Happiness instead of capital and spirituality. Model of an Optimal State

S. Haffner does not stipulate it clearly enough, but it is necessary to stipulate: it is not the collectivism in general that should be condemned, but the forced collectivism, participation in the collective and submission to its will, regardless of the goal set by the collective and even more so the one set for it from above. Comradeship and collective interaction, as such, if aimed at good ends, cannot but be welcomed: man is a social being, and such comradeship is especially important amidst a common trouble: war, epidemic, etc.

However, the existence of collective associations opposing other associations and collective mutual assistance in their ranks undermines the unity of the population of any state and can become a threat to the existence of both the state and the members of these associations. It is precisely the responsibility of every Jew for every other Jew, as stipulated by Judaism, was used by the Nazis to justify the Holocaust: the criminal actions of Jewish bankers during the global economic crisis were in fact one of the causes of the tragedy of the German people, and according to the above-mentioned doctrine of Judaism all Jews had to answer for it, and they did, right up to Auschwitz. Something similar happens in the U.S. with respect to black people: they became united in their defense of “their” criminals, who are often treated too harshly by the police, sometimes killing those who show even the slightest resistance – without any condemnation of the criminals themselves; this creates an image in certain layers of society of the black population as a criminal community, which reinforces the racism which in turn motivates the unjustifiable brutality of the police – such a vicious circle. The only way out of this vicious circle is to consider people as individuals and to strongly discourage any consideration of particular group associations and the activities of those associations in defending “their own” against “outsiders.

In general terms, the main vice of all systems is the very division of humanity into large and small, groups struggling with each other, from nations and classes to teenage gangs. The United States has become the most advanced country in the world precisely because it has overcome this division to the greatest extent. But in the U.S., too, there is an increasing confrontation among different parts of society. If previously there were vestiges of slavery, then after they were successfully overcome, began a shift in the other direction – they began to establish mandatory quotas for members of certain groups, etc. However – in order to overcome discrimination, it is not necessary to provide any supposedly compensatory benefits to certain population groups, primarily on a racial and ethnical basis. Some benefits in this regard can be provided ONLY INDIVIDUALLY to those who have been deprived for one reason or another of equal opportunities, with the requirement that everyone who claims benefits must present specific evidence of this deprivation – poor financial situation of parents or other specific circumstances specified in the relevant law. Undoubtedly, statistically these advantages will be given more to persons of a certain race or nationality, but this race or nationality alone should not serve as a basis for granting advantages. It is only in this way that restorative justice does not exacerbate social rifts, as it does when advantages are accorded on the basis of race or nationality. This is the only approach to ensure the unity of entire American society, for all unjust privileges for people of a certain race or nationality create hostility among all others toward people of that race or nationality. In other words, such methods of fighting racism, quite on the contrary, stimulate racism itself. Diversity, which, along with justice and equality, is what Kamala Harris, who formulated these three demands of American nation, emphasized in her acceptance speech for the U.S. vice-presidential nomination, is necessary. But this diversity, first, must be limited to the natural humane demands of the modern world (cannibals, for example, are by no means should be welcomed) and, second, must not be accompanied by the formation of group associations which oppose other group associations or the outside world as a whole. While such associations exist, Kamala’s noble global goal cannot be implemented in principle: “A vision of our nation as a Beloved Community – where all are welcome, no matter what we look like, where we come from, or who we love. A country where we may not agree on every detail, but we are united by the fundamental belief that every human being is of infinite worth, deserving of compassion, dignity and respect.” As long as there are “insiders” and “outsiders,” it won’t happen, unfortunately, this is definitely true. This is why we should not strive in any way to take into account the interests of such group associations, as it is done in American – and not only American – politics, in accordance with Marx’s class theory (although they try to ignore it). SUCH ASSOCIATIONS MUST BE DESTROYED. This should be done, first of all, by educational methods – both within the framework of general education and by passing knowledge through the media, including speeches by political leaders. If necessary, organizational and legislative measures should be taken in order to prevent people united by racial, ethnic origin or according to other criteria from congregating in a certain area. The general strengthening of the social functions of the state, which eliminates the need to rely on the help of group mates, undoubtedly contributes to the destruction of group associations. In any case, the destruction of group associations which oppose other people must be one of the most important tasks of the state.

S. Haffner considers collectivism, as he understands it, a characteristic feature of socialism in general. He is mistaken in that: in the USSR, before Stalin came to absolute power, there was great diversity both in artistic creativity and in personal life (in general, the USSR that existed before Stalin and even more so the one conceived by the leaders of the revolution, was a completely different country than the USSR under Stalin). The oppression of people also takes place under capitalism. Moral principles are also proclaimed here, although they are usually implemented in practice less insistently than under . Here too the position of the individual depends not only on his contribution to the welfare of the society, but also on circumstances beyond the individual’s control – opportunities created by one’s origin and the market situation under the conditions of unpredictable chaos. Therefore, this society too is unjust, although it may be less unjust than  – especially when the capitalist state becomes social to a certain degree. But nowadays, owing to the possibilities of computerization, the socialist economy can become much more efficient than the capitalist economy. When in addition to that, there is a substantially greater level of justice and the maximum insurance function of the state, providing confidence in the future, the superiority of socialism becomes absolute. But only if it is not just socialism, but social individualism which incorporates the best of capitalism and above all the individual freedom. real socialism real socialism

The vices of capitalism cannot be corrected by democratic procedures. Democracy operates on the premise that the majority of the population make decisions based on their own interests, unlike monarchies and dictatorships, where these very monarchs and dictators primarily take into account their own interests and the interests of the people on whom they rely. In practice, however, this premise turns out to be wrong, because voters, as a rule, are not competent enough to assess the real consequences of the solutions that are offered to them. They often do not even try to assess these consequences, preferring to rely on impressions made by the personalities of the candidates, also because nothing obligates the candidates to fulfill the commitments they have made and because some of the information provided to voters is obviously false, and nothing actually is done about it. In addition, a large part of the electorate has no will of their own, they blindly follow the instructions of their religious and other “spiritual leaders”. All this is described in detail in the book “21 Lessons for the 21 Century” by Y. N. Harari. This does not mean a denial of democracy in general. Power should belong to the people, but the concrete mechanism of exercising this power should ensure the satisfaction of real aspirations of the people. At the same time, it must avoid restricting the just claims of those who belong to various kinds of minorities. To this end, existing democratic procedures must be significantly improved. st