Oh, boy. Another new idea for a political system. Again with the brilliant attempts to fix our broken society. One more fad meant to whip up the masses into a frenzy for a couple of weeks. Haven’t we been here before? Well, if you must. Yawn—let’s get this over with.
Many people resort to this kind of attitude because they have wised up. They have been pulled, pushed, and hit with all kinds of lies. Why should this time be any different? Don’t we encounter packaged nonsense at every turn? We have deceptive systems that enrich the upper class and super rich. Everyone knows it. Even the elite recognize it. So, they distract us with highlights of popular sports stars, the celebrity of the day who has tragically gone off their rocker, or the annual glorification of ego at opulent awards shows. How do we respond? We eat it up. We devour it in an attempt to feel good about ourselves, to entertain ourselves, to stay current, and to remain in awe of false idols. We yearn for spirituality, for meaning in our lives, for the chance to fit in with those who “have it all under control”, or so we delude ourselves into believing. How disgusting and destructive to allow other human beings to dictate our values to us. Why don’t we fight back? Why do we allow them to control us? We must transcend them. Theirs is only one way.
Meritocracy is more than just a political system—so much more. Imagine for a moment that all of the selfish and malevolent ways of our current leaders were not only eradicated, but replaced by decisions and behaviors of people who have struggled and been ridiculed, alienated by society. Imagine having leaders who have seen the world through the eyes of the poor, the sick, the downtrodden, who, through their own hard work, talent, and dedication, cut a path to help others make the most of themselves. Let’s empower those who have sacrificed their time and have set aside their personal desires so that they could lead the world away from the rat race, and steer us towards the kind of society envisioned by Plato.
Meritocracy is rational, the most ambitious political ideology in history, and its potential is infinite. Picture a society run by a group of people with the mental prowess of masters like Da Vinci, Einstein, Leibniz, Mozart, Jung, Nietzsche, and Goethe. Can you fathom the creativity and intelligence in a room full of the greatest thinkers of our time, exchanging ideas to propel society forward?
A common view of the “good life” is a house, a car, a spouse, a dog, and a picket fence. To some, this is a chilling vision that invokes the images of “The Stepford Wives”, soulless automatons who have simply neglected their creativity and uniqueness to forge a life sold to them. Of course, this vision fails to show the many empty streets, broken homes, broken dreams, and broken spirits. It doesn’t include the starving children, the gangsters, the diseases, the handicapped, the poor, and the underclass. To a pure Meritocracy this is a failure. Meritocracy is about the strengthening of links that form an unbreakable chain. Our chain is so weak that the links have nothing in common. They are crumbling.
Society has failed to identify the cancer that is slowly killing us: the super rich. The rich have amassed so much wealth that they are less accurately characterized as humans than as pigs, yet they view themselves as masters of the universe, kings, queens, and all the titles of old that courageous revolutionaries helped to put in their place. We live in a pyramid society, where everyone on the bottom drastically fights and claws to get to the top. And then what? What if you succeed? What if you make it to the top? Will you look down at all the ties you’ve severed, the pain and suffering you caused your enemies, the imbalance to our society while you were looking out for number one? Is that the life we all aspire to live? Should we just trample anyone in our way so that we may live comfortably, looking to objects, and devoid of spirit or capacity for improvement? Repeating this terrible cycle of divide-and-conquer creates a wasteland of mediocrity. If we don’t change the system, we will implode, and destroy everything that great people before us have built. A future of nothingness. That is the fate of American democracy wedded to free-market capitalism.
Meritocracy can usher in the new Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment prospered because people were able to access the works of the pre-Socratic philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, the greatest thinkers in history, who inspired the next generation of great thinkers. They raised the mental capacity of entire nations. Intelligence was a flame, and it shone everywhere.
We can again enjoy that brilliance by applying the wisdom and forsight that broke America free from the control of Great Britain. We must place the best in charge. Thomas Jefferson helped write the Declaration of Independence because he was the best suited for it. George Washington became President because he led us in battle against Great Britain. They didn’t cast votes or dazzle the public with phony advertisements. They earned their positions and helped set a blazing example of the greatness that made America a powerhouse—until, of course, those cancerous fools, the self-appointed masters of the universe, took over and made a mess of everything.
We can be certain that the light and spirit of Meritocracy will shine radiantly, just as it did in the American Revolution. Shouldn’t you be on the side of Reason?
