The Democratic State System. The “Silent Dictatorship” Has Become An “Open Dictatorship”. The “Revolutionary Process” must be Non-violent!
The democratisation of education will make one of the most valuable contributions to the building of a humane social order
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When a principle of ancient jurisprudence, which is also a central procedural right in modern legal systems, is no longer valid, then a democratic state system – also referred to as a “silent dictatorship” by evil tongues – outs itself as an “open dictatorship”. Already in the past two years, only one opinion was valid, the so-called scientific and medical opinion about the worldwide threat of a newly created, supposedly deadly virus and its “eradication” by means of a gene-modifying treatment.
Now come the news coverage of a terrible war in the heart of Europe. And again the legal principle “Audiatur et altera pars – let the other part be heard” is disregarded: Oral and written reports from the other side are prevented or even banned. How long will a nation of free citizens, who already feel that something urgently needs to change in society, put up with this? The citizens want to live, work, sleep and look the youth in the eye in peace again.
Non-violent change of existing power relations seems inevitable
No one will use the word “revolution” because it is associated with individual and collective violence. But a change in the existing power relations seems inevitable. And the new social order to be shaped must be developed by the citizens themselves – in absolute freedom, without any coercion from outside. Free citizens are perfectly capable of negotiating together how they want to arrange their lives in order to live together in peace, tranquillity and equality.
Armed struggle in the form of individual terror or collective armed violence is out of the question! The world already has enough of that: Therefore, a “revolutionary process” must be non-violent!
However, history shows that in most cases it is not possible to directly set fellow citizens in motion for a humane, peaceful and free society. The instilled fear of harmless fellow citizens and the distrust of enlightened people is difficult to overcome. If existing power relations were overthrown somewhere, the “rebels” usually set up copies of the earlier forms of rule, only with other names and other ideological dressings.
Enlightenment and the problem of education
Consequently, one must continue to enlighten and convince people. The purpose of enlightenment efforts is to purify human consciousness of individual and collective prejudices. In addition, their acquired fears of harmless fellow human beings and supposed authorities must be removed. Psychology with a psychologically guided “people’s university” would be the appropriate tool to enable people to adequately assess themselves, the political situation and the necessary social- and culture-changing measures. This can also lead to collective actions of “civil disobedience” and strikes.
More important than enlightenment, however, is the problem of education. The insight of depth psychology made clear the immense significance of education for the emergence of a humane world.
The educational methods of the past created the type of human being that could cause the tragedy of history.
The authoritarian principle, for centuries regarded as the unquestionably valid basis of educational behaviour, throttled people’s sense of community already in their childhood years and endowed them with that readiness for aggression through which a violent world could remain in a state of violence.
If pedagogy in the parental home and school renounces the authoritarian principle and the use of violence, it will be able to educate people who do not have a “subject mentality” and will therefore not be a docile tool for those in power in our world.
The task set is difficult, but it can be solved!
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Dr. Rudolf Lothar Hänsel is a teacher (retired headmaster), doctor of education (Dr. paed.) and a graduate psychologist (specialising in clinical, educational and media psychology). As a retiree, he worked for many years as a psychotherapist in his own practice. In his books and educational-psychological articles, he calls for a conscious ethical-moral values education and an education for public spirit and peace.
He is a regular contributor to Global Research.
Featured image is from OneWorld
