The Three-Fold Social Concept
 
All states throughout the world are robbed of their sovereign development. The psychology of a small criminal group - the Mafia - extends into all large social communities and takes on a world character. The conspiracy spreading out in the form of social carcinoma becomes the basis and norm of all international relations, even of spiritual and religious life. All this is the inevitable consequence of the operation of those laws which belong to the revolutionary (in the modern sense) course of development, but which have nothing to do with the renewal of the world. How can we escape from the closed circle of unnatural law? - This is the main question, upon whose solution - possible only through Social Threefolding - the very existence of our planet depends.

Gennadi Bondarev: Crisis of Civilization
A THREE-FOLD ALTERNATIVE

World War 1 basically began with the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Hungary, but before that war was over, it would see the collapse of almost all of the remaining monarchy's in Europe. In November 1916, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria Hungary dies. March of 1917 sees the abdication of Czar Nicholas II of Russia, who died later that year at the hand of the Bolsheviks. By October 1918 the last remnants of the Hapsburg empire in Austria Hungary collapse, and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany abdicates his throne.

The turmoil of this war left almost 8 million men dead on the battle field, and another 20 to 30 million civilians dead by a variety of causes from genocide to disease. Why? Not many people wanted to admit the reasons were childish. One man, Rudolph Steiner, of Germany, did. He observed that the reasons were dramatically petty. The pride of a few men, maneuvered into bullying one another until almost 40 million people were dead as a result. He prepared a report for the interim government in Germany, detailing the reasons, and putting the Allies at fault just as much as the Germans. His reasoning was that the form of governments responsible was inadequate for the circumstances. The basis of individual leadership relied on individuals to have the strength to make decisions that effected millions. The individuals involved did not have this strength and a horrendous error of judgment resulted. But the German leaders refused to submit his document at the Versailles meeting, and Germany was set upon a path of further self-destruction.

Amidst this turmoil, Rudolph Steiner set about introducing his concept of a Three-Fold Social order, to the German people. They produced thousands of pamphlets explaining the process and the benefits. But there were other forces more bent on control in Germany. Violence and ignorance eventually won out, setting the stage for the rise of Adolf Hitler, and the second violation of the German folk spirit.

This essay is just designed to introduce the concept of a Three-Fold Social order. The basic premise looks to the elements of man himself for a model after which to structure his society. The Three-Fold life of man is that of spirit, social, and economic life.


In spirit life, every individual is greater than the whole.

In social life, every individual is equal to the whole.

In economic life, every individual is less than the whole.

The idea was that these environments were to be kept separate in policy considerations. In spirit life it elevates the concept that everyone's spiritual pursuits are a god given right, and no one has the right to interfere in that right. Which, if established, would guarantee religious freedom and expression. In social life, everyone would become equal, despite their race, religion, ethnicity, sexual disposition, etc. In economic life, the individual would be less than the whole. Which means the concept of survival of the fittest would disappear into our barbaric past like it needs to. It could create an economic environment not based on a supply and demand capitalistic nature, but on the premise of socialistically organized industry. We would produce out of necessity, rather than fancy. One individual would not be the sole owner of any business enterprise. We would not have the financial environment of today, where 95% of the worlds wealth resides in the hands of several thousand individuals, while the rest of us compete like animals for a dogs share of the pie. This form of economic structure is humiliating to the human race. It does not afford us the notion of Fraternity, as the French would put it. Many of our problems of today arise from the fact that the economic system of the western world forces us to struggle for our daily survival, 4000 years after we mastered the art. This form of economic system continues to degrade humanity, and perpetuate barbarity. The WTO seeks to expand and solidify this system world wide. This is criminal.


 
Essays By Rudolf Steiner on the Social Three-Fold Concept:

Reordering of Society:
Requirements of Spiritual, Social and Economic Life

The Fundamental Social Law

Capital and Credit



Basic Issues of the Social Question

World Economy: The Formation of a Science of World-Economics

The Social Future: National and International Life in the Three-Fold Social Organism


Essays by Other Authors:

 Globalization, Post Materialism and Threefolding
by Nicanor Perlas

The Threefold Nature of the Human Organism
By G. Suchantke, M. D.

The Birth of the Movement for Social
Threefolding in 1917

 
Third Millennium:  Third Way?

The Global Social Situation at the End of the  20th Century
by Jesaiah Ben-Aharon


Links:

Social Threefolding

An economic system that treated everyone as equal partners, would bring peace to our world, and the harmony of us all working together for our mutual survival. The current economic system, divides us, and perpetually drives us against each other, like animals under the whip, fighting for the masters favor. This is insulting.
This Three Folding Social concept did not originate with Rudolph Steiner. It was also the battle cry of the French Revolution. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. Rudolph Steiner saw in it a form to bring humanity back to a balanced form of life. He noted one of the key reasons for WW 1 as being a lack of a functional spiritual direction for the German People. They had no focus as a people, thus all their expression was empty and undirected, thus common sense could not tell them war was not their path. If you look at our current system closely you will notice it is the exact opposite of the Three-Fold system. In economic life the individual is greater than the whole, in social life the individual is not equal, and in spiritual life the individual is less than the whole. You might call this the reality of evil. It is designed to destroy unity on this planet and it has succeeded. The concepts of a WTO will only perpetuate the control few men hold over the entire world. They will continue to compel us into wars for food and survival, while destroying the very planet for their purposes. Every step we allow them to take forward, is another nail in the coffin of the human race.

One interesting note to make about Steiners writings. In his pamphlet titled "Three Folding a Social Alternative", he declines to give specifics for his idea. Stating that Three Folding is just a concept, that each generation will have different values, thus each generation must redefine the concept to what it means to them. Because it is true that no form can maintain itself throughout time unless it is designed to change with the times. We must realize that we are the power on this planet, that we must unite for our mutual salvation. If we cannot face the future in true unity, not the manufactured unity the WTO seeks to create, our future will only grow darker. United we have the power, divided we will be reduced to a barbarity worse than animals. Yesterday was the time for change, today we have no excuse. Lets get busy.
 



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