Setting The Scene: Threats to us and our survival

For true freedom, people need transparency in all things. The fact is, for democracy (and freedom) to survive we need good information; we need to understand what is around us – our climate, our government and politics. When government hides things or give us false information, our freedom is diminished. In fact, there are so many things we are not told.

For how much longer can human civilization survive? For seventy years we have been living under the shadow of nuclear war.  Several times, we humans have come extremely close to final nuclear disaster, say military experts. We have avoided total destruction by just a few minutes due to misunder-standing or human error, they say. When the doomsday clock of the Bulletin of National Scientists was set last January at just two minutes to midnight, signifying that is now the closest it has been to terminal disaster since the clock was set up in 1947. With the USA and Russia, armed with unstoppable hypersonic weapons, staring each other down, the world is facing total destruction. But it is not spoken about! It may even be suppressed!

Another threat to our continued existence is global warming. It has been slowly getting hotter year by year over the last ten years and shows no signs of slowing down. Experts say it is the sun changing and warming our upper atmosphere – but assisted by our destruction of the Ozone layer, especially at the poles by our emissions of methane, carbon dioxide and other noxious gases. Changes are happening and nobody knows where it will all end. All the other planets around us are bleak, bare of life – just infertile, dry rock.

A third danger facing us all, is the threat from Earth’s N-S Polar reversal. The Earth’s magnetosphere provides us with protection from harmful solar and space radiation. This protection has fallen by 15% over the last ten years, indicating trouble ahead. A full reversal is when the North and South poles switch positions. This is likely to be highly disruptive, causing mountainous tsunamis, violent earthquakes and high winds – another extinction event.

The final, knockout blow is delivered by the sun itself. All stars ‘Nova’ to a greater or lesser extent. This is where they violently explode, sending tons of hot matter into space around them, frying and boiling all that is in the way. Bad news – our sun ‘micro-novas’, too. NASA has seen the evidence on the moon. Experts are searching for the reasons for this but suspect that we cross the plane of our galaxy into dusty space. This dust accumulates on the surface of the sun and causes a violent reaction. 

Those are terminal cataclysms, but there are others of lesser degree.

There is the danger from state tyranny to our freedom.  The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. There is the grave danger facing the free world made by the world’s ruling elites who are busily undermining democracy. On one side is the political left, who secretly plan a ‘New World Order’ ruled by the United Nations. On the other is the political right, who want, country by country, to install right-wing governments into power ruled by dictators, all for the benefit of business! It is a fierce contest.

They want dictators installed into power to implement their agendas of either the left or right, who can rule and imprison all those who oppose their rule. Donald Trump has seriously upset the left’s long-laid plans of re-organizing and oppressing the common man. That explains the animosity directed towards him.

Then, there are the Islamists, who want a Caliphate to rule the world with Muslim Sharia law, putting society back a thousand years. Extremists, idealists all, would be happy to install such a state by Jihad or by terror.

Or, irresponsible researchers playing with viruses which can unleash an epidemic, or other sources of a virus which is unstoppable and wipes us all out. Ebola, or artificial viruses may be unstoppable and lethal.

Little of these threats named above get into the newspapers or on television – governments want the common man to be kept in the dark, vulnerable to the dangers, but entertained by gossip and drama! With our heads empty of meaningful thoughts, they can manipulate and control us like sheep and pigs, and profit from us, too.

How we, ourselves, Undermine Democracy

Philosophers say we cannot have true freedom without personal moral constraint in a democratic society. The only truly free people are those that are ruled by personal moral behavior. Democratic government can be very successful where a population is moral, but it will fail when good standards and practices decline and fall and good order in society breaks down.

RULE: When unrestrained liberty leads to a loss of order, then the demand for order leads to a loss of liberty.

EXPLANATION: In the case of a society enduring moral anarchy, corruption and chaos, even before the arrival of a strong man, people are not truly free. They must be alert and on the defensive.    You can say that those who are unrestrained in behavior; by being corrupt and immoral, are destined to be ruled by a tyrant.

They mistakenly think it is necessary to install a strongman to restore order – a just man – if such a man can be found! But just men or tyrants have few tools in their tool box – when you only have a hammer – you see all problems as a nail to be hammered.

Thus, moral anarchy, corruption and chaos can lead to dictators who have to use strong-arm tactics to solve all the different problems. They have only one response to extreme problems – the police, jails and even torture and death.

The Superiority of Reasoning and Moral Restraint

Strong men are a one-sided response to modern situations of chaos; but society is better reformed by reasoning, explanation and debate for problem solving.

Therefore, the only truly free people are those who are ruled by personal moral behavior. Good, educated people can reason and realize the importance of the best human qualities, trust, truth, moderation, an efficient system of law; recognizing what is good and beautiful and protecting it. There is a need to teach the constituent aspects of a moral society. The Centre for Buddhism, Kandy, has a project to do that by having orators to give talks and reason with Sri Lankan people.

Democratic Society based on Free, Unbiased Information

Free people need accurate, unbiased information with nothing held back by which to form opinions and understand events in this world. Freedom and good information are inseparable necessities for mankind.

It is reality, not illusion or delusion that will determine what the future will bring.

Unfortunately, there are few TV. documentaries to educate and inform people. All we get is TV. news which is severely limited to five minuits of news – supplying what one person thinks are items of importance, all followed closely by advertising and Tele-Dramas. They do not tell us of our dependence on the sun, its power and treachery, nor do they give information of the factual, repeating planetary disasters nor the true history of mankind. Without this, people cannot imagine such events. Many people have only limited awareness of news and events in the wider world.    The main media fails us and most people do not trouble themselves to access smaller, better news providers. We live in a bubble of delusion. Then we act accordingly.

This limited awareness of a fast moving, violent world should not be enough for any normal, educated person. People need more facts about the sun and our planet and truths of political currents and form opinions about them. (For example, Julian Assange distributed information about the massive political corruption in the USA – so he is arrested and maybe sent to prison for life for revealing the truth. Yes!)

The fact is, we live in a turbulent world of man’s inhumanity to man. Who would have dreamed that just before Easter this year, suicide bombers would change our society so deeply?

There was the French Revolution, the Cuban Revolution, the American Revolution, the revolution in Nicaragua. The world seems peaceful, but in fact, like volcanoes, explosions occur! – and driving these are the elites who plan for a New World Order, or world dictatorships or even an Islamic Caliphate.  Be aware of all the dangers facing you!

A Suggested Definition of  ‘Good’ And ‘Bad’

‘GOOD’ is defined as whatever is beneficial or brings social harmony and happiness to society. These actions are good Karma which brings its own good reward. This is important for progress along the ‘Eight-fold Noble Path’ towards a personal wisdom, peace and Nibbana.      

  ‘BAD’ is whatever action(s) or event(s) that result(s) in pain, harm, anger, conflict or causes disharmony in Buddhist society. This slows, hinders or even prevents people following their ‘Eight-fold Noble Path’ to self-development and wisdom.

Most actions of people fall within these limits of ‘GOOD’ or ‘not BAD’ as defined. This can also be seen as a way of minimizing society’s overall unhappiness. (i.e. maximizing overall happiness in society).