diminished the power and responsibility of the individual have led to stagnation and cultural death. Activities that have promoted individual growth and responsibility have led to progress in our understanding of life and in the wealth provided by new knowledge. The dolts who have associated growth and progress with military conquest intentionally ignored the fact that every single advancement in technology has resulted from the application of education via research, not from the fighting. Fighting is not the cause of progress. Fighters simply tap into the present knowledge base to attempt to force development of better weapons. To claim the result of progress from the event of war is purely and simply theft.

We thus find the tendency for people to distort the relationship of cause and effect. For example, a 19th century plantation in the USA typically grew cotton, rice, corn and other agricultural products. The slaves would, if asked, have seen the production as theirs, for it was their labor that resulted in the planting and harvesting. The owner would, if asked, have seen the production as his creation, for his wealth allowed the ownership of the land, the purchase of seed, the feeding and housing of the slaves and the marketing of the products to complete the wealth generation cycle. In truth, all of the people had minor roles. They did not create the land, provide the water or the sunlight or invent the seed. Thus, our perceptions of causality and contribution are quite distorted. The only roles of the people were to work together for survival, using resources that none of them provided or created, including themselves.

When you reflect on the applications of philosophies, ideologies and religions, you find that the resulting hierarchies always lead to honoring everything but the real sources of our wealth, which are our physical environment and our individual capability to grow, if allowed. The control of the masses has, however, been reasonably justified on the basis that most humans are not capable of promoting progress or stability. That fundamental truth is the underpinning of the expedient practices of our leaders throughout history.

If present human limitations are a valid reason for controlling the masses, is it not obvious that the removal of those same limitations would eliminate the fundamental reason for our oppressive control structures? Is not the experience of all history simply a statement that we have yet to overcome our limitations? Do you have any doubt about what we need to do in the Destiny context?