Psychological preparation for democracy: Is the Middle East ready?
With the series of event unfolding in the Middle East, the question would be if, at this era,
the Middle Eastern people can accomplish a healthy and liberated society? If we consider
what Alexander Tytler (1747-1813) who was a Scottish-born English lawyer and historian
said, he reported that democracy has stages and works like a cycle. As history shows,
most of all the word’s great civilizations have lasted for about 200 years and they have
followed these sequences. These sequences are from bondage to spiritual faith; from
spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from
abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence;
and from dependence back to bondage.
Some may argue that US has had its own share of this cycle starting in 1620 where the
Pilgrims sailed to America. They did so because they wanted to escape from the
religious repression that was forced through the Church of England and this was the
beginning of the journey from bondage to spiritual faith and great courage. Then came
another stage which was during the revolutionary war in which the colonists moved from
courage to liberty. Then during 1970’s and afterward, in which US started borrowing
money through the sale of bonds to China, American factory production was shipped
overseas along with some American jobs, and America was shifting from abundance to
complacency in which production was replaced by borrowing and printing money to
maintain our standers of living. In 2010, unemployment increased to double-digits and
many people lost their homes moving from apathy to dependence. There are millions of
Americans that are dependent on the government to take care of their needs and it
seems like we are moving from dependence back to bondage.
Now going back to the Middle East, we have been witnessing a series of events unfolding
in the Middle East and the question on our mind is, are the Middle Eastern people ready
for a real sense of democracy rather than an imitation and superficial form of it?
The real definition of democracy in a healthy system consists of a fundamental belief in
helping each other, providing support, admitting mistakes, understanding
interrelatedness, healing corruption and bribery, working for a common good for all,
respecting each other’s independence, increased understanding of differences,
identifying clear boundaries and respecting them, encouraging (not imposing) self
actualization, making each member feel a sense of power and connectivity, honesty, and
freedom of expression with respect.
This requires organization and negotiating skills when it comes to differences and being
able to make compromises. In addition, it involves the ability to reach a form of closure
that is effective for all parties involved, and in a healthy system it is understood that it is
not going to be ideal for one group while diminishing for another and that all subsystems
needs must be considered. In a well functioning society that is preparing the ground for a
true democracy, communicating truthfully is the key and compromises need to be made.
Truth is accepted by the parties and is not viewed as an absolute but a process. And last
but not least, different perspectives of reality are accepted and a midpoint of
understanding is taken into consideration and set as a goal.
The overall definition of democracy is rooted in the fact that it has to be earned. No
nation can have a sense of entitlement to it without taking the right steps to gain and
maintain it’s liberty and abundance. It takes effort, knowledge, and determination. Also,
if a nation is not ready for democracy, imposing it can be counter-productive.
Democracy is not living a boundless life where everyone can do whatever s/he wishes to
without consideration for the society or the rights of others. True democracy has laws
and rules to prevent violating the society’s and other individual’s rights that need to be
respected by all. Society has a right too. Society holds individuals and they have to learn
to contribute to its well being. They have to learn to do what is right for the society as a
whole and make compromises. Only then they can build the foundation of a healthy
society that can bring them prosperity. If a nation is demanding from its society but is not
taking the necessary steps to help that society, it won’t go anywhere.
For any country to be able to function from a democratic place of leadership and
maintains a sense of stability, they have to start a form of social and economic equal
opportunity, religious and racial tolerance, and the ability to self-criticize and make
progress. Any society that wants to plant the seed of democracy has to get rid of
tribalism, traditionalism, authoritarian behavior, and fundamentalism. Education and self-
awareness should be encouraged and planted everywhere, and there has to be a wide
variety of exchange, including cultural and academic, with other nations. Coexistence is a
great way to learn about having a democratic nation, we can learn what to do and what
not to do. The key element here is an awareness that it may take considerable time to
build this foundation and patience is vital. A root oriented and rational approach may
take longer but brings more positive results than an impulsive and superficial one.
The world is going through a change, we are evolving at a faster speed. With technology,
we can now see and connect to the other side of the globe in an instant with one click,
and we feel a sense of compassion from across the world for people we have never met.
Technology and science are helping us understand how we are interconnected. We are
seeing more and more that if we don’t do something, on a collective level, about the
global tensions that exist today; that the world as we know it may change dramatically.
We are also seeing that if we don’t put our different visions of how life “should” be
including our religious believes that we are in for a chaos. We need to look at our
surrounding and the world with an open eye to be able to learn from other people’s
mistakes as well as their positive side. Observation can teach us a great deal of what to
do as well as what not to do.
At the end, awareness that there are stages to democracy that need to be followed is
important. Just like we gained it here in the US through a series of actions and need to
constantly work to maintain it; other people can gain it too but there is work that needs to
be done. An artificial sense of democracy can backfire but with education and
awareness the right seed can be planted. It is a crucial time for the Middle Easterners to
find a common goal on a collective level and to make sure groups with hidden agendas,
whether religious or else, are not going to take advantage of them and are not to bring
them another authoritarian government. Middle Easterners will soon get to a set point of
deciding what they want to do and how they want to replace their leaders. The choices
that they are going to make will determine their destiny and their place in this world.
Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD
With the series of event unfolding in the Middle East, the question would be if, at this era,
the Middle Eastern people can accomplish a healthy and liberated society? If we consider
what Alexander Tytler (1747-1813) who was a Scottish-born English lawyer and historian
said, he reported that democracy has stages and works like a cycle. As history shows,
most of all the word’s great civilizations have lasted for about 200 years and they have
followed these sequences. These sequences are from bondage to spiritual faith; from
spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from
abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence;
and from dependence back to bondage.
Some may argue that US has had its own share of this cycle starting in 1620 where the
Pilgrims sailed to America. They did so because they wanted to escape from the
religious repression that was forced through the Church of England and this was the
beginning of the journey from bondage to spiritual faith and great courage. Then came
another stage which was during the revolutionary war in which the colonists moved from
courage to liberty. Then during 1970’s and afterward, in which US started borrowing
money through the sale of bonds to China, American factory production was shipped
overseas along with some American jobs, and America was shifting from abundance to
complacency in which production was replaced by borrowing and printing money to
maintain our standers of living. In 2010, unemployment increased to double-digits and
many people lost their homes moving from apathy to dependence. There are millions of
Americans that are dependent on the government to take care of their needs and it
seems like we are moving from dependence back to bondage.
Now going back to the Middle East, we have been witnessing a series of events unfolding
in the Middle East and the question on our mind is, are the Middle Eastern people ready
for a real sense of democracy rather than an imitation and superficial form of it?
The real definition of democracy in a healthy system consists of a fundamental belief in
helping each other, providing support, admitting mistakes, understanding
interrelatedness, healing corruption and bribery, working for a common good for all,
respecting each other’s independence, increased understanding of differences,
identifying clear boundaries and respecting them, encouraging (not imposing) self
actualization, making each member feel a sense of power and connectivity, honesty, and
freedom of expression with respect.
This requires organization and negotiating skills when it comes to differences and being
able to make compromises. In addition, it involves the ability to reach a form of closure
that is effective for all parties involved, and in a healthy system it is understood that it is
not going to be ideal for one group while diminishing for another and that all subsystems
needs must be considered. In a well functioning society that is preparing the ground for a
true democracy, communicating truthfully is the key and compromises need to be made.
Truth is accepted by the parties and is not viewed as an absolute but a process. And last
but not least, different perspectives of reality are accepted and a midpoint of
understanding is taken into consideration and set as a goal.
The overall definition of democracy is rooted in the fact that it has to be earned. No
nation can have a sense of entitlement to it without taking the right steps to gain and
maintain it’s liberty and abundance. It takes effort, knowledge, and determination. Also,
if a nation is not ready for democracy, imposing it can be counter-productive.
Democracy is not living a boundless life where everyone can do whatever s/he wishes to
without consideration for the society or the rights of others. True democracy has laws
and rules to prevent violating the society’s and other individual’s rights that need to be
respected by all. Society has a right too. Society holds individuals and they have to learn
to contribute to its well being. They have to learn to do what is right for the society as a
whole and make compromises. Only then they can build the foundation of a healthy
society that can bring them prosperity. If a nation is demanding from its society but is not
taking the necessary steps to help that society, it won’t go anywhere.
For any country to be able to function from a democratic place of leadership and
maintains a sense of stability, they have to start a form of social and economic equal
opportunity, religious and racial tolerance, and the ability to self-criticize and make
progress. Any society that wants to plant the seed of democracy has to get rid of
tribalism, traditionalism, authoritarian behavior, and fundamentalism. Education and self-
awareness should be encouraged and planted everywhere, and there has to be a wide
variety of exchange, including cultural and academic, with other nations. Coexistence is a
great way to learn about having a democratic nation, we can learn what to do and what
not to do. The key element here is an awareness that it may take considerable time to
build this foundation and patience is vital. A root oriented and rational approach may
take longer but brings more positive results than an impulsive and superficial one.
The world is going through a change, we are evolving at a faster speed. With technology,
we can now see and connect to the other side of the globe in an instant with one click,
and we feel a sense of compassion from across the world for people we have never met.
Technology and science are helping us understand how we are interconnected. We are
seeing more and more that if we don’t do something, on a collective level, about the
global tensions that exist today; that the world as we know it may change dramatically.
We are also seeing that if we don’t put our different visions of how life “should” be
including our religious believes that we are in for a chaos. We need to look at our
surrounding and the world with an open eye to be able to learn from other people’s
mistakes as well as their positive side. Observation can teach us a great deal of what to
do as well as what not to do.
At the end, awareness that there are stages to democracy that need to be followed is
important. Just like we gained it here in the US through a series of actions and need to
constantly work to maintain it; other people can gain it too but there is work that needs to
be done. An artificial sense of democracy can backfire but with education and
awareness the right seed can be planted. It is a crucial time for the Middle Easterners to
find a common goal on a collective level and to make sure groups with hidden agendas,
whether religious or else, are not going to take advantage of them and are not to bring
them another authoritarian government. Middle Easterners will soon get to a set point of
deciding what they want to do and how they want to replace their leaders. The choices
that they are going to make will determine their destiny and their place in this world.
Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |