In this article, we are going to analyze and evaluate the current validity of the revolution slogan that boosted, at a worldwide level, the substitution of the monarchies for the “democracies” of Nowadays, the French Revolution slogan: Liberty, Equality and, Fraternity.
Introduction
The human being is different from the animals that are satisfied with eating, drinking, reproducing and dying. The human being needs a life purpose, that is why many wars have been to impose an ideology, a purpose of life. Likewise, political parties tend to place their political ideology in their names. For example, the PSOE means: Spanish Socialist Workers Party. The Nazi party means: National German Socialist Workers Party (note: Hitler was vegetarian and abstemious, and did not eat meat because it represented the death of a living creature). Of course, a politician can be from a party of socialist ideology. And in practice, to be totally capitalist and anti – worker. Politicians can be totally hypocritical even without knowing themselves.
When a group of human beings come together, the first thing to define is the purpose of their meeting, without a clear purpose the meeting is to pass the time. Human beings gathered in society, whether in a big city or a small town, need a purpose, the French have summed it up in Freedom Equality and Fraternity. What does each word mean? Has France achieved freedom, equality and fraternity? Is this the best purpose that a meeting of human beings can have?
Definition.
Revolution: It is a fundamental change in the power structure or in the social organization, performed by a majority against a minority that have the power.
Is it worth to update this slogan or is it something that doesn’t matter any longer?
Analyze the slogan of the french revolution, It is a task that has centuries without being solved, such as it is expressed here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36775634
This analysis is done on an experimental and scientific basis, of the positive or negative effects of the individual in society.
This article brings a new vision to the important debate on the concepts:
- Freedom.
- Igualdad.
- Fraternidad.
In the History
-taken verbatim from the French Wikipedia.
The slogan:
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” is a contribution to the humanity done by the French revolution at the end of the century XVIII (1790). The words “Unity”, “Solidarity” and “Mercy” were also used instead of the “Fraternity” and, in the moments of the most politics dynamicity in France, the words “Or Death” “Or Death” were added, which then was taken away due to its obviously violent connotation. In 1848 due to the influence of the Christian thought, the word “Fraternity” was consolidated as the official slogan of the French Republic, accepting officially the following meaning:
- Liberty: It consists of being able to do anything that doesn’t harm others. Hence, the exercise of the natural rights of each man or woman who doesn’t have other limits than the same ones guaranteeing the enjoyment of those rights.
- Equality: The law must be the same for everyone, whether it protects or punishes. All the citizens, without any distinction, will be likewise eligible for all the high positions, public positions, and employments, as per their capacity, virtues and, talents. It can be summed up like:
“The judicial equality and the entry to the government based on the personal merits”.
- Fraternity: It doesn’t have any unique definition. It is said that: “It belongs to another dimension, the moral obligations more than the rights, the links more than the statutes, the harmony more than the contract, and the community more than the individuality”.
Some define Fraternity as:
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- “The union to fight against or for a common cause”.
Others define it as:
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- The realization of a happy community, devoid of any conflict.
Many interpretations are given about the whole meaning of these three words, some group says that “liberty” and “equality” are rights and, “fraternity” is a must. Another interpretation expresses that the order of the words indicates an importance, so the “liberty” would be the objective, “Equality” would be the ideological principle and “Fraternity” would be the way to achieve it.
Analysis
Analyzing the Traditional Definitions
- Liberty. In its traditional definition, it refers to the justice, since the limitations of what some citizen can and cannot do, his/her rights and duties, are expressed in the laws and are supervised by the judicial system. But is this a complete definition of freedom?
It is interesting that the human beings believe that our decisions are taken freely, and this is known in the social psychology as:
- The fundamental attribution error. Just as the professor Philip Zimbardo defines it, he is the maker of the famous experiment of the Stanford Prison. The truth is that we are not conscious of what we are influenced and limited by our mental and physical surroundings. In short: freedom does not exist.
For instance,
For example: We would not try jump from the fifth floor of a building because we would suffer severe injuries when touching the ground. But what we can do, based on the physical laws, thinking the way to jump without harming ourselves, whether by using a parachute, trampoline on the floor, a string, and so on.
Hence, when we develop the concept “Liberty” in the social aspect, we do it by establishing the limitations that we have in the interaction with society.
- Equality. Its traditional definition refers to the justice and the judicial system. And the meritocracy is also justice. Because it is unfair having incapable people to perform a public position.
That is, both the accepted definition of “liberty” as “Equality” is developed in the justice subject:
Why did they develop the topic of the justice with different words in 1800?
If we go back to that age, we see the huge inequality among the social groups that boasted the power (nobility) and the common citizen. The common citizens (the majority) dressed in rags, the food was barely enough, the hope of life was until the 40 years old, the child mortality was so common and a harsh winter could mean the death. Instead, the high class (a minority composed of nobility and bourgeoisie) had food, clothing, good housing, heating system, water in their homes and access to education and medicines. Thus, for that age, the fight for justice was a priority:
Does Justice have the same priority two centuries later?
- Fraternity. Indeed, it belongs to a different level than the two previous words. And we can reconcile, unify the two traditional definitions of “fraternity”, making “selfishness” the enemy by which we must unite to fight against it. The defect of these two definitions is that they seek to eliminate conflict without recognizing the truth that human beings are very different in terms of needs and abilities, therefore eliminating conflict is not possible unless we think about uniforming the human being, killing its diversity, its wealth, and it is the path and foundation of the most murderous tyrannies in history. the management of the conflict is the issue to solve..
New Definitions of “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” at the lights of the XXI Century?
- Liberty. “Do not do to another what you wouldn’t do to you”
This definition is the famous Golden rule, that millions of years ago was claimed by the Kabbalists and other millennial wisdom men, gathered in the Jewish Talmud, in the Hiller history and, the convert, and 200 years afterward it was also written in the new Christian testament in Matthew 7:12. A very clear definition, and well expressed, that makes totally useless the declaration of the human rights. And indeed, as the traditional definition, it talks about the justice.
Why didn’t the French revolutionaries accept this definition, trying to give a similar one and hiding its origin? The answer is that the French revolutionaries were fighting against a minority in the power, among which there was the Catholic church (the religions were part of the mass control mechanisms), accepting a definition that is also used by an enemy, it doesn’t motivate the followers. Hence, they had to make up an alike definition, that, for being deficient, led them to express in latter times the declaration of the human rights.
If you wonder, since we are in the ecological trend, shouldn’t we include the nature to it? And write something like this:
- Liberty: “Do not do to another or to nature, what you would not want them do to you”
The answer is that when someone thinks of the consequence of his/her actions to not harm another human being, this person automatically would have reached a sufficient conscious level, to also think of not damaging the nature. The human being is part of nature. Hence, it is not necessary to add anything.
- Equality. “All the human beings are equally important, so as naturally different in abilities and needs”.
This new definition of equality is totally different from its traditional definition. It deals with the issue of truth in the social context, not the issue of justice. The purpose of this new definition is to achieve peace, not to standardize the human being as sought by its old definition. Truth: every human being is different in terms of needs and capabilities. The truth in the social context, is one of the most difficult issues, since there is no precise way to measure the needs and capabilities of a person.
Of course, we can talk about generalities, averages and measure certain parameters of needs and capabilities Individuals, but precision we can not have. An example of this lack of precision is pain, there is no mechanism to measure the degree of pain that a person experiences, and we can only make subjective appraisals of it, based on the very expression of the person experiencing it.
Note: Equality of importance is implemented in certain contexts such as equal opportunities which is the removal of barriers without eliminating the need for capacity assessment. For example, if I need an economist, the job opportunity should be open to anyone who can do the required economic task, without putting obstacles such as asking for a degree. What it is necessary to do, is to demand the demonstration of the capacity to perform the required economy work. Therefore, a degree in economics is a way of demonstrating the ability to do the job, but it can not be the only one. Since the request for a degree is the only way to prove a capacity, then equality of opportunity is not being given.
As the truth of each person’s needs and capacities are totally hidden from society, the only thing we can do it is knowing that it is a reality, without being able to say anything about this truth. Therefore it is the citizen’s own conscience their capabilities and needs, then the solution is to educate the citizen in giving their maximum contribution to society.
Of equal importance, we can take examples of nature to learn:
What is more important the thumb or the big toe?
Both have needs and different abilities, we protect both, to the foot with socks and shoes, and the hands with gloves. We treat them differently because they are different. Without the big toe, we can lose the balance when walking, and without the thumb, we lose the ability to grip. But regarding the importance, they are both important.
The old definition of the equality, as the equality of rights, it was valid 200 years ago, when it was urgent the need for justice. Nowadays, thanks to the development of the science, the common citizen has water in their housing, can eat, have a house, heating system, and the hope of life is of 80 years, there is access to health, and multiple of electric devices to help perform the daily tasks and it even provides entertainment and information. For sure, the justice is still not perfect, and there is a great space to improve it, but it is not the urgent subject.
The most urgent subject nowadays is the Peace.
Definition
- Peace: The harmonious coexistence of the diverse social actors.
The new definition of the “Equality” guides us to how to achieve the Peace, by leveling the human beings in importance, not trying to standardize the human being, but recognizing that each person is different.
- Fraternity. “Love your neighbor as yourself”, your neighbor is each citizen that has signed a reciprocal love pact.
This definition of fraternity is the Golden rule, and it goes in the same line that its traditional definition because its purpose is achieving:
- “The realization of a happy community, opposed to any form of selfishness.” And where conflict is accepted as part of the process to reach a greater understanding, superimposing the love to personal positions (without eliminating personal positions, but putting them as less important that love).
As we can see, it is again the theme of peace, specifically that peace is achieved through love. Now if we see the link between Equality and Fraternity: the important management of the conflict, which did not exist in the previous definitions, the conflict wanted to be eliminated in the previous definitions by uniforming the human being. The elimination of the conflict, is a serious danger that still persists, since it is the foundation of the worst massacres that have been committed in humanity, the scars of the Second World War have already been cured, but their cause has not been resolved as This is shown by the lack of harmony in society and the war can be repeated again.
Relationship between Purpose, Society and Constitution.
A country is defined by the pact that the citizens of that country have decided to celebrate,where they express the purpose of their society, this social pact is known as:
- The Constitution.
When analyzing Freedom, Equality, Fraternity. What we have done is to establish the principles of a new social pact, of a new constitution.
For a country to be consolidated effectively as “a country”, this pact must be a mutual compromise between its citizens, a love pact, a fraternity pact. Hence, when we see the territorial divisions and extremism in a country, it is a clear sign that the love pact among these citizens is broken. But:
Can a pact, that hasn’t been signed, be broken and of which someone was never conscious of?
Our new definition of fraternity separates the human beings into two groups. On one side, there are the citizens compromised in loving and supporting between them, expressed through the sign of the Constitution, these human beings are the citizens. On the other side, there are the other human beings who haven’t signed the constitutional pact, and with them we must behave just as it is expressed in the liberty:
“Do not do to another what you wouldn’t do to you”.
That is, the non-signers of the pact are the guests of the citizens.
The definition of “Fraternity” as it was expressed by the French people, it belongs to a different sphere than the liberty, because it implies a social commitment, and besides, its origin is in the millennial spiritual wisdom.
With these new definitions, we have given a clear purpose to society, we have also expressed that to achieve that purpose, we must put as final goal, a goal superior to materiality, love.
The Mistake of Applying Definitions of an Old Era to the Current Reality
The world is in a constant change and development process, thus, our understanding of the society must also be in a constant development, we must make ourselves questions about the validity of our paradigms, what was valid in 1800 cannot be the same in 2000, the humanity has seen more changes in the last 200 years, than in the rest of the more than 5000 years of written history. Hence, our paradigms must be re-evaluated, clarifying that we are not saying that we should reject them, what we have to do is question the validity of the paradigms that we have inherited from our past generations, in the light of the new reality.
For example: Is the educational paradigm of 1850 valid in 2017? If in the society, each one of us makes different tasks:
Why should we teach the same to all the children?
Why train all children equally?
If we are in the knowledge age:
Shall we transmit the knowledge or teach to learn the knowledge?
The traditional educational system was developed to quickly convert the peasants into workers. Not knowing the origin of the current education system is one of the mental obstacles to change it, and we all know that the educative system doesn’t work anymore, is the old definition of equality, that as we wrote it, it tends to standardize the human being, rejecting the reality that each one of us is different. For reading more about this educational paradigm you can click this link:
Ten principles of the new circular education.
The old definition of “equality” leads us to try to standardize the individual, since we all must be the same, being the standardized model that is applied to all the citizens, generally an imposition made from the economic or political power. It implies the elimination of the differences. That is why we see that the liberalism is transformed into fascism, as well as the communism is also transformed into fascism.
That is why we see there is no liberty of expression, but a biased and standardized vision of what can be expressed and what cannot. Because as we said it, it tries to eliminate the individual expression. And the official or citizen who tries to keep an individual expression is submitted to the risk of losing the job and to economic slavery due to a strong fine.
Summary
Liberty. “Do not do to another what you wouldn’t do to you”.
Equality. “All the human beings are equally important but naturally different in needs and abilities”
Fraternity. “”Love your neighbor as yourself”.
They are the fundamental principles of the new social pact, of the new constitution for a new society with purpose. for “The realization of a happy community, opposed to any form of selfishness”. being your neighbor every citizen who has signed the social pact of coexistence known as “the Constitution” E-Nation.org
With these new definitions, we have given a clear purpose to society, we have also expressed that to achieve that purpose, we must put as final goal, a goal superior to materiality, love.
How do we reach that level of fraternal love in society?
The millennial spiritual wisdom teaches us that the path of love is the path of self-sacrifice of differences, for love to the nature that has created us. Thus these new definitions of Freedom, Equality and Fraternity are the union of the spiritual and the material.
The definitions of 1800 corresponded to a society that claimed Justice. 200 years later, society now claims Peace. This peace, will never come by the way of justice to try to standardize the human being, on the contrary, try to standardize the human being or try to do justice takes us to war. Peace will come from recognizing our differences, our equal importance, and elevating ourselves through love to the next level of human development, by unifying our different and enriching opinions on the altar of love.
Do not do to another what you do not you would like to be made to you, it is the minimum foundation of human relations, Equality of importance is the principle to achieve peace and social harmony, and Love is the ultimate goal of society, of a country, and of the world.
Final Words
The old continent, Europe, a region which is highly influenced by the Jewish and Christian ideology, have been for many centuries the bastion of the western culture, some sort of a big brother for many countries, and in the last century it has tried to detach from its Jewish and Christian heritage. And hence, it is in an identity crisis, which was showed in 2017 as it was expressed by the French candidate Emmanuel Macron when saying:
“It doesn’t exist a French culture, there exists a diverse culture in France“.
Of course, there is a French culture, and it is also true that there is a France that wants to disregard its origins and a France that has forgotten its identity, and it is trying to make up an alternative identity, disregarding its rich ideological Christian tradition, that definitely it has its failures and must be thought, but not simply be discarded.
And when you forget your identity, forgetting where you come from, and your origins. You cannot teach others what you are made of, because you don’t even know it consciously. You cannot teach your identity to the new members of your society, nor your values nor history, because you have already forgotten it. The multiculturalism known as an enrichment of the local culture is beneficial. Receiving people from other cultures, it is not just acceptable, but it is important for the cultural advance of a country, because the immigrants enrich a country. But:
Under which conditions?
Instead, a multiculturalism known as the disorganized mix or, even worst the absorption of a culture without the due analysis of its social benefit, it leads to the cultural suicide.
We are not talking about going back to the Catholic Church and its ideology, but reconsidering its ideological origins, taking the good and discarding the bad, with an open mind, very close to the scientific method with love. A sincere approach to our millennial origins, our identity, that will enable us to build a glorious future on strong foundations.
Note
Definition:
- Justice. It is giving compensations correspondent to the size of the benefit, or damage caused. It is also known as “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”, which expresses doing justice, even though many misunderstand it thinking that it talks about pulling eyes and teeth out. It is comprehended when analyzing that you cannot take an eye to a tort because that person would remain blind, but you can compensate the value of an eye lost. This is a subject for another article.
