Utopia

Utopia, the perfect society. It's been a goal of humankind for... well as long as we've had societies. Of course the practical realization of a utopia will likely never truly come about, but trying for it has driven the improvement of human society for a long time. One of the most important aspects of a society - specifically an ideal one - is a system of governance. Think about it, an effective government is like a framework. It gives you everything you need to build something great. Countries today that do not have effective governments suffer. Look at a great, industrialized nation like Great Britain. There exists so much controversy due to the election of a minority government, a situation that isn't as much of a problem in many other countries. So, what does an effective governmental system entail, and why talk about this on a blog that seems to generally focus on the spiritual?

The first question is a difficult one, for the answer varies with the needs of the time and location. The answer to the second question is easier! Islam as a faith teaches that the spiritual and material are not to be separate. Your religion and faith is a part of everything you do... it doesn't get left outside the doors of parliament, (now this does NOT mean that those religious fanatics who claim to hurt others in the name of Islam are right in laying the blame on the faith, those people don't truly understand the relationship between faith and life).

I would argue that government systems in general are not set up to be successful in most of the world today. Looking at a country like Canada or the US, we have democratic processes in place to elect our leadership... but how many people actually take the time to educate themselves on the facts? Contrast this to a communist country like China where for all intents and purposes, a few individuals make decisions for the country. Now, don't get me wrong here, democracy is effective, however would you rather have 30 million ignorant people choose the leader of your country, or a few motivated, well-educated people? I would take this a step further and argue that in many cases, the most effective form of government would be one in which there is a single ruler - a monarchy so to speak. Of course, this is only valid if you have a benevolent monarch, one with a large, intelligent and perceptive group of advisors. Some of the most successful periods in history have been times when a country or empire has been ruled by a single individual who is able to create change. These dynasties often fall within a few generations as different individuals may not be as suited for rule as their ancestors may have been. So where does that leave us?

In the footsteps of Plato's Republic, I would propose that an effective government system would be one that combines a benevolent monarch, with the wisdom inherent in consensus and the checks and balances found in democracies (the judicial system, the senate and parliament balancing each other out). Government is an important aspect of life, both from a spiritual perspective and from a material one. Until the perfect society forms (or something close to it at least), let us all do our part and learn more about the issues facing our world and governments, and make informed decisions when we vote. Democracy is flawed, but it is effective in many contexts today. Better Democracy than Bureaucracy right?

God Bless