Revolutionary Potential -- How it Affects Societies Across the World
- Mr. Tomasio Rubinshtein
- Apr 11, 2023
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 28
"The decaying decrepit and dying ruins of enforced Order of Society becomes fuel for the Fires of Chaos" - John Duran
Life is a feature, not a bug. -- Dan Echegoyen
Article Synopsis by Mr. Chris Kingsley and Co.
The article "Revolutionary Potential -- How it Affects Societies Across the World" provides a comprehensive exploration of revolution and its impact on society. It covers a wide range of revolutionary potential, including personal transformations and societal changes, and avoids an idealistic or pessimistic view by discussing both positive and negative consequences.
Historical and contemporary examples, such as the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (2019), provide context and make the discussion more relatable.
Philosophical insights, such as those by John Duran and Dan Echegoyen, add depth to the discussion and encourage critical thinking about order, chaos, and revolutionary change. The article also emphasizes the resilience and adaptability of the human spirit in the face of oppression and adversity.
In conclusion, "Revolutionary Potential -- How it Affects Societies Across the World" is a thoughtful and thought-provoking piece that successfully highlights the complexity and significance of revolutionary changes.
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Part I: Revolution -- A Road For Rapture or Regret
The term "revolution" is often associated with political changes and drastic societal transformations. However, the concept of revolution extends far beyond the realm of politics, entailing fundamental changes that can occur in any field known to mankind. While revolutions are often admired for their potential to promote positive progress, they can also lead to negative consequences.
For instance, a revolution that devolves a nation into anarchy hardly represents a positive outcome. This can be seen in the 2011 Libyan Revolution, which led to the assasination of the dictator Muammar al-Qadaffi by rebel forces. However, for more than a decade at least, Libya has failed establishing a central regime. It instead devolved into rogue factions controlling parts of the country. We can learn from this that revolutions could prosper countries as well as devolving them to become failed states. To quote Noam Chomsky:
“One commonly hears that carping critics complain about what is wrong, but do not present solutions. There is an accurate translation for that charge: 'They present solutions, but I don't like them.”
The solutions presented by revolutionary masterminds can be seen as a double-edged sword, for reality is defined by duality and by imperfection. This can lead the rational thinker to always try looking both ways.
Similarly, the personal transformation experienced by an amputee, though undeniably fundamental, does not necessarily signify a positive change. After all, wounded people may still struggle reintegrating to society due to severe psychological trauma, due to discrimination and stigma, and due to social isolation...
“I saw so many awful things I can’t forget. I don’t want to burden you. Are you sure you want to know what war is?” -- Charles Battle, A Vietnam War Veteran
Thus, not every significant change towards the future, is a positive one, hence the progression/novelty fallacy. Thinking that every progress is necessarily a positive one, or even a linear one, ignores the intricacy of reality.
The Road, As found Anywhere
The inherent potential for revolution exists within every sphere of life. This revolutionary potential can simply be defined as the likelihood of experiencing fundamental changes to the current order of things. When planned, it stems from the idea that things don't have to be the way they are.
When order is compromised, it's either altered to a different order, or to chaos. And of course, that chaos, or new order, is formed from the ruins of the original state of order. As such our history is formed out of an endless series of wars, destruction, as well as innovation. And as long as the current order of things will be questioned, humanity will resume evolving, revolving or devolving, on the altar of order-fueled conflict.
Part II: The Revolutionary Mind
"There Is A Great Disturbance In The Force." -- Emperor Palpatine
Individuals who possess the capacity to trigger fundamental change can be regarded as revolutionaries. This potential, however, is not an intrinsic trait inherent to every individual. Let's explore this...
Potential is something that also grows over time, as one's merit improves through discipline and training.
Potential is shaped by a multitude of factors, including personal circumstances, societal norms, and access to resources. These circumstances are either changed by one's own hand, or otherwise remain relatively stagnant by those who seek to keep it that way through lack of faith, or through culture and tradition.
Moreover, the path of revolution is rarely traversed alone. Collaborations, alliances, and resource distribution often prove essential for individuals seeking to implement transformative change in their area of expertise.
The pursuit of absolute stability in society, even if attainable, is an often futile endeavor. The very presence of individuals harboring revolutionary potential ensures that stability is not everlasting.
These individuals, driven by their vision for change, challenge existing paradigms and push the boundaries of what is considered possible. They can either be employed or deemed a force to be reckoned with. However, discarding them could prove unwise. At the best scenario, discarding them would make you lose promising potential. At the worst scenario they will become vengeful.
However, revolutionary aspirations must be regarded with a realistic assessment of one's true potential. Individuals who overestimate their capabilities risk succumbing to delusions of grandeur, their efforts to revolutionize proving futile or even detrimental. With the utter lack of it, you will be rejected as insane, and your wishes and commands will be ignored.
We do hereby command the Leaders of the Hebrew, Catholic and Protestant Churches to sanctify and have us crowned Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. -- "Emperor" Norton I.
The Enduring Impact of Revolutionary Minds
Revolutions, whether positive or negative, are not always immediate. They and their effect may take time, also. The full impact, how can it be immediate if it lasts? When a dynamite explodes in a mine, the impact is not just the explosion but anything else it gives birth to: More resources to extract, more profit to be made, and so on.
It takes time for impacts to spread and manifest. Sometimes, it does even after the revolutionary's death, in the form of legacy. And at times, their impact might as well end with humanity's collective survival itself. In fact, some revolutionary changes occur as a coincidence, such as the invention of corn flakes, a favorite dish which was born out of a mistake.
Part III: The Difficulty of Failures
The success of a revolutionary endeavor is, unfortunately, not guaranteed. While some individuals possess immense revolutionary potential, their efforts can be meddled by various factors, including a lack of resources, manpower, or expertise. Even with the necessary potential, unforeseen challenges can hinder the path to revolutionary change. Will the South Sudan National Revolutionary Movement succeed in its efforts? Maybe, but there is no certainty, only odds.
Revolutions often stem from an ambitious, ruthless human spirit. In addition, a resilience to endure and overcome adversity. Refusing to give up, when a goal can be accomplished, is an example of positive ruthlessness.
Revolutions, regardless of their nature, often disrupt social harmony, often catching the peaceful by surprise. This is because not everyone yields to the status quo, and their desire for change can lead to new transformations, not only in themselves but in others as well. Therefore, as much as justice is important to people, we need to understand that others have other values more dearly in mind.
I always wanted to be a superhero so I went and made a super-suit. I started working on it, but left the idea alone because I was working a job. But when I saw fights on the street I broke them up and stuff. I actually broke up so many fights without a mask on that people knew who I was, they’d be like ‘there’s the guy always breaking up fights. -- Phoenix Jones, long before his retirement.
And as much as idealism can bring us hope, they can be as "realistic" as a dimensional merge between life and fiction. Ideas of absolute world peace and pacifism are often challenged by the inherent potential for revolution. As individuals may seek to transform societal structures, even if their revolutionary ideas are not objectively beneficial (or beneficial at all), they could still shoot themselves in the foot accidently. This, then leads to an unintentional subversion of their ambitions.
My...yard. MY BEAUTIFUL YARD!!!! -- General Skarr, after attempting to get rid of a weed.
Part IV: Navigating Oppression and Revolution
The modern-day formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by the Taliban organization, serves as a grim example of a revolutionary shift, although one that has been met with mixed reactions. Some Westerners view this change as a negative development, while others, who ally with the organization, may see it as a step toward in regional collaborations.
While the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not been internationally recognized, its establishment emphasizes the enduring impact of revolutions. That is despite international controversies, and even when they challenge established norms and structures within their respective societies. It isn't to say I support this, however. I am simply pointing out how oppression can not only be diminished by revolution, but also empower it.
The Resilient Human Spirit
The human spirit can be honed to become a resilient force, capable of enduring even the harshest of conditions, with enough training and discipline. It is this formidable spirit that has allowed humanity to overcome countless challenges and progress throughout history. However, the human spirit is not entirely immune to various forms of oppression.
Oppression can manifest in various forms, including political tyranny, economic deprivation, and social discrimination, such as racism, sexism and more. It is often employed to control and manipulate individuals, silencing resistance and the expression of the human spirit. However, oppression often has the unintended consequence of igniting the very spirit it seeks to extinguish.
In the face of oppression, the human spirit finds ways to resist and express itself. Deep inside, humans need outlets, for their repression is unhealthy. And indeed, revolution can be regarded as an outlet for people's true desires.
Fear-Resistance as a Navigation Asset
This resistance of oppression can take many forms, from peaceful protests and demonstrations to more radical acts of rebellion. Intellectual expression can also be seen as a form of resistance, like the writing of manifestos. Some even lie low just to exercise whatever the oppressors seek to eradicate, as seen in secret American Bars during the probation period of the 1920's. The human spirit's resilience is most evident in those who stand up against injustice, even in the face of great personal risk.
Revolutions often emerge as a direct response to oppressive regimes. They serve as a powerful tool for change, overthrowing unjust and/or controversial systems, and paving the way for a more just and equitable society; along with any other ambitions a leader or a group have in mind. However, revolutions are not without their risks, and they can sometimes lead to unintended consequences, such as violence, instability and other subversions. Deep thinking can reduce such things, however.
The decision to engage in revolutionary action is not one to be taken lightly. It requires careful consideration of the potential consequences, not only for oneself but also for society as a whole. Revolution, when it is high in risk, often should be a last resort, employed only when all other avenues for peaceful change have been exhausted. He or she who fails to think like a competent villain, will have their plans foiled by either others, or themselves.
The greater the risk, the more things you'd might/have to lose.
Conclusions
Revolutions, whether positive or negative, are a constant in human history, driven by a desire for change and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Furthermore, they might be inevitable possibilities on the larger scale of history. Their effects may be immediate or gradual, and their success is not always guaranteed. Yet, they serve as evidence to the human spirit's ability to transform and reshape societies, and even itself.
The human spirit is a force to be reckoned with, capable of enduring even the harshest conditions under the proper mindset/s. While oppression can suppress it, it cannot extinguish it entirely. Thinking it does, is a mental trap.
Revolution, when fueled by legitimate grievances and carefully considered, can be a powerful tool for change. However, it is crucial to approach it with caution and a critical eye, ensuring that the path to change is not paved with further destruction and suffering that can be avoided or reduced.
It is the human spirit, and the actions that represent it, that can serve as an engine to humanity's pursuit of justice, freedom, and a better world to live in. However, it can be employed for evil, as well.
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