We have determined that global unity is the only path that will prevent human extinction and also maximize the realization of overall human values; furthermore, the unification of mankind is no longer just a necessity, but also a possibility.
Humans must be the impetus behind global unification. The transformation from a country-based society to a unified society will an unprecedented social reform as well as an unparalleled rational choice. Its significance and influence will be unsurpassed. In the face of such a great cause, what forces can we rely on?
SECTION ONE: THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THINKERS AND POLITICIANS
Any major social change will require an enlightenment of ideology as a basis. This ideological awakening will take some time to process. The direction of history is usually shrouded to the general public, so only the handful of profound thinkers will recognize the true way of the future. These prophets will recognize the turning points of history before everyone else.
Thinkers alone are not enough to change the course of history. Major change must always be endorsed by the masses. Unfortunately, ordinary people lack serious consideration and research of the general direction of history, as well as a systematic theoretical foundation for enlightenment; therefore, an ideological movement is required to promote widespread dissemination of mature ideological theories proposed by the leading thinkers.
Once these theories are widely accepted by the people, it will transform into a force for change, and new history will be created.
It would be impossible for a new world order to be born without the drive and support of the people; thus, some persons must emerge to unite the people into a formidable charge and lead the process of change. These persons are usually the political leaders of the specific era. Without their powers of integration, social reform could not take place. Thinkers and politicians must work together to first awaken and then unite the general public into a new era.
The crucial role of thinkers and politicians can be clearly seen in the development of world history. We know that feudal theocracy ruled Medieval Europe for thousands of years. Under this rule, the world had no creativity and the people were in a state of ignorance. It was the rise of the Renaissance movement in the fourteenth century that brought about ideological liberation and destroyed the shackles of theocracy and feudalism. The ideological liberation movement promoted by the Renaissance freed Europe from the darkness of feudal theocracy and led the world out of the Middle Ages.
The Enlightenment movement in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was the second ideological liberation movement in modern history. The movement originated in France and soon spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas, thus affecting the whole world. The ideas of freedom, equality, democracy, and law advocated by the Enlightenment directly promoted revolutionary movements in Europe and the United States. It had particular influence on the American Revolution and similar independence movements across Europe. It can be said that without the Enlightenment, there would be no modern democracy.
As we all know, the victory of the Russian October Revolution in 1917 created the first socialist country in the world. After that, the socialist movement encompassed half of the world, and many countries established socialist regimes in succession; however, the victory of the October Revolution was not accidental. It was the result of long-term dissemination of socialist ideas and promotion of the workers’ movement. These ideals can be traced back to the utopian socialism born in the sixteenth century. In the nineteenth century, Marx and Engels drew from the experience of the international workers’ movement and analyzed the classic philosophy of Germany, the classical political economy of Britain, and the fantasies of France to form Marxist theory. The spread of Marxism was the prerequisite and foundation for the success of the socialist revolution.
Each ideological liberation movement will create a group of outstanding thinkers. The Renaissance movement produced Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Shakespeare, and Cervantes. The Enlightenment movement produced Grotius, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau. The communist movement produced Marx and Engels. It was the thoughts of these ideological giants that paved the way for historical development and subsequent social change.
Likewise, a series of outstanding political leaders will inevitably emerge during major turning points in history. For example, George Washington emerged out of the American Revolution, and Lenin came to prominence during the Russian socialist revolution. These politicians led their people to realize the ideals of the great thinkers and promote the development of history. The progress of history cannot be separated from great thinkers and politicians. Any reasonable and conscientious thinker or politician should bravely shoulder the heavy responsibility of history and never hesitate in the move forward.
The transformation from a country-based society to a unified society will be the most significant historical turning point in human society and will have unsurpassed impact on human society. No past change has ever targeted the fundamental makeup of human society or used universal happiness as the banner. The Renaissance aimed to overthrow feudal theocratic rule and free people to a certain extent; the Enlightenment sought to destroy the feudal monarchy and gain a limited amount of democracy and equality; and the communist movement’s goal was to build socialist countries with proletariat dictatorships. All past social changes have been mainly aimed at wresting control from the ruling party and secondarily focused on gaining limited amounts of happiness for the people. In such processes, it was inevitable that only certain groups of mankind benefited while other groups were deprived.
The unified society will be a fundamentally different type of social change in two ways. First, its intent will be to protect all of humanity from extinction (it is also the only thing that will prevent human extinction) and to ensure as much universal happiness as possible. Second, unification will be for the sake of all mankind. No groups or individuals will need to sacrifice their interests for the interests of other groups or individuals.
Some people’s interest will suffer to an extent during the unification process. For example, some people may lose their ruling powers and privileges, while others may experience slight decreases in living standards. However, they will obtain the survival of all humanity in exchange, not only for themselves, but for their future descendants as well. This gain will obviously be much more important than any lost interests.
The cause of global unification is a great cause that will benefit all humans. When this cause comes into conflict with localized interests, we must search for peaceful resolutions through the promotion of moral values.
To realize this goal, we must initiate a widespread ideological enlightenment movement that will awaken people to the importance of a unified society. This movement must change the established concepts of country and nationality so that people will willingly accept and happily welcome the arrival of a unified world.
The following aspects will be especially important during this enlightenment movement: people must replace the concept of national interests with the concept of universal human interests; they must replace the worship of science and technology with the awareness of its dangers; they must replace discrimination with universal equality; they must place universal survival above individual hedonism; and they must realize the maximum value potential of the unified society.
Though we are on the precipice of historical change, we cannot ask for all the masses to be rational; however, we can demand rationality from all conscientious politicians and thinkers. The greatest thinkers and politicians of our time must bravely lead the charge and pave the way towards the unified society. This is their sacred responsibility.
