Miscellaneous Articles

If we wish to discern the consequent series of social tragedies resulting from this system which does not stand on a studied philosophical base ..., this research's scope will only be too narrow for that; therefore, we would like to just allude to them thus:

The first of such series is the minority ruling the majority, controlling its interests and essential affairs. Political freedom has meant that the estab lishment of systems and codes as well as their execu- tion is the right of the majority. Let us suppose that the group which represents the majority of the na- tion has possessed the reins of government and legislation while having the democratic capitalist mentality, which is a mentality purely materialistic in its trend, inclinations and objectives, what will be the fate of the other group?! Or, say, what can the minority expect in the shade of laws legislated for the benefit of the majority, to protect its interests?! Will it be strange then if the majority legislates the laws in the light of its own interests, neglecting the minority's interests, following an unjust trend to achieve its desires that may harm the interests of others?! Who will maintain this monority's existing entity and defend it against injustice, as long as the personal benefit is the issue of every individual, and as long as the majority does not know, in its social concept, any values for the spiritual and intellectual principles ...?! Naturally, sovereignty will stay under the system as it did before, and the symp- toms of monopoly and trespassing on the rights and interests of others will linger in the social at- mosphere of this system as it did in the old social systems! The only difference is that degrading the human dignity used to be done by the individual to his nation; now in this system it comes from the majorities to the minorities, the first composing a huge number of humans!

This is not the whole story! The tragedy would then be simple! But the stage displays more laughters than tears! The case has worsened and become more severe when the economic issue resulted from this system later on; therefore, the economic freedom was decided in the fashion we described above, sanctioning all the ways and means of getting rich; no matter how outrageous or queer in method or manner, guaranteeing what it had advertised when the world was busy in a big industrial revolution and science giving birth to the machine which over- turned the face of industry and wiped out manual industries and the like.

The field was clear then for an outrageous wealth for the nation's minority. Opportunities enabled the latter to benefit from the modern means of production, provided by limit- less capitalist liberties with sufficient assurities for their utilization and use to the furthermost limit, annihilating thereby many groups of the nation whose industries were wiped out by the machine that shook their livelihoods without finding a way to withstand the torrent, since the promoters of the modern industries were armed with "economic free- dom " and all other "sacred " liberties. Thus does the field remain vacant except of that elite group of the promoters of industry and production, while the middle class is being reduced to the generally low level, and this crushed majority falling at the mercy of that elite group that does not think or calculate except according to the "democratic capi- talist " mode ... ! ! ! Naturally, then, it would not extend its kind and assisting aid to them in order to get them out of the pit and give them a share of its tremendous profits ...! Why should it, since its "ethical" criterion is benefit and pleasure, as long as the State guarantees absolute freedom in what- ever it does, so long as the democratic capitalist sys- tem is too narrow for the intellectual philosophy of life with all its related concepts?! The matter, therefore, has to be studied in the manner inspired by this system, which is: These important men utilize the majority's need for them and their living standards to oblige those who are capable of working in their occupations and factories for a limited time and for wages enough only to sus- tain them...! This is the "logic" of pure utili- tarianism which they would naturally adopt, dividing the nation consequently to a group in the peak of wealth and a majority in a bottomless pit ....!

Here, the nation's political right is crystalized in a new form. As for equality in the citizens' politi- cal rights, even though it is not wiped out of the system's record, it has survived these turmoils only as a shadow and pure ideology: for when the econ- omic freedom records the results we exposed above, it will come to the conclusion of the deep division we have explicated, taking control of the situation and holding the reins, conquering the political free- dom before it ... ! Because of its economic status in the society and capacity of using all means of propaganda, and because of its capability of pur- chasing supporters and helpers..., the capitalist group controls the reins of government in the nation, seizing power in order to use it for its own interests and to guard its objectives, and both legislative and social systems will be controlled by the capi- tal, after it has already been supposed by the demo- cratic concepts to be the right of all the nation! Thus does democratic capitalism become in the end an authority monopolized by the minority, a means whereby several individuals protect their own ex- istence at the expense of others, according to the utilitarian mentality inspired by the democratic capitalist "education" ...!

Here we reach the worst series enacted by this system. Those people in whose hands the democratic capitalist system has placed all sorts of influence, providing them with every kind of power and poten- tial, will direct their attention, inspired by this sys- tem's mentality, towards the horizons and feel - inspired by their interests and objectives - that they are in need of even new areas of influence for two reasons:

First: The abundace of production depends on the extent of abundance and availability of essen- tial materials; therefore, whosoever's share of such materials is larger, his producing capacities will be stronger and more plentiful. These materials are spread in God's vast lands. It it is necessary to obtain them, then the lands which contain them have to be seized for absorption and utilization!

Second: The strength of the producing speed and its power, motivated by the anxiety for plenti- tude of profit on one hand, and the low standard of living of many nations, due to the materialistic greed of the capitalist group and its competition with the public through its utilitarian means, on the other, make the public unable to purchase products and consume them. All of this makes the big producers in dire need of new markets to sell their surplus pro- ducts therein. Finding such markets means thinking of seizing new lands ...!

Thus is the matter studied in a purely material- istic mentality. Naturally, such mentality, whose system has never been based on spiritual or ethical principles and whose social system admits nothing but filling this limited life with different sorts of pleasures and desires, finds in these two reasons a justification and a "logical" appetizer to transgress on peaceful countries, trespass on their dignity, con- trol their provisions and potential natural resources, utilizing their wealth for marketing its surplus pro- ducts ...!

All of this is a "reasonable" and "permissible" matter, according to the "ideals" of individual inter- ests upon whose bases do both capitalist system and "free economy" stand ...!

From here is the giant of materialism set free to invade and wage wars, scaffling and tying, col- onizing and exploiting in order to satisfy the mania of wills and whims ...!

Look into the tragedies humanity has suffered because of such system which is materialistic in spirit, form, manner and aim, even though it has never been based upon a certain philosophy in agreement with that spirit and form, in harmony with such manners and objectives, as we have pointed out above.

Judge for yourself the share of hapiness and stability of a society based on the principles of this system and ideals..., one which lacks self-denial and mutual trust, true compassion and love, and all the good spiritual trends, so much so that the indiv- idual lives in it while feeling that he is responsible only for his own self, that he is in danger because of each and every interest of others that may clash with his own, as if he is living in a continuous struggle and race, unarmed except by his own powers, aiming thereby at none except his own personal interest ... !

Adopted from the book: "Contemporary Man and The Social Problem" by: "Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir Al-Sadr"