Misery

The misery of world history

In my view, much of the misery in world history comes from the fact that many of its defining rulers, dictators, and even religious founders were not great enough to be accepted willingly by the people. Instead, they had to rely on followers who supported them out of fear, dependency, or blind loyalty. At the same time, many people allowed this to happen because large segments of the population feel a strong psychological need to follow a leader. This combination of faulty leaders and obedient followers has repeatedly paved the way for oppression. Once a dictatorship is established, the ruler typically divides society into supporters and those who are persecuted. Because dictators have persecuted others, they cling desperately to power, fearing that if they lose it, they will themselves become victims of revenge by the oppressed. However, this cannot be the purpose of a state. A state should not terrorise its citizens, but rather guarantee their freedom, dignity, and fundamental rights. For this reason, I believe that neither an authoritarian leaderstate, nor a theocracy, nor a monarchy is suitable for this purpose. In particular, a system in which political power is inherited by one family grants unjustified privileges and undermines equality. Privileges based on birth are always harmfuland unjust. Only a liberal democracy, with a clear separation of powers and effective checks and balances, can prevent the abuse of power in the long term. If we truly want to prevent future dictatorships and terror regimes, we must also rethink how we remember history. We should not sanctify or glorify individuals who persecuted others, nor should we honour them with statues and monuments, as is still done in many parts of the world. Even people regarded as holy figures were involved in persecution. Many so-called desk perpetrators—those who planned, justified, or enabled violence and persecution from behind a desk—can be found throughout history, including among influential religious thinkers. This does not mean history should be erased, but it must be remembered honestly and critically.