In accordance with the Law of Humandynamics, the level of freedom of choice that human beings enjoy has grown continuously throughout the entire planet since the very outset. Stumbling on its way, sometimes completely capsizing during times of war, it nonetheless always gets back up on its feet again spreading outwards and upwards and continuing its journey towards the fulfilment of purpose known only to itself and to God.
If you compare levels of freedom of choice at the beginning and the end of any 50 to 100 year period of history, you will see that this statement related to the rise in levels of freedom of choice is true. Sometimes, an increase in freedom of choice occurs spasmodically over a short period of time as a result of a democratic, or even a scientific, technological revolution.
The main reason for the growth in freedom of choice is that it becomes profitable to the absolute majority of the people. It benefits the economy, which cannot develop without the existence of freedom of choice in economic relations, and it benefits the arts and the sciences which cannot develop at all when freedom of choice is suffocated.
In this short post, we cite five examples of the most pronounced signs that levels of freedom of choice are increasing. All four examples, taken from diverse areas of human life, made the headlines around the world at some point over this year.
(1) Women in Saudi Arabia have been granted the right to drive, overturning a cornerstone of Saudi conservatism. King Salman ordered the reform in a royal decree, requesting that drivers’ licences be issued to women who wanted them.
(2) The Tunisian government scrapped the decades-old ban on marriages between Muslim women and non-Muslim men. This was announced by the press secretary to President Beji Caid Essebsi, who congratulated women on securing the ‘right to the freedom to choose one’s spouse’.
(3) After a centuries-long history of a complete ban on abortion, the Congress of Chile approved a bill that legalises abortions in limited cases. Who would argue that as a result of the approval of the bill, the level of freedom of choice enjoyed by women in Chile has not increased?
(4) The recent funeral ceremonies linked with the 20th anniversary of the passing of Diana, Princess of Wales, illustrate the extent to which custom within the Royal Family has softened and become freer over the past one hundred years.
The historical norms of the residents of Buckingham Palace, their strictly regulated upbringing and traditions are known to all. As a member of the Royal Family, you cannot get into a scrap at school, get drunk in a pub, marry freely or openly enjoy a romantic relationship. No deviation from prescribed traditions is allowed. You have to play the role you were born into, otherwise, being expelled from the family is inevitable.
It was not long ago, back in 1936 that King Edward VIII abdicated for the sake of the right to freely choose a spouse. Do not forget that the inhabitants of London responded with hostility to Edward’s choice, who in their opinion, was ill-suited to the role of future queen. Compare that to the living relationship which the British people, despite everything, have with Princess Diana.
It is a relationship that simply could not have existed even just a few decades ago, when a man was forgiven what a woman was not.
That the growth in freedom of choice, which is mainly finding expression in the acknowledgement of equal rights to freedom of choice between men and women, has reached as far as the gates of Buckingham Palace is clearly illustrated in the participation of the entire Royal Family in the funeral ceremonies mentioned above.
(5) The final significant event of recent times on our short list is the peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the radical left-wing rebel movement FARC, which could put an end to a civil war that has continued for more than 50 years and cost an estimated 200 to 300 thousand lives.
It had taken half a century of bloody war aimed at mutual destruction for the Law of Humandynamics to bring both sides to the understanding that war does not achieve freedom of choice for anyone and what’s more, it deprives the dead of any kind of choice at all!
And whereas 50 years ago, poverty, privation and lack of human rights depriving many Colombians of the certainty of gene preservation forced them to arm themselves with weapons and take to the jungle, today, Colombia’s economic success story, establishment of the rule of law and exercise in democracy have for the very same reasons caused the rebels to reconsider their goals, make different choices and meet the government at the negotiating table.
Just as the fall of the Berlin Wall led to a dramatic surge in levels of freedom of choice for all the German people, the influx of rebel army fighters back into the civilian population based on peace conditions will undoubtedly lead to increased levels of freedom of choice for Colombia’s population as a whole.
Karmak Bagisbayev, professor of mathematics, author of “The Last Faith: a book by an atheist believer”