It took sages a few thousand years to domesticate the human bull, the man. Give him purpose in life, fan his pride, or make him fear the loss of his possessions and he will work better than any creature in the world. Free him, they realised, and he becomes a dud.

This dynamic will be changed by US revolution of 1775. The corollary of its dualism and related tensions in its wake continues in our times.

The Singular Moment In Modern History
In 1789, the Continental Congress excluded the bishops of Thirteen Colonies from their Senate, the gatekeeper of the wishes of the House (of lay people). Thus, a 1000-year administrative legacy of European Christianity was relegated to dust bins of history.

These rebels of the American Revolution, which began in 1775, identified themselves with the ancient Greek Civilisation, where all religions were welcome but Greek gods were especially welcome. This time, the New World will respect any god, as long as it serves it.

The results were immediate: the French emperor who supported the American revolution was consumed by it in 1789. Europe continued to burn till 1848; the US followed, 1861-65, reimagining the ‘total war’ concept. After inflicting global pain from rabid colonisation, Europe burned hot between 1914-1945, and cold till 1989.

Now a new war is upon us: Russian and Israeli invasions – both fearing existential crisis – have divided the world. And US looms large in the background.

Why War?
War is ‘politics by another means’, so said Carl von Clausewitz, a German philosopher – one amongst many a Germans who helped built the modern world that we take for granted. And, politics is negotiations at the societal level.

Because the modern world was led by the Protestants, their society was a nation. A nation was defined in 1648 as ‘supreme authority (sovereignty) of a ruling class (aristocrats and clergy) over their territory’. In the following three centuries, the meaning of sovereign was challenged and changed.

So European states acquired exclusive monopoly on violence, and henceforth all negotiations will be done by the nation state.

But why negotiate?
In 1776-world, when a person was condemned to a life of slavery, serfdom, casteism or class work – lorded over by hereditary masters, aristocrats, royalty, and priests of all kinds – we got the bold declaration of inalienable right of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” of every individual.

This were inspired by the writings of John Locke – an English physician/philosopher – who argued that political class should exist to protect ‘property’, that is, a person’s life, liberty and estate (1689).

For the revolutionaries, the estate was a fair-game. They wanted their life and liberty though. Pursuit of happiness added zing to this liberal life.

In 11th century, al-Ghazali argued for five objectives of Shariah (a path to good/positive living): protection of faith (deen), intellect (aql), life (nafs), lineage (nasl) and property (maal).

In 4th century BC, Aristotle – considered the philosopher, the first scientist, and the tutor of Alexander the Great – opined the purpose of good life was to seek happiness, though he tempered this search via truth and reason.

Anyway, in the contemporary 18th century Protestant world, every human was believed to have been made in a unique image of God himself (Genesis 1:27). So, every American man concurred with this idea of safety of his life, his freedom of thought from state coercion, and singular pursuit of his happiness wherever he finds it and in whatever company he chooses.

It was realised that, man, being a social animal, will live in some society. It was agreed that apart of these new trinity of rights, everything else will have to be negotiated.

The Process of Negotiation
The fundamental aspect of this negotiation was seeking and living a life of truth – inspired by Aristotle, extolled by Bible. And when this avenue is exhausted, the next step was ruling by majority. All for respective pursuit of happiness.

People who lost in these negotiations will have their life, their liberty and could pursue happiness in forms of their liking. To stay in that society, they will have to abide by majority, or leave that society. Punishments were devised for whose who vacillated.

The new gatekeepers (the Senate) of such society – the scientists and industrialists, believers in science and progress – would oversee the activities of the House (managing populist wishes): the system came to be known as “Constitutional or Representative Democracy”. But the defining motto was the new trinity of rights: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

No One to Negotiate With
The arrival of the English peasants in Jamestown colony on the western Atlantic coast began a long social interaction with the local native Americans. However, this humane relationship changed dramatically with the declaration of US Independence.

Now, the American native tribes became enemies at multiple levels: they were friends with the British; they were unChristian and savage; they did not think rationally; they looked different. And thus there was ‘no one to negotiate with’.

The freed men roamed and wandered westward – in pursuit of happiness, with unrelenting movements into native American lands ever displacing them westward. By 1848, hundreds of native tribes were driven into large open cages called ‘reservations’. They were offered avenues of assimilation and slavery. Those who refused were at the mercy of their own chiefs, living in a ghetto and fighting for a slice of an ever shrinking pie.

Canadian, South American, South African and Australian settlers followed suit – more or less on the same principle.

Where Negotiations Failed
It is one matter to ‘other’ a weak, and make a pulp out of them. It is an entirely different matter to settle difference amongst equals – each nation stubbornly pursuing its own happiness (or national interests, as Cardinal Richelieu epitomised in the 17th century).

In the name of a new trident – Liberty, Equality, Fraternity – the French revolted against their king and beheaded him in 1789. Since he was supported by the Catholic clergy, the French radicals went to war against all of the Catholic heft and rampaged Europe, declaring the Holy Roman Empire as in no way holy, neither Roman, nor empire.

We can see a tension developing here: in pursuit of individual happiness vs a fraternity of happy peoples – that of individualism vs the collective.

The Protestants of northern Europe and North America valued individual pursuit of happiness, the non-Protestant Europeans emphasised collective fraternity. This difference in their vision of progress will plague them, and humanity, for coming two centuries.

In their respective pursuits of happiness, they will turn to science for oneupmanship and for domination. Fear of subjugation and greed of dominions were other primal drivers.

Absence of Religion at the ‘Negotiations-Table’
Simply put, many did not come to the table. In Europe, religion had lost its prestige and credibility.

The protestants counted in despair the number of exclusive churches propping up in their lands (today, more than a 1000 exists). Catholicism was more enamoured by its pagan Roman past, than its Hebrew heritage.

While battered Hebrews in the Eastern Europe were more scattered than ever before in their history. The Orthodox Church willingly tagged along ‘with the Caesar’ of the day, no matter what.

Hindus were told by Brahmin priests not to cross any waters (even rivers) keeping them ignorant, while the Chinese did not want to leave their Middle Kingdom. African blacks were brutally enslaved, and best Muslims agreed that all has been revealed that needed to be revealed! Buddhists willingly led a wanton meagre life.

‘The Free’ Decamp On The World
If the newbies in North America had obliterated hundreds of tribes, the Old European elites (royalty, aristocrats and war machine) geared into action as their masses demanded new negotiations for distribution of wealth obtained by their labour of new discoveries, innovations and inventions.

They marched the poor or the desperate classes to rampage the rest of the world – for property, estate and religion. Christianity, in different denominations, tagged along – brining some humanity to this brutal phase of human history.

But the old civilisations did not crack that easily, compared to the poor native Americans.

The Singular Moment Meets Its Match
The French had radicalised European peasants and the downtrodden. They were hardened in their zeal to stop the relentless pursuit of happiness of smart-asses against the hapless communities who could not/did not negotiate. Europe continued to simmer, while the ancient world resisted.

In 1848, after many failed rebellions, the Communist Manifesto was declared. For the first time in human history, rebels and radicals did not invoke or sought the help of God. They declared, they will do it themselves.

For not supporting the poor, and specially supporting the privileged, Christianity became a fair target in the long and wide ‘Culture War’, as Germans named this simmering war within. Christianity will not acknowledge the progress; the radicals will not return to the old rules.

As the firm grip of the aristocrats and clergy in Europe began to loosen, the Ideal Man of Aristotle (while pursuing happiness, takes joy in doing favours for others) was transformed by the godless Nietzsche (1844-1900) into a Uberman/Superman (who confidently creates and commands to satisfy his happiness).

The Mighty Destruction
In the US Civil War (1861-65), backed by scientific and industrial heft, the northern states warred with their southern Christians with a ferocity of medieval era in total war of scorched-earth-policy, reminding the world of Genghis Khan. In the milieu, the native Americans, of the plains or the mountains, largely began to disappear.

Learning from this combined experience of ruthless military tactics and the new power of industrialisation, individual European nations released their downtrodden masses on the fairly willing-dumb world of the 19th century. Nations, old cultures, and religions of all sorts fell like dominoes – just like in the 1200s when hoards marched into east and west.

This colonisation saw its peak in 1884-1914, when almost all of Africa was occupied by the European forces (‘Scramble for Africa’). The primitive humans of Africa were exhibited wildly in the most advanced of nations.

Finally, the war for estate and property returned to Europe in 1914. The Germans wanted a piece of world, and none was available to them. They had given Europe its culture, science and technology yet were not bestowed pride or space to grow.

When the war ended, the significant casualties were the royals, aristocrats and priestly class who supported the war effort in each and opposite part. They became the notions of the old times. ‘Living in the present’ became the zeitgeist (the spirit/geist itself was hijacked from the Holy Trinity).

Fear of Mutually Assured Destruction
The communist revolution of 1917 in Russia condemned and tried to uproot every aspect of all religions. They promised they will do the same when they take over the world, sooner than later.

To hold off the spread of these revolutions, the Old Europe shed the role of religion in public negotiations and policy. The American revolution had truly spread to all of the Europe.

When German rage erupted again in 1939, it took extremes of human experiments (fierce individuality of US and equally affirmative collective efforts of communist Soviet Union) to extinguish the populist German aspirations.

In 1945, the founding nations of the UN Charter (including colonised nations like India and China) promised, that none will “authorise the UN to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any nation”.

1945-bombing of Japan with that terrifying bomb only strengthened the resolve of the Communists to war till the end. They were helped by the communist sympathisers all across the capitalist world.

Since both parties were nuclear-armed, and not mad, they moved into still-wiling-dumb world – not as colonisers this time but as ideological proselytisers. Peaceful persuasion will be the key, or so they claimed.

US was the first to break it’s promise to the UN, in 1952, when Mosaddegh, the Iranian Prime Minister, was removed and murdered by bribed fanatics.

Morally, the Cold War was a monumental disaster for humanity. Both did not believe in God, nor in morals. It was dirty, unprincipled and callous, unleashing the-winner-takes-all beast.

Ironically, scientific achievements of this era can be said to be more than what humanity achieved in the all of pre-1945 era combined. No wonder, people of spiritual bend are wary of material growth. Humanity struggles to achieve this balance between the two.

Importantly, the communist idea of freedom from oppression of masses by monied class triggered decolonisation of the caged humanity. Ironically, the French empire were the last to give in, revealing the moral compass of the age.

Partying Like No Tomorrow
As the colonisers left the lands, they left a trial of potential for conflict along the way: civil wars so created in native lands led to flight of money and minds to the old colonisers, creation of corrupt local leaders and exploitation of natural resources. Again, the French continues this economic imperialism to this day.

By 1980s, the communist countries were haemorrhaging money by supporting the poor world, whose wealth was drained out by corrupt local leaders by buying goods from their former colonisers or sending their wealth to the new capitalists.

In 1989, the godless communists surrendered, much to the relief of the world. A few were disoriented, unsure where to go from here: Some became nationalists; others became fundamentalists; still others became Islamophobes; a few became all parts of this trident of hate – the challenge of the 21st century peace.

Over its 200 years of existence, the US annihilated the savage natives, put down the populist Germans and now humiliated the godless Russians. 21st century began without a foe, and complete freedom in global affairs.

Terror by All Means
In the 1990s, in Islam, the US elite found a new native American tribe – an enemy at many levels: non-Christian; mostly coloured or black; friends with the old communists; scattered and seemed irrational.

The War of Terror began: ‘othering’ the weak, US marshals freely threatened sovereign leaders and military generals, penalised merchants, coerced intellectuals, and killed provocateurs – without due process.

More importantly, between 2001 to 2015, the war machine had radicalised the many impressionable minds of the global young by publishing news articles that were 80% negative of Islam or Muslims.

The art of negotiations was lost, as information was forced through the prism of heightened fear.

The Bulls Appear Again
Since 2016, the challenge of China and India is before the Anglo-sphere.

China has declared its intentions to be a world power, unlike Europe. Indian minister of External Affairs declared more ambitiously in 2019: “the purposeful pursuit of national interest in shifting global dynamics may not be easy; but it must be done”. Indian foreign policy has been on this trajectory since.

Add to this another angle: that each nation is determined on manipulating the contradictions of another nation for its exclusive gain. Now, this is not how families work if humanity wants to see its next generations prosper.

A chasm is developing between collectivism vs individualism in the core of the humanity again. New negotiations are needed to prevent the disasters of the 20th century.

The man on the ground is confused; the best of the beast will not work in this state. Yes, his counterpart, or counterparts, may be trained to take over his work but this will never be enough.

Inclusive Fair Negotiations
We need negotiations at the ground level, starting from the family home.

Religions need to return to the table. And science is to become the language of humanity, helping flourish all kinds of kinship and families.

I cannot talk for other religions, or non-religious peoples.
Though for Islam, being born into it, I have a vision.

That vision is to sync faith with science, and the religion doing the right thing: pursuit of truth by the individuals, to bring greatest happiness to the widest many of the collective humanity.