Philocracy

I am not familiar with American literary theorist Mikhail Epstein, whose works focus on philosophy and postmodernism. I haven't read any of his books. But perhaps even we are thousands of miles away from each other, still unfamiliar of one's existence, we seem to meet on this field of divine intelligence through a very simple word that came out from one of my word intuitions. The word is Philocracy.

Epstein combines Greek words philo which means "loving" and kratos, which means "rule". According to him, Philocracy is the rule of Love, where Love becomes a governing principle in social and community life. I was mulling over the word as an intuitive insight that there is a possibility that one day this world, sans the laws of all nations, will only be ruled by Love. I am yet to learn the reason behind Epstein's intentions of coining this word, which somehow appears to be logically and philosophically vague for most of us who learns it for the first time. In the meantime, listening to my heart's definition the day when this word popped in my mind like a mushroom would assure me of certain power of this neologism. In a world that dreams a utopia one day, Philocracy is the only system of government that can rule. It appears to be a notch higher than democracy, and there is only one law that rules, the law of all laws: the law of Love.

Recalling Philocracy as my word insight, I just thought that what if we begin to rule the whole world and humanity by breaking the rules of separation, and start to follow Love as the basis of our ethical, moral, and democratic responsibilities? What if Love becomes the center of our political and economic reformations, that it radically shatters and restructures the society that has built reality to let greed flourish? What if our rulers would not be rulers anymore, since we begin to realize that we cannot rule anybody else except ourselves, and the only way to rule ourselves is to Love ourselves and others?

By the virtue of Love, everybody of us will participate to propel the critical mass so we can reach the tipping point where each human being participates to a government of Oneness. This is an elusive probability for some hopefuls, and a pipe dream for many skeptics. It's impossible, skeptics will say, because evil is so palpable in our society; we have to wait for the day when God casts out the sinners and renews the world into a utopian paradise. Or they will change the world through social activism or military coercion. Those who are still in the seat of power sees political overhauling, changing from one government to another, as an effective way to progress. For an ordinary folk, a new leader can change everything. The world is in need of a superhero who will save the day, they say, and these "heroes" begin to show themselves months before the election. In these dire times when people have longed to believe that any solution can be found among the things they use to see, Love doesn't have any space, and will never have any space in any politics and governance.

Nonetheless, the world's problem is not political, nor economic, nor any other compartmentalized system of discipline and knowledge. The problem is that this world is continued to be fertilized by fear that makes a fertile ground to cultivate bloodshed and all sorts of violence, and until each of us opens our eyes to the the truth, this cycle will viciously go round and round without any end until we destroy ourselves. Albert Einstein said that we must rise above the level of thinking that has created the problem. By doing this, we can clear up the illusions that blur our understanding of the real source of problem. Erich Fromm and Neale Donald Walsch both agree on the true problem of the world: it is a spiritual problem; it is a problem of Love.

How does the concept of Philocracy come in? Ironically, the more we consider it as a concept, lesser it can help. Because this concept can only last as long as a book holds the ink through which the concept is explained. Only when this concept pulsates in every vein of human awareness, thus the concept can revitalize the possibilities of creating infinite solutions for humanity's big problems. The rule of Love is the only rule that cannot be broken. Many can write about it, implement it as a doctrine of sorts, or speak about it with intense passion, yet if it remains dulled by the intellect, it won't do any good.

The rule of Love must be implemented, not by force but by inner knowing, by trusting each and every citizen of the world that Love rules in each and everyone, and serves as a beacon of light to the dark shadows of the world. It is a rule that does not need any judge, for the judge becomes the observer of truth as they are. It does not need a political leader, for the leader within oneself is emerging, with swift decisive precision that cuts through all confusion between right and wrong, that allows oneself to see only Love as the law that enforces itself so well. It does not need military command, for Love does not need any defense; it only sees every human life precious and capable of only Love and growth; any weaponry of wars will be of no use.

The rule of Love does not need lawmakers, for it is the law unto itself, and unfolds with irrefutable accuracy, and aboveboard impartiality. The rule of Love only needs an expanded consciousness of each citizen, not just of one country, but of the whole world. An individual realization of Love automatically leads to a collective, Philocratic regime, based on the virtues that lives out Oneness, which is transcendent of democratic equality; it also promotes inner peace that transcends peace and order; and it seeks to reunite not just through diplomatic means, but through deep human nature of Loving another and in return, being loved.

Those dark years of recent Philippine political history are the lenses by which most Filipinos sees the political and economic scenario of the country. And most people only consider "people power' as the only alternative. Thus, democratic principles are understood and experienced by defining it as a collective undertaking of restless citizens who actively participate in such oppositional movements against the policies of the current regime. People must act together in order to preserve - or better yet, to revive - the foundations of democracy. Though, it has been years since this way of expressing the vox populi, still the same dreary reality in government remains unchanged. It is now time to transcend. People power must be redefined. In the light of Philocracy, people power becomes a collective powerful intention, designed by each individual's Loving consciousness, where greed, anger and illusion no longer disempower anyone. The rule of Love that starts from one's heart is beginning to spread out, where each Loving thought becomes an answered prayer wishing a great change in any existent government.

It must be no accident when my Korean friend once told me 2 Korean words that have amazed me since: saram means "people"; when the last letter m is changed to -ng, it becomes sarang, which means Love. Two different words, rhymes with each other, both linguistically and symbolically connected. People power is not anymore harnessed by coercion and hypes. Rather, it is Love power that not just preserves Philocratic principles of Oneness and Peace, but enlivens living principles themselves in every citizen's soul.

Philocracy is not a fantasy from a distant future. From the fragments of our collective frustrations and aspirations, we are rebuilding our society not through external forces of political machinery, but through the organic unfolding of our growing consciousness. We are no more to rule each other like playing Gods of our own egos. We are no more to fiercely carry out, abuse and struggle for impermanent powers of domination and savagery. We are no more to neglect the need of our fellow citizens, who suffer and die through a plethora of destitution and cruelty. We become aware of the power of Love within, from which all change begins. We commit ourselves to become the incarnation of God through compassion and generosity. We rule not the nations, but the entire domain of our inner kingdom, the kingdom of God which is always at hand. We become the force of salvation for the lives of the many, as we serve humanity in bringing them out from the brink of hellish death. There is no institution that can implement Philocracy except within ourselves. And when we begin, indeed, Love will rule the world.