Anthroposophy in Hawkes Bay          

Musings on Threefold Society

CONTENTS

Chapter 1: Threefoldness in Anthroposophy

Chapter 2: Threefoldness in Body, Soul and Spirit

Chapter 3: Threefoldness in Life

Chapter 4: Threefoldness in Society

When was Easter first celebrated?

Chapter 5: Understanding Social Events In The Light Of The Threefold Social Order

Chapter 6: The Character of Numbers

Chapter 7: The Character of Threefold Social Life

Chapter 8: The Role of Money in Threefold Social Life and with the threefold Human being.

Chapter 9: Checks and Balances in the Social Politico-Legal Realm.

Chapter 10: Tri-une – three in one

Chapter 11: Remuneration

Chapter 12: Sussing the Solstices

Chapter 13: Representation

Chapter 14: In Which Social Realm do various activities belong?

Chapter 15: Envisioning

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Chapter 1 : Threefoldness in Anthroposophy

Over the next few weeks before the talk commemorating 100th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner’s death on 30 March, we will explore some aspects of threefoldness which particularly occupied Rudolf Steiner from 1917 (in the middle of WW1) in his exposition of Anthroposophy.

We can find threefolding ‘triples’ in many places:

Time: Past – Present – Future;
Human: Body – Soul – Spirit;
or Head – Trunk – Limbs;
or Nervous -- Circulatory -- Metabolic systems
or Thinking – Feeling – Willing;
Dimensions: Left/Right – Up/Down – Forward/Back;
Trinity: Father – Son – Holy Spirit;
or Brahma (creator) – Shiva (destroyer) – Vishnu (sustainer);
or Isis – Osiris – Horus;
Platonic Ideals: Beauty – Truth – Goodness;
Pauline Ideals: Faith – Hope - Love;
Cognition: Perceiving - Picturing - Conceiving;
Classes: Upper – Middle – Lower;
Sentence: Subject – Verb – Object;

and so on…..

In Numerology, the digits, 0 to 9, (and even further – see the book by Wolfgang Held: “The Quality of Numbers 1 to 31” ISBN 978-086315-864-3) each have special characteristics. [He stops at 31 because that is the most days in a month – one can go on…]

Just considering the numerical digits one can see: One sun, two parents, three meals a day, four seasons, five fingers, six in the honeycomb hexagon and the perfect number [1+2+3 = 6 = 1x2x3], seven days of the week, eight notes in an octave, nine (the largest digit) the number of muses and spiritual hierarchies.

Back to THREE.  “As Aristotle says: ‘Three is the only number that has beginning, middle and end – and only one of each.’  This is no doubt why three is the queen of numbers and occupies a central position in all religions.” [Held, p25]

In some situations, three things are equal:  A Triangle has 3 equal points, 3 lines and 3 angles.

In other situations, a central idea is flanked by a polarity that is linked by the central idea.

In will-filled action:

o - Foolhardily rush forward into conflict;
o - Courageously hold your ground and assess;
o – Fearfully retreat backwards away from danger.

In Geometry:

> Consciously concentrate in a POINT;
> Subconsciously oscillate/vibrate back and forth along a LINE or arc;
> Unconsciously disperse to the periphery of a PLANE.

Considering the physical human being further there are manifold threefoldnesses:

HEAD: small, still [keeping the brain relatively immobile], awake-conscious; with peripheral, mostly spherical skull bones having dodecahedral [12] pentagonal plate bones protecting delicate brain [inward] with major sense organs [outward];

TRUNK: medium, rhythmic movement, dreamy-subconscious; with 12 curved, long ribs protecting heart and lungs within but covered with muscles enabling rhythmical breathing.
LIMBS: (also 3-fold Jaw – Arms – Legs)  large/long/radial, active/articulated/mobile, sleepy-unconscious; with internal long bones (supporting the body and separating the head from the earth) surrounded by muscles that extend/contract to facilitate walking and delicate, complicated movement of fingers.

In his Threefold Social Order, Rudolf Steiner spoke of human society having 3 realms:

Cultural – Social – Economic;
where 3 ideals hold sway:
Freedom -- Fairness -- Fellowship.

If one can conceive the patterns manifesting in this world, then one can experience wonder and reverence for the creators of this world.

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Chapter 2: Threefoldness in Body, Soul and Spirit

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Chapter 3: Threefoldness in Life

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Chapter 4: Threefoldness in Society

The threefolding that we can see in ourselves as human beings can be seen reflected in three intersecting but independent spheres of human society that manifest in very different ways.  Rudolf Steiner frequently drew attention to this and that we need to make decisions in each sphere quite differently.  Democracy is a fine buzz word, but it doesn't apply to everything.

Here are some aspects (as I see it) to consider/think about. 

Social Sphere	Cultural-Educational	Politic-Legal-Rights	Economic- Conservational
Human being	SPIRIT	SOUL	BODY
Process	Active discovery (senses) → awareness practice develops personal skills meets spiritual needs of SELF	Responsibility ← balance → Rights Laws to protect citizen’s individual rights and curtail powers of institutions, corporates, & collectives	Conscious planning → organised action Develop interest & compassion for welfare of OTHERS Meet physical, bodily needs of others
French Revolution	Libertè	Egalitè	Fraternitiè
Principle	FREEDOM	FAIRNESS	FELLOWSHIP
Related to	Individual-self	inter-personal	Community - world
Soul process	Will in thinking (inward): self-centred, reflection. Competition	Feeling (weaving balance). Local community	Thinking in will  planning. (outward):world-centred  Cooperation
	Strength -- limbs	Courage -- heart	Enlightment -- head
Mood	reverence, gratitude	harmony, fairness	clarity, knowledge
Money type	Capital / Gift money	Loan / Contract money	Exchange / Purchase money
Action of money	Asset / Storage of value, wealth	Legal tender / measure of value Setting salaries (maintaining relativity)	Means of exchange enabling flow of goods, services, items of value
Action	I receive / give gifts	I claim / grant rights	I create / consume goods
Money In lifetime	Start of life: receive openly (unconditional gift)  End of life: give all away	Youthful person: borrow (with conditions.) Mature person: lend surplus	Producer: sell goods (with guarantees) Consumer: buy goods

~~~~~

When was Easter first celebrated?

Probably in the 2^nd century.

It is believed that the word “Easter” originated from the name of the pagan goddess, Eostre (or Ostara). Eostre was the Anglo-Saxon goddess symbolizing springtime, the hare and the egg. The festival of Eostre was celebrated on the vernal equinox, when there are equal periods of light and darkness the world over.

Today the date of the Easter Sunday festival is based on the date of the Jewish Passover - so it is determined by three factors:

1. It is held on the first SUNday following –
2. The first Full MOON (called the Paschal Moon) following –
3. The northern vernal (spring) equinox when day and night are equal over the whole EARTH.

However, we are in the southern hemisphere where:

3. Spring EQUINOX is on Tuesday 23 September;
2. The next Full MOON is on Tuesday 7 October;
1. The next SUNday is Sunday 12 October.

The significance of this relates to the relative 'dominance' of the Sun and the Full Moon.  The Full Moon culminates (reaches its highest position in the sky) at midnight.  The Sun culminates at noon.  In Winter the Moon culminates very high, much higher than the Sun at midday.   In Summer it is the reverse.

As winter turns to spring, the culmination of the Full Moon lessens, while that of the Sun at noon increases until they become equal around the time of the Spring Equinox.  The Moon represents the forces of the past, of birth, of origins; the Sun represents the future.  So, by Easter the Sun is definitely in the ascendent.

The Spirit of the Sun was known by many different names in various culture – for example as Ahura Mazdao in Zarathustra’s Persian culture.  As Rudolf Steiner tells us, this being would become known later as Christ, the guiding spirit of human evolution.

The Mystery of Golgotha, which took place with the crucifixion, the death on the cross, the burial, the descent into hell and the resurrection of Christ, is the central event of the entire development of the Earth and of humanity.  With this event, the actual birth of the human “I” took place.

“Without the Mystery of Golgotha, the elementary forces of the Earth, which work in the subconscious of the soul and push themselves out in a passionate way, would have triumphed over the conscious ego or ‘I’-forces.  The human “I” would have been lost.   As a force, we see the Christ-impulse working in the course of human evolution, even without human consciousness having taken it up.”  (GA 152, p. 97)

Christ’s cosmic task was to overcome or master the forces of Death because human beings were being trapped in the material world, unable to re-enter the spiritual world after a life on earth.

Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research confirms that the death of Christ on the cross actually took place on Friday, April 3, 33, at the ninth hour, that is, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, according to the Julian calendar.  This was a ‘turning point in time’.

“On a Friday, the 3rd of April of the year 33, three o'clock in the afternoon, the Mystery of Golgotha took place.  Simultaneously, the birth of the “I” in the sense in which we have often characterised it.  And it is not important on which part of the Earth the human being lives, or to which religious confession he belongs, that which came into the world through the Mystery of Golgotha applies to all human beings.  Just as it is true for all the world that Caesar died on a certain day, and not another day for the Chinese and yet another day for the Indians, so it is a simple fact of occult life that the Mystery of Golgotha took place on that day and that we have to do here with the birth of the “I”. (GA 143, p. 163)

 The Three Crosses, etching by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1683

The actual significance of the Mystery of Golgotha lies not in the external events but in their spiritual aspect.  It must be grasped as a supersensible mystical fact. Rudolf Steiner already pointed this out in his fundamental writing "Christianity as Mystical Fact and the Mysteries of Antiquity".

“Only when we have the ideas, the concepts, which lead into the supersensible, can we also understand the Mystery of Golgotha, which is precisely an event that has to do with the supersensible, not with the sensuous world. What took place in the sensuous world of the Mystery of Golgotha is only the outer reflection.”  (GA 198, p. 243)

Through his experience of death on Golgotha, Christ united himself with the Earth and thereby gave the Earth its meaning, as a place where human beings could experience independence and freedom in a physical body, and without compulsion develop LOVE.

“In the whole realm of the supersensible worlds there is no death. One can only die on earth, in the physical world or in the worlds which resemble our Earth in their development.  All the beings who are hierarchically higher than man have no knowledge of death, they only know different states of consciousness. Their consciousness can temporarily be so lowered that it is similar to our earthly state of sleep, but they can wake up again from this sleep. There is no death in the spiritual world; there are only changes of consciousness there.  The greatest fear that earthly man has, is the fear of death; death cannot be felt by one who has ascended to the supersensible worlds.

There is therefore no death for beings belonging to the higher Hierarchies, with only one exception, that of the Christ. But in order that a supersensible being like the Christ might pass through death, he had first to descend to Earth. And this is what is of such immeasurable importance in the Mystery of Golgotha, that a being which in its own realm could never have experienced death in the sphere of its will, had to descend to Earth in order to undergo an experience peculiar to man, namely, to experience death.

A being, unique in its kind, which until then had only been cosmic, united itself with earth evolution through the Mystery of Golgotha, through the earthly death, the hideous death on the cross. Since then, Christ has lived on Earth in such a way, is so bound to Earth, that he lives in the souls of men on Earth and experiences life on Earth with them. Therefore, the whole time before the Mystery of Golgotha was only a time of preparation in the evolution of the earth. The Mystery of Golgotha was the moment that gave the Earth its meaning.

When the Mystery of Golgotha took place, the earthly body of Jesus of Nazareth was given over to the elements of the Earth, and from that time the Christ was connected with the spiritual sphere of the Earth and lives in it.”  (GA 152, p. 39f)

“Union of Image with Archetype.”  

Rudolf Steiner. Berlin, Good Friday, 13 April 1906.  (GA54)

‘Man comes into physical existence at birth and passes out of it at death.  But for every human being there is an Archetype – the Higher Self – an Archetype that is eternal.’

The essence of Easter thought:  ‘It is the resurrection of the human being from the attachment to the transitory and material into the eternal regions of the Archetypes.  Nature is a symbol for this: at the time of Easter new life springs up everywhere from the earth, after the seed-germ has first sacrificed itself and decayed in the earth to enable new life to arise, so too must all the lower nature in man die away.  We must sacrifice our lower nature in order that we may arise to the eternal Archetype of things.  That is why at this time when nature awakens from winter sleep that Christendom celebrates the Death and the Resurrection of the Redeemer.’  [In the southern hemisphere we are experiencing the opposite season.  In the tropics, such seasons are not experienced]

‘Human beings, too, must first die, in order then to experience the resurrection in the spirit.  Only one who overcomes attachment to the transitory can himself become eternal like the eternal Archetypes; he becomes one of those who co-operate in the world’s progress, fashioning it for a future existence.’

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Chapter 5: Understanding Social Events

In The Light Of The Threefold Social Order

The News has recently been dominated by seemingly arbitrary political decisions. How are people/leaders authorised to make decisions that affect so much of the world financially and in other ways?   What Rights and Responsibilities are involved?  What is the role of Democracy?  Who is ‘enfranchised’?   Is there a problem with a ‘tyranny of the majority’

The three major realms of society need radically different approaches to decision making.

In the Cultural realm of life, which is concerned with individual personal artistic pursuits, education, science and religion, do I want a majority vote deciding what I can read or do?  No, I want to be FREE to make my own decisions – autocracy (self rule) – providing it does not adversely affect the rights (social) of others nearby.

In the Economic sphere, does the architect (or worker or manufacturer) seek a vote on how to solve a technical design problem.  They would seek expert advice before making a decision -- epistocracy (knowledge rule).

Democracy (rule by the people) belongs to the Political Legal Sphere, not elsewhere.  However, it is not so straightforward – next week I would like to share gleanings from a recent book by A C Grayling: “Democracy and its Crisis”.  One problem is ochlocracy (government by the populace; mob rule)

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Chapter 6: THE CHARACTER OF NUMBERS

Numbers are ideas, thus they are ‘spiritual’.

In Arithmetic they relate in different ways to willing, feeling and thinking.

WILL: counting actively by taking items, say an apple, (rhythmically) from a basket and putting them elsewhere and speaking the number in the process.

FEELING: seeking a relationship between numbers, also in a 3fold way – smaller than <, equal to =, bigger than >.

THINKING: each number has a different, individual characteristic form or shape or principle(sometimes several) whether written or in some other aspect or way of ordering.  Such numbers can help us see structure the world around us.

ONE: Unity. Primary. undivided or undifferentiated.  Universe.

TWO: Duality.  Binary. Secondary.  Polarity of opposites: male-female; up-down; left-right; in-out; concentrated-expanded; heaven-earth.

THREE: Trinity. Tertiary. Having a middle term that links two outer terms, which may be a polarity. 

• Solid, liquid, gas. (Ice, water, steam/vapour). 
• Stationary, oscillating, moving. 
• Inside, boundary, outside.
• Front, centre, back. 
• Right, middle, left.  
• Measurement: Distance [length], duration [time], mass [matter]
• Length, breadth, width. 
• Point, line, plane.  

And so on … write down some more for yourself.

But there is a further set where the items are very similar, such as in a Triangle:  3 points, 3 lines, 3 angles.  Sometimes it is just in the observer’s mind that 3 things are linked by some similarity:  e.g. three items in a row – items that have no intrinsic link.

FOUR: Quadrinity. Tetrary.  Can be a double polarity: Spring Summer Autumn Winter.

Sometimes an extension of three as:
Solid, Liquid, Gas, Energy. [energy permeates the first three]
[after Einstein gave us E = m.C², which relates energy to mass.]

Physical Body, Etheric Body, Astral Body, Ego.  [Ego permeates all 3 bodies]

Mineral {form}, Plant {process}, Animal {consciousness}, Human {self-awareness}.

THREENESS THREE-WAY TRIPLING

Brahma	Create	Knowledge	Past
Vishnu	Preserve, protect	Righteousness	Present
Shiva	Destroy, transform	Passion	Future

The human body abounds and echoes with 3foldness

 – made in the image of the Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

In the following I am using words to convey pictures – for this you need to use your imagination.

• BODY, SOUL, SPIRIT.
• Heredity, Karma, Reincarnation.
• In the Physical Body: Head, chest, limbs.
• Enclosing protecting spherical skull;  moveable, cylindrical ribcage; mobile, articulated long-bones of the limbs.
• Soul Forces: Thinking, feeling, willing. 
• Or: Knowledge, emotion, action.
• Journey of scientific knowledge: Percept, mental picture, concept.
• Consciousness: waking, dreaming, sleeping
• Brain, heart/lungs, muscles.
• Form, pulse, strength.
• Cavities in the head: cranial, nasal, oral
• Related senses: Eyes – sight/colour, nose – smell, mouth/tongue – taste.
• Range of these senses: sees very distant stars; smells odours in local environment; tastes inside the mouth.

You can find many more triples – and one realises what a marvel it is that everyone of us expresses these in a universal but also unique way.

Next week I will explore the similar multitude of 3foldnesses in human social life that lies behind Rudolf Steiner’s Threefold Social Order.

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Chapter 7: The Character of Threefold Social Life

When Rudolf Steiner originally described a Threefold Social Life, he did not have a political agenda, but an educational one – to draw people’s attention to three types of human social life.  Humans are spiritual beings incarnated into physical bodies for a limited time with a cohort of fellow travellers who evolve and develop by means of their social life.

A person could be pursuing his own thoughts, interacting with friends, neighbours or colleagues and/or using talents to create something for someone else, be it a ‘good’ or a ‘service’. 

Our activities can be: Inward – between – outward.

Much of our inward activity is in the category of self-development or education, developing knowledge, talents, skills and awareness. 

• The essence of science is acquiring knowledge of both oneself and other things in one'sexperience. 
  Criteria: Is what I know ‘true’?
• The essence of art is self-expression and the exploration of relationships between such things (mainly sense-perceptible, but with a spiritual overtone) as colours, forms, musical tones, activities and architectural space, straight and curved, concave and convex, taste and texture, friends and enemies….  In any art that you are involved in – what are the relationships that you engage with? 
  Criteria: Is what I express ‘beautiful’?
• The essence of religion is discovering what you believe is most important in your existence.  It can express itself through your conscience, ‘the small voice within’.  Not always so small!  This is a guide to your will, to what you do, how you act in the world. 
  Criteria: Is what I do ‘good’? (of God)

This element of Social Life might be called the Spiritual Cultural realm.  A key condition is FREEDOM.  This means that the only constraint imposed on your actions is what you apply to yourself without outer coercion.

*****

Much of our ‘between’ activity is in the category of relationships: our relationship to everything around us – people, animals, plants and inanimate things. 

In our relationships, do we have a feeling of pride, or ownership, of respect or disregard, of admiration or hatred, of agreement or disagreement, and so on.  Here we need to be mindful of how what-we-do, how our actions may affect others. 

A typical form of a between activity is Conversation:  Listening and Speaking – a form of soul breathing.  How do we determine who speaks and who listens?  Is this not a matter of feeling?

What should happen when a conflict arises between two people or two groups of people, or between nations?  Do we ignore it – turn a blind eye?  When we are children, parents may help us sort our social problems in a harmonious way.  In school, teachers may establish Rules, but children who are sensitive and those adversely affected may well protest if rules are not fair: "That's not FAIR!"

In adult society, how do we establish Fair Rules or Laws? 

What Rights and Responsibilities do people have?  Should rich or wealthy people or of a certain caste have more rights than others?  In 1948 the United Nations published a Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  I am still waiting for their Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities!

Anyway: in our own minds: What are the Rights and Responsibilities of ownership?  What is the difference between Ownership and Stewardship?  Can we 'own' land?  What does it mean 'to own land'?  What is the difference between owning a house and owning land, the land a house is built on?

Do we give or grant Rights to others to act in our domain?  Or do we demand rights to act in their domain?  Do we take or accept Responsibility for actions?  Or do we blame others when things go wrong?

Can people be equal before the law?  Should Prince and Pauper be treated equally?  If so, WHY?  WHO has the authority to reward or penalize someone else?  Who gives them that authority?

There are many forms of social rule creation depending on history, circumstance or situation: Who decides what the rules for a realm or an element of society should be?

"Parentocracy "– rule of children by parents.

"Teacherocracy" – rule of pupils by teachers.

Ochlocracy – rule of a crowd by a mob (mob rule as in French Revolution).

Autocracy – rule of oneself by oneself [self rule].

Epistocracy – rule by knowledge (the wise?)

Aristocracy – rule of a fiefdom or state by nobility (however nobility is determined).

Plutocracy – rule of the poor by the wealthy.

Anarchy – no rule at all

Oligarchy – rule of many by a few.

Monarchy – rule of all - a kingdom or empire - by one (a king or emperor).... [or a totalitarian Dictator??]

Democracy - rule by, of and for the people.

Representative Democracy – rule of the whole population by representatives elected by a majority of enfranchised citizens.  (Is there a problem here of the tyranny of the majority?)

What is appropriate now for us here?  What do we hope might evolve for our time, under the aegis of Archangel Michael?

This element of Social Life might be called the Social Political realm.  A key condition is FAIRNESS.  This is most likely to be achieved when people are regarded as equals and can meet face-to-face.

*****

The realm where our work is outward – done purely for the benefit of others, not for oneself – may be called the Economic Productive realm.  Here the skills and talents we developed during our education are put to 'good' use.  There are 3 aspects: Production, Distribution, Consumption.  [Creation – Sharing – Destruction,  Birth – Life – Death.]

Decisions in this realm have their own quality.  They are best made, I think, by experts who are knowledgeable who consult with other knowledgeable people before making a decision.  Teams of people collaborate with good will.  They are not best made by plutocrats (owning corporations) seeking personal (egotistical) benefits or more wealth.

A key condition for this realm, I feel, is FELLOWSHIP in the form of cooperation, where people work side-by-side to achieve a common goal. 

Note that this is not the realm for determining salary or recompense.  The question “What is a fair recompense in relation to the time and energy expended?” is one for the Social Political realm to consider.

Next time we may consider: How should a group or person be given the authority to make a decision that affects the lives of (many) other people?

FREEDOM  ==  FAIRNESS  ==  FELLOWSHIP

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Chapter 8: The Role of Money in Threefold Social Life

and with the threefold Human being.

What is Money?

The Dictionary says: "Money is any medium used for the exchange of goods and services." 

That means an interchange of ownership of some money and a product of work.  If a buyer has $10 (capital) and the seller, say a baker, has a loaf of bread, which is the ‘product’ of his work, and the buyer is hungry, and the aroma of the bread is enticing, and she wants the loaf more than she wants the $10, and the baker has many loaves baked that morning, and he wants to sell them soon at a premium price before they become old and stale and worth nothing, so he wants the $10 more than the loaf.  So, they transact an exchange after which they both feel better off – that is, they have both made a “profit”.

You will notice that money had three roles in that story.

Firstly, it is Capital – money in storage, maybe in a wallet or safe or bank account.  It is ‘stationary’ like one’s head.  Our whole body is organised so our head and brain move least of all, as we walk, run or work, so that we can think clearly.  In Latin, the word for head is ‘capit’.

The second stage is Evaluation.  The buyer considers the money in her hand in relation to the loaf of bread on the baker's shelves, as does the seller, the baker.  There is a back-and-forth process in their feelings life.  In a market, there may also be bargaining offers.  However, there is no action or transaction unless and until both the buyer and seller feel there is a profit or advantage to be made.

Money in the three realms of Social Life

The Cultural-Educational Realm is about individuals.  The money owned by an individual is part of their personal wealth, their capital.  The transaction fit for this realm is ‘gifting’ - a GIFT is an unconditional transfer of funds from one person to another.  Unconditional: beneficiaries are FREE to use or spend the money in any way they see fit. 

A classic situation is an elderly person, nearing the end of their life, who knows that they cannot take their money across the threshold, so they gift it (as a bequest) to someone who has just crossed the threshold the other way – to a newborn child who has no earthly assets.

The Legal Political Realm is about relationships between individuals (face-to-face) in a particular jurisdiction.  Money in this realm is concerned with assessing the value of goods and services.  This is often in the form of CONTRACTS, both formal written and informal, spoken or unspoken where EQUALITY is important. 

For example, a Monetary Loan is a contract between Lender and Borrower which may specify the principal amount being lent, the terms of the loan, the interest rate and any repayment conditions.  The total interest paid expresses the value of the Loan.

An Employment Contract specifies the work to be performed, any conditions related to standards, time and place, etc.  The value of the work is expressed by terms of remuneration.

A Sales Contract specifies the content of the sale and any conditions relating to time and place, and the price to be paid.  The price ticket on an item in a shop or market is an invitation to buy at that price – it is not a contract.  A buyer may haggle or bargain over the price or value of the item or service being sold, or maybe the method of payment.  It is only a contract when the buyer and seller agree to proceed.

The essence of all these issues is that a mutual agreement is formed between the two sides.

The Community Economic Realm is about people in a community (a firm?) working side-by-side to meet the needs, goods and services, of other people in the community, indeed it could be the whole world through international trade.  A threefold aspect of this realm is: Production –> Distribution –> Consumption.

The role of money here is expediting the movement (distribution) of goods and services according to contract – we can call it Purchase Money.

~~~~~

We can see a sort of progression through a lifetime: 

Youth – acquiring money.  Maturity – dispensing money.

Expanding this a bit (there are of course many overlaps):

Beneficiary of gifts, Borrower of loans, Seller of goods and services.
Buyer of goods and services; Lender of capital; Giver of gifts and a final bequest.

~~~~~

Interestingly, the ‘bread’ [or indeed any good or service] gets consumed [destroyed] – but what happens to the purchase money?  Does it get consumed or destroyrd?  In fact, where did the money come from in the first place?  How did it evolve?

Evolutionary Stages of Money as Currency

1. Farm [or household] economy, where the proceeds of all the workers (gardener, orchardist, shepherd, dairymaid, poultryman, swineherd, etc,) is collectively pooled and shared.  So, money is not needed [except for external transactions].
2. Barter, where commodities (grains, crops, livestock, pelts, cloth, garments, tea, salt, vegetables, bread, weapons) would be traded for each other in quantities whereby both traders felt they made a profit.  A hungry tailor will trade a warm or beautiful garment with (many) loaves of bread from a cold or dusty baker.
3. Metallic money. [from about 7^th century BC, when fire for smelting processes had developed sufficiently.] 
   Highly refined, purified metals (bullion from ‘boiling’) such as gold, silver, bronze, brass, copper, cast into coins with the head of the sovereign, on whose authority they were made, on one side.  For example: the British Pound [gold], Shilling [silver] and Penny {copper} with the King or Queen’s head and year imprinted.
4. Paper money in a range of denominations issued by Merchant banks (as receipts for metallic coins deposited) that could be redeemed by ‘the bearer’ for similar coins when presented at a branch of the bank at a distant destination, relieving the holder from having to carry heavy coins while travelling.  Popularised by Knights going on Crusades to the Holy Land.
5. Cheques written by Bank account holders in lieu of cash or currency.
6. Plastic Credit and Debit cards with magnetic strips with encoded information enabling the transfer of money between a holder’s bank account and a trader’s bank account.
7. Digital/Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) between bank accounts using computer apps and smartphones with Digital Wallets.
8. Cryptocurrencies are generated by a chain of computer transactions. They are not bank-based or legally supported because of possible tax evasion.  I wonder if these are not a form of digital ‘cancer’.  (Cancer being essentially uncontrolled growth.)

Characteristics of good Money (Currency)

1. Acceptable, both legally by the state or jurisdiction and socially by the population.  Modern notes have printed on them, “This note is legal tender for ‘x’ dollars.”  Coins have an impression of the head of state to validate them.  Digital wallet transactions need a guarantee from a bank or issuer that earns the trust of both buyer and seller.
2. Divisible into convenient, small amounts.  We [in NZ] have a 1,000-fold range:
1. Notes have the following denominations: $100, $50, $20, $10, $5
2. Coins have the following denominations: $2, $1, 50c, 20c, 10c
3. Durable, not perishable.
4. Small and light = convenient to carry and high value relative to weight.
5. Secure.  Difficult to counterfeit.
6. Value is known.  Currency is the single unit of account for most evaluations.  Goods and services are valued in terms of dollars, not ‘shells’ or ‘eggs’ or ‘diamonds’ or ‘gold’.

But in the end, one realises that essentially money is an idea – it is spiritual!  Ahh!!! 

Currency is merely a trusted [legal] token for value – for a person with no concept of money banknotes could be like leaves blowing in the breeze.

However, there are still questions: Who authorises the minting of new money?  Who owns it once it has been created?  Is that the only way money comes into existence?

RB

~~~~~

Chapter 9: Checks and Balances in the Social Politico-Legal Realm.

Rudolf Steiner has described how human society has evolved through 5 post-Atlantean civilisation periods.

1^st PA.  Ancient Indian.  Nomadic hunter-gatherer societies whose leaders were considered to be divinely inspired.

2^nd PA.  Ancient Persian.  Settlement based on down-to-earth occupations of the cultivation of land and the husbandry of tamed animals.  Initiative leadership.

3^rd PA,  Ancient Egyptian.  A singular Pyramidal, layered, social structure with a divinely inspired Pharoah [ego] at the top and a huge swathe of peasants, workers and slaves at the bottom.

4^th PA.  Greek City States.  Ruled by an elite, an aristocracy.  A lot of work done by slaves.  Religion diminishes and Philosophy emerges.

Roman monarchy evolved through the Republic to the Empire.  Forums and senate were human affairs -- not divinely inspired.  Roman Law was established – documentation was important. >>> Birth Certificates, Passports, etc. today.

5^th PA.  Two significant events happened at the end of the 18^th Century

• USA Declaration of Independence of 13 colonies from British monarchic rule [1776], and the subsequent writing and signing of a Constitution [1787] with 3 Branches [Legislative, Executive, Judicial] aimed providing democracy [rule of the people, by the people, for the people] with Checks and Balances to prevent domination of the political system by an individual! 
  The Constitution has since had 27 amendments – first 10 known as the Bill of Rights; later ones addressing issues like slavery, voting rights and the election process.
• The French Revolution [1789-99] overthrew/guillotined the monarchy of Louis XIV in a mighty step towards democracy, with the catch-cry of “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”, which Rudolf Steiner amplified and explained 130 years later. 

Individual egos of commoners were beginning to emerge from a tribal consciousness and wanting to have a say in how their lives were ruled.  In the USA, this resulted in a bicameral Congress system of representation: 

1. (Lower Chamber) House of Representatives based on population: 435 members [aged 25+] elected every 2 years, representing 347 million people (about 800,000 each).  Six states have 1 seat; California has 52 seats. 
   Main business: Taxation and spending, and creating Federal laws.
2. b.      (Upper Chamber) Senate based on equality – 2 seats per State, regardless of population.  
   Senators [aged 30+] are elected every 6 years – one third every 2 years.  
   Main business: Approving House laws, and international relations, treaties (including wars)

How do the checks and balances work?

It’s THREEFOLD!  Each Branch has some control over the other two.

Judicial Branch	Legislative Branch	Executive Branch
Courts (Judge, Jury, Advocates)	Congress (House & Senate)	President (Government departments & agencies)
Akin to Cultural realm	Social, Legal	Akin to Economic realm
Interpret the Constitution, may declare Laws to be unconstitutional.	Create/write Laws. May propose Constitutional amendments to overrule vetoes & Judicial decisions (needs 2/3 majority)	Proposes Laws.  Administers & enforces the Laws. May veto Congress bills.
Resolving civil disputes and trying criminal offenders by applying Laws, & determining relevant facts.	Ratifies Treaties Can declare war.	Negotiates Treaties. Commands armed forces.
	Confirms Presidential appointments.	Conducts Foreign Policy & appoints Ambassadors.
	May reject appointments. May impeach President.	Appoints judges and Government officials.
May declare Executive actions to be unconstitutional.	May withhold funding for Presidential initiatives.	Head of State – runs the country.

 Freedom was important to the Founders:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

I give this example because of the challenges to the system now occurring in America.  Is it a time for a further change?

How about NZ?  We do NOT have a constitution or a bicameral system.  We are unicameral, single state, multi-party system, part of a 'Commonwealth'.  What sort of checks and balances do we have?

~~~~~

Chapter 10: Tri-une – three in one

There are many ways of looking at threefoldness – each one gives you a new perspective.

Like this one with pronouns:

I          -          You        -          We

I.  I look into the world, wherein I see the sun, stars, stones, plants, beasts, fellow humans, …..

Everything I see and hear, all that I sense is, initially, a personal experience – a world of which I myself am the sole, soul centre.  My thoughts, my emotions, my actions I experience all as part of me.  I feel free to open every door of the little domain of which I am King or Queen.  In my thoughts I gradually build a conceptual picture of this world.

YOU.  I move around a bit, and I bump into You.  Here is another world, rather like my own.  You have your world which is just as valid to you, as my world is to me.  In that regard, we feel that we are equal.  You and I are both human beings.  Individually we are different, maybe as chalk and cheese, but socially we can experience being equal.  We can talk to each other and find areas of agreement and disagreement, hopefully in harmony.  Each can respect the right of the other to differ – we don’t have to be unanimous.

WE.  At times we can find common ground where our wills align and on which we create contracts.  We can, side-by-side, do deeds for the betterment of our mutual world, and the many other people we find there.  In a similar vein I am grateful when other people do things for my benefit.

When we first start thinking about these things, we need to separate things out into categories for clarity: analysis, letting the light in.  As a result, the ideas may become rather static, and dead like a corpse.

When I do things for myself, learn how to garden, to write, to make music, to study scientifically, and so on, I can acknowledge these activities belong to a cultural realm.  Even though other people may be in the same class with me, it is primarily for individual self-development.  Ideally, I should be able to do this without constraint – that is without external constraint.  The essence of freedom and independence is the ability to apply inner or self-constraint on the one hand, and on the other to be able to follow one’s own inner muse, one’s own rules – ‘to thine self be true’ as one matures and gets older.

When I leave my ‘home space’ I encounter others in social settings.  Here new “rules” apply, not based on self but on mutuality.  In a conversation, we don’t all talk at once – we, You and I, soon establish (tacitly) appropriate rules about who speaks, about language, listening, etc.  Other areas where rules develop are  ownership, behaviour, permission and so on so that endless arguments don’t break out.  Society has developed Parliaments where rules can be talked about and decisions on the rights and responsibility of citizens can be made to engender social harmony.  This social realm is most effective when it has a basic principle of human equality and fairness at its centre.  When there is social strife, it is often based on unfair, inequality of power.

In society we become aware of the needs of others, physically, socially, spiritually.  It maybe that a ‘calling’ (vocation) lights up in you – “I could help here.”  You discover that alone, you cannot do very much, but that WE as a team working together for some common goal can do so much more with the efficiency of ‘division of labour’.  Here the economic realm is concerned with the outer transformation of Nature and products of the land through the application of human labour.  The key principle here is cooperation, collaboration and a sense of community or a love for our fellows.  (When this love is missing or perhaps in short supply, then things tend to go wrong.)  In this situation, human labour is not meant as a large supply of (wage) slaves, but young people who willingly bring their talents, intelligence (not AI), knowledge and skills – acquired through education in the cultural realm – to form teams in the social realm, and to work in the economic realm.

That initial static, analytic picture we started with needs to become a dynamic, synthetic picture if we are to begin to understand what Rudolf Steiner was trying to share as the working of a triune society.  What’s needed is a lively imagination.

Society is a reflection of the weaving in our own lives between these realms, even if we are living alone.  The same gestures are present – all over the place.

Follow your day!  In the morning, I get up.  I am curious to learn what is the weather like; how will it affect my schedule for today?  As I get dressed my creative-self encounters my habitual-self (double) to agree on what I will wear – regular stuff or something new?  Breakfast – regular or different?  Meeting needs.  My spiritual self (which inhabits my body for this lifetime) considers what action is needed to meet my physical body needs.  Nourishment, warmth, exercise, cleansing, clothing, decorating?

I – Cultural Realm	You & I – Social Legal Realm	We – Economic Product Realm
Learning – knowledge, skills	Encounter – Agreement	Meeting needs
Freedom, Independence	Equality, Fairness, Respect	Community, Solidarity
Thinking – concept	Feeling - relationship	Will - action

 As you go through your day, think about the gesture of what you are doing each moment in the light of threefoldness.  Have a great day!

Chapter 11: Remuneration

Rudolf Steiner envisioned a system where workers receive enough to cover their needs, including those of their dependents, until they can produce another product or service of equal value. This approach emphasizes a holistic view of the worker and their social context, suggesting a more socially responsible and equitable economic system. 

This is interesting in that it equates remuneration for the past in terms of the future. It’s forward looking. It is not payment for work in terms of labouring hours, but of the product created or the service rendered.  Labour is not a commodity to be bought or sold, hence it has no price.  Yet, that ‘work is a commodity’ is the prevalent attitude of today, is it not?  That is not socially healthy.

Work and Income are separated.  Work belongs to the Economic Realm where cooperation applies in working together to solve the problems that need to be overcome to create a product or service; Income belongs to Rights Realm as a fair contract between human equals.  Did you feel your prejudice rise up just then: surely the BOSS is more than equal to the worker?

Wages are a remnant of the slavery of earlier civilisations, where the whole man was sold not just his labour.

There are many components to a successful business:

• An entrepreneur who has the initial inspiration and leadership;
• Investors who provide capital for buildings, machinery, tools, equipment, supplies, raw materials, taxes, research, reserves for development and the needs of workers, etc.;
• Managers who arrange schedules, etc.;
• Craftsmen, skilled workers, labourers who transform raw materials into products that satisfy customers’ human needs;
• Distributors and retailers who ensure products can be easily accessed by customers;
• Customers who need and  will purchase the products or services.

Everyone is necessary.

From a consumer’s perspective: as you are having breakfast, think how many people were involved in some way.  The table, chair, tablecloth, plate, spoon, stove, pot, kettle, electricity, oats, milk, salt, bread, butter, marmalade, etc.  Many thousands of people will have contributed.

This so-called "Division of Labour" has been around since Adam and Eve (bread-winner / home-maker) and will still evolve.  For a big car company to have a car come off the assembly every four minutes, then a person's contribution to each is presumably only 240 seconds - enough time to tighten a couple of nuts?

Sharing the proceeds or profits of the enterprise, whether it is successful or not successful, is the subject of agreements and contracts.  This is not to say that some should not get larger proportions than others.  But that one person or a few should get the lot is antisocial, surely.  What starts wars?

In the Cultural Realm we egotistically develop personal (unique) skills and talents which we can altruistically put to use in the service of others, of human society the world over in the Economic Realm.

When we work for an hourly wage, we are subtly influenced by the idea that we are just “earning our living” or caring for ourselves.  This has an egotistical tinge that undermines the altruistic quality of working to meet the needs of others.

When I know that my future needs will be taken of, I am then able to focus my full attention and good will to my work for others.

Otto Scharmer and Katrin Kaufer in their book: Leading from the Emerging Future:

from Ego-System to Eco-System Economies describe our time as an “Age of Disruption” which they characterize as a time of excessive consumption of materials, growth of economies and wealth perceived as desirable and inevitable, and a near-total focus on how each of us can maximize our individual gains. They conclude that we are in a time of “organized irresponsibility, collectively creating results that nobody wants.”

Things can only change if we begin to see our society for what it is and wish for change, live the change.

~~~~~

Chapter 12: Sussing the Solstices

Trying to understand what is happening at the Solstice requires a form of pictorial imagination.  Normally, we look at the world from our eyes in our head from where we are standing on the surface of the earth, but for this we have to let go of our normal consciousness and imagine looking at ourselves, or the earth, from some distant position in space and envisage, in our imagination, the forms created (or followed) by the sun, moon and planets as they move relative to each other.

For the solstice, imagine viewing the earth from a point on the ecliptic plane at right angles to the line joining the earth to the sun.  The earth itself spins daily on its axis which is not perpendicular to the plane but tilted by 23.4⁰ from perpendicular, so giving us our seasons.  The diagram shows the situation for Hastings, NZ at the solstices when the earth is opposite sides of its orbit in June and December.

Now move back to Earth where we experience the earth beneath our feet as flat or horizontal, not hanging off the bottom of the earth.  We can see ourselves looking out of a North-facing window at the Sun at the Solstices at very different angles of elevation: a low 27⁰ in winter and a high 73.8⁰ in summer for Hastings.  Nearer the Equator the elevation would be higher; nearer the poles lower.

Next, imagine yourself in the house looking out an east-facing window and you follow/trace the rising sun across the eastern sky through the morning after sunrise at key times of the year: namely at Solstices and Equinoxes, and a month before and after [total 7 paths].

At the Equinox, the Sun rises due East, angled to the North.  At the Equator the Sun would rise vertically, but in Hastings NZ at a latitude of 39.6⁰ South, the angle of the Sun's path is 39.6⁰ North of vertical. At the South pole, at the Spring Equinox, the Sun moves anticlockwise around the horizon half-risen, then day by day it spirals higher until by the Summer Solstice the Sun is still moving anticlockwise but at an elevation of 23.4⁰ above the horizon. 6 months of day followed by 6 months of night.

At the Equator there are 365 very similar days as far as the sun's path is concerned.

At Summer Solstice in Hastings, the Sun rises about 90 minutes earlier, nearly 30⁰ south of east at the same angle making a high arc and setting 30⁰ south of west about 90 minutes later.

At the Winter Solstice, the Sun rises about 90 minutes later, nearly 30⁰ northof east at the same angle making a low arc and setting 30⁰ north of west about 90 minutes earlier.

The last diagram shows a trace of the Sun's path as seen from a North-facing window.  This shows where the sun is on its path at CLOCK time Noon.  You will notice that the Sun is not due north as one might expect.  The clock is supremely mechanical and does not reflect the movement of the solar system - the clock divides the year into exactly equal days and it is set to solar time for a position to the East of NZ - the 180⁰ meridian. Hastings NZ longitude is only 176.84⁰ East of Greenwhich.  Every degree of difference leads to an error of 4 minutes.  In Hastings that is about 13 minutes later; in western Southland it amounts to 56 minutes later.  Other variations are due the fact that the earth's orbit is not a circle but an ellipse and the earth is nearer to the Sun [perihelion] in early January [4th] and so moves faster making days slighter shorter, whereas on July 3rd it is further away [aphelion] moves slower and days are slightly longer.  The difference mounts up to 15 minutes.  The tilt of the earth, which relates to the twice yearly Solstices, also has an effect. The analemma [8] shows the variation in the position of the Sun at Clock noon over the year.  It combines an annual rhythm and a twice yearly rhythm.

However, let's be clear that I am not advocating a return to Sundial time!  The buses would not run on cloudy days....  Civil society needs a single legal time over a whole region or time zone.  Even China has a single time (based on Beijing solar time) for the whole of China which has a 5-hour-wide time zone - in western China the sunrises around 11 o'clock!

What we could do without is the jump back and forth to so-called Daylight Saving Time!!

RB

~~~~~

Chapter 13: Representation

What is the character of decision making in the three Social Realms?

In the Cultural or Educational (the “I”) Realm, freedom is a principle – individuals need independence in making their own decisions which affect their personal life, without pressure from outside agencies.  A form of “self-rule” [or ‘autocracy’] perhaps?  The main restriction is when an individual’s personal decisions begin to affect other people’s rights adversely.

In the Legal or Political (the “You”) Realm people meet and interact, and equality is a principle.  When decisions are made, those affected expect to have an equal opportunity, with others, to influence the outcome of the decision-making process.  This is the realm of democracy, of rights and responsibility, of permission, prohibition and penalties, of common sense.

In the Economic or Community (the “We”) Realm, cooperation is a principle.  When we have problems in the production of goods and/or the creation of services, we want effective, appropriate decisions, made in consultation with people who have expertise and experience.  Would that be, perhaps, meritocracy?  Not necessarily a democratic or voting matter!

~~~~

The transcendental values of Truth, Beauty and Goodness can be connected to the three social realms in various ways.

In the Cultural /Spiritual Realm, we can see Truth as a guiding ideal.

In the Legal /Soul Realm, we can see Beauty as a guiding ideal.  In earlier times “fair” meant “Beautiful”

In the Economic /Body Realm, we can see Goodness as a guiding ideal.  It is a realm where we make “goods” to meet our bodily needs in a healthy or good way.

Back to the Cultural Realm:  it’s also 3fold:  Science – Truth; Art – Beauty; Religion (moral guidance) – Goodness.

The Legal Realm is also 3fold.  In the Courts we seek justice by asking for “The Truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  In Parliament (house of representatives) we seek to create laws that are fair, and thus beautiful.  In Government (including local government) we seek the provision (namely key appointments and financing) of good civil services, such as Police, defence (Army, Navy, Airforce), health, transport infrastructure (roads, rail, ports and airports), education (schools and universities) – that is: services that improve the lives and circumstances of the region’s citizens.

The Economic Realm is also 3fold. Not such strong links, I think. 

In Production – Truth?  Perhaps using the most effective, efficient processes and best use of natural materials and resources.
In Distribution – Fairness?  Everyone has equal access/opportunity to the goods and services provided?
In Consumption – Goodness?  That the goods and services fully meet needs and expectations, that are pleasing & easy to use, are healthy (not toxic), are durable without creating undue waste.

Back to the middle realm, Legal Political Realm where decisions are made that affect you, and are made on your behalf by representatives.  The way these decisions representatives are selected is interesting.

In the Courts, whose task it is to seek the Truth, it is 3fold: we have 1. the Judge, 2. the legal Counsel of the parties concerned, and 3. where warranted, a Jury. 

In New Zealand, judges are appointed by the Governor-General, typically on the advice of the Attorney-General who consults with the Chief Justice.  Candidates are assessed on legal ability, personal qualities (like honesty and integrity), and technical skills.  The learned Judge has years of experience acquiring the necessary skills – relates to the Cultural Realm. 

The legal Counsel provide a service of advocacy and advice - relates to the Economic Realm.

The Jury, consisting of 12 adult citizens representing the general population, the public, are selected by a process called ‘sortition’.

How Sortition works:

1. Random Selection: Individuals are chosen by lottery, from the local electoral roll, ensuring a cross-section of the population. 
2. Stratification: Often, the randomly selected group is further refined based on demographics (age, gender, location, etc.) to ensure it accurately reflects the broader population. 
   During  jury selection, Counsel can challenge for ‘cause’, which means a request to remove a potential juror because they cannot be fair and impartial in the case on trial. (This differs from a peremptory challenge from a counsel, whereby a juror can be removed without Counsel offering a specific reason.)  Challenges for cause are based on specific grounds, such as bias, prior knowledge of the case, or an inability to understand the proceedings.
3. Deliberation: The selected group of 12 citizens are then empaneled as the Jury, which participates in a deliberative process, considering evidence and arguments to reach informed decisions. 

Why use sortition?

• Increased Representation:

Sortition can help address concerns about under-representation of certain groups in traditional political systems. 

• Reduced Influence of Special Interests:

By selecting individuals randomly, sortition can mitigate the impact of political parties, lobbyists, (and financial considerations). 

• Enhanced Legitimacy:

Random selection can be perceived as fairer and more legitimate, potentially leading to greater public trust in the process and its outcomes. 

 However, members of Parliament and of the Government are not selected by Sortition {Can you imagine it?} but by Election, a very different process.  (Note: Sortition can help address voter apathy by engaging citizens who may not typically participate in traditional political processes, thus fostering a greater sense of civic participation.

I feel that in New Zealand the distinction between the role of Parliament and that of Government (Cabinet, caucus and party) is blurred and not well understood.

Parliament has several roles which cross-over: 1. Legislation and 2. Scrutiny of the Government.

In essence, Parliament acts as the central institution of democratic governance, balancing the power of the government with the needs and voices of people as individuals. 

1a. Representation:

• Parliament serves as the voice of the people, with elected members (MPs) representing their constituents' views and concerns. [Question: How do they determine their constituents' views and concerns?]
• This representation is crucial because it's impractical for all citizens to directly or personally participate in every decision.
• Members of Parliament (MPs) are responsible for conveying the views of their electorate to the government and vice versa. 

1b. Legislation:

• Parliament is responsible for creating and updating laws, and is thus the primary law-making body. 
• Proposed laws, called bills, go through a process of debate, research, select committees, amendment, and voting before becoming legislation. 

2a. Scrutiny:

• Parliament scrutinizes the government's actions and policies, holding it accountable for its decisions. 
• This scrutiny involves questioning ministers, debating policies, and reviewing government spending. 
• Select committees play a vital role in examining specific issues and holding inquiries. 

2b. Authorization of Public Funds:

• Parliament approves the government's budget: taxation and spending plans. 
• This ensures that public money is used responsibly and according to the priorities set by the elected representatives in their manifestos. 
• The budget process involves debate and scrutiny of the government's fiscal and financial proposals. 

In in a certain way the New Zealand Electoral System, MMP [Mixed Member Proportional] recognises this duality as we have 2 votes: one for a Representative of the people living in a geographical electoral district, the other for a Party with a policy manifesto for governing the country.

But then they merge, and more dangerously, the Representatives can be whipped by the political parties into voting in a pre-determined way!

(Whips are the party's "enforcers.” They work to ensure that their fellow political party legislators attend voting sessions and vote according to their party's official policy. Members who vote against party policy may "lose the whip,” being expelled from the party. 

The three-line whip is a device (fear) that ensures party unity and allows the leadership to pass legislation effectively.  However, critics argue it can stifle individual MPs' ability to represent their constituents' views and vote according to their conscience.)

Here, there can be a great danger of the tyranny of the ‘majority’, especially when it is just a simple majority (merely exceeding 50% of the votes cast).  A unanimous majority [everyone agreeing] is rare, so for some important legislation – changing the founding constitution – a super majority of 60% (3/5) or  66.7% [2 over 1] or 75% [3 over 1] may be required.

For the New Zealand Parliament of 120 MPs, these majorities would mean:

Simple:    61 or more FOR, 59 or less AGAINST

60%:        72 or more FOR, 48 or less AGAINST

67%:        80 or more FOR, 40 or less AGAINST

75%:        90 or more FOR, 30 or less AGAINST

However, one can hope that legislative bodies would strive for consensus by considering all reasonable objections.  Consensus is reached when all Members agree on a text, but it does not mean that they all agree on every element of a draft document. They can agree to allow a draft resolution to proceed to a further stage, but still have reservations about certain parts of the text.

~~~~~

Chapter 14: In Which Social Realm do various activities belong?

Volker writes:

“I want to thank you for trying to make threefold social order more accessible with your contributions.  You write in latest edition [NL 27-25]:

“The Legal Realm is also 3fold.  In the Courts we seek justice by asking for “The Truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  In Parliament (house of representatives) we seek to create laws that are fair, and thus beautiful.  In Government (including local government) we seek the provision (namely key appointments and financing) of good civil services, such as Police, Defence (Army, Navy, Airforce), Health/Hospitals, Transport infrastructure (roads, rail, ports and airports), Education (schools and universities) – that is: services that improve the lives and circumstances of the region’s citizens.”

I doubt that transport infrastructure belongs into Rights Sphere and suggest it to be in Economic Sphere. Transport basically is an economic activity.

I strongly disagree with health and education belonging to Rights Sphere. They certainly belong to Cultural Sphere.

Health: The cultural sphere encompasses areas related to personal and community well-being, including health care. This sphere promotes individual freedom and creativity in health practices.

Education: Education is also part of the cultural sphere. It focuses on nurturing individual capacities and fostering personal development. Steiner emphasized that educational institutions should operate independently from government and economic influences.

The Rights Sphere cannot and must not provide "services that improve the lives and circumstances of the region’s citizens". It can only try to make sure that agreements in respect of these aims are upheld. The activities covered in these agreements themselves are part of economic or cultural spheres.

Just my two cents.  Best wishes,  Volker”

It is hard to unravel, I agree.  One part of Government is in the Political-Legal Realm and another part in the Economic Realm.

The part that is in the Political-Legal Realm is the organisation of Prime Minister who gets the warrant from the Governor General, as Leader of the Registered Political Party winning the triennial election, to form the Government Executive.  He or she appoints Ministers of the Crown who form the Cabinet.  Below that is the Caucus of Party MPs and then the non-elected leadership of the Party forming the Government.

The Executive role is to pass empowering legislation (statutes) to bring their election Manifesto into being, by making appointments of key Civil Servants, agreements and contracts for the economic aspect of their manifesto.

The part that is in the Economic Realm consists of the Government Departments which are led by the various Ministers working with Heads of Department to ensure the economic processes proceed..

The Political-Legal activity of the Government which needs the approval of Parliament is the collective Budget of Taxation and Expenditure and assigned tasks which are administered by the government Departments.  Mostly these tasks are the provision of economic services and infrastructure.

Let’s take an example: Education.  Education is basically a cultural activity.  But look at the organisation of a school and you will see aspects belonging to all three realms.  The provision of school buildings, furniture, stationery supplies, electricity, etc. are economic activities.  The organisation of timetable, staff, rosters, meetings, tasks, salaries, etc. belong to the Rights Realm where conversations and agreements in meetings are key.  In the Cultural Realm are the learning activities of the individual students and the lesson preparation and study of the individual Teachers.  The provision of the actual lesson in the classroom according to a timetable is actually a Service and so comes under the umbrella of Economic Community Realm.

If you analyse any business, the Health service and so on, you will see they stretch over all three realms, not just one.

For comparison, in the human being the Nervous System and Sense organs are mainly in the head, but extend to every part of the body. Blood (oxygen) goes to every part of the body.  Nutrition goes to every part of the body.  But if digestive processes become active in the brain one gets a headache, but is no problem if it takes place in the stomach.

I think you will find that some/many of our social ills arise when the wrong principles are applied (maybe by force).  A few years ago, for example, the Government's management of the Covid pandemic caused considerable social strife.  On the one hand, the Governmental provision of vaccines [if adequately tested] freely and equitably available to all citizens is an appropriate service.  The actual consumption of medicines should be the free choice of all adults, but denying citizens/people the right to work for choosing not to avail themselves of the vaccine was not a mandate (in its manifesto) of the Government.

As Sergei O. Prokofieff writes ‘All the catastrophic wars and crises taking place in the world today are, in the last resort, only the outer expression of the inner battles of us human beings, and the scene of action is in our hearts.’

Threefold society, as Rudolf Steiner describes it, is a reflection of the threefold nature of the human beings who create it.  Human beings become ill when processes occur in the wrong place.  In these musings, I am searching for social processes that  are right in one place but not where they are currently happening thus creating social ills.

~~~~~

New Zealand once had two chambers of Parliament (bicameral - before 1951): an Upper House (Legislative Council – ‘Honourable’ members appointed by the Governor General) which checked and approved legislation passed by the Lower House;

and a Lower House (House of Representatives – comprised of elected members, representing the will of the people – from 80 approximately equal-sized electorates at that time.)

In the first NZ election in 1853, there were 24 electorates with 37 representatives. Some electorates had multiple representatives, like Wellington and Auckland with three each.

Today, Parliament has a total of 72 electorates.  These are made up of 65 general electorates and 7 Māori electorates.  Each electorate represents a specific geographic area and voters in that area elect a Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them.  In addition there are 48 Party seats to make a total of 120 seats in Parliament.

Our Electoral system now is Mixed Member Proportional, MMP.  It is interesting that it takes a super majority of 75% to change the electoral system – it is well entrenched.

While MMP produces party proportionality, it also incorporates an element of constituency representation by requiring that over half the members of Parliament be elected directly in single-member electoral districts, on an FPP [simple majority – First Past the Post] basis. Each voter has two votes: one for an individual member to represent their electoral district (candidates declare their membership of a particular Party), and the other for a registered Political Party.  Once the electorate members are decided, the membership of the House is topped up with candidates drawn from the Party Lists to produce overall proportionality based on the party vote.  A threshold of 5 percent of the party vote, or having an individual candidate elected from an electoral district, must be met before a party is entitled to seats in the House.  This threshold prevents the representation of a large number of very small parties in the House.

This effectively means Government is run by Party Rule.  Party whips ensure that MPs vote on legislation according to the Party’s manifesto. 

Any MP can introduce legislation to the House.  Mostly bills are introduced by Government Ministers to enact their Party manifesto.  MPs can introduce private bills – for example, our local Tukituki MP, Catherine Wedd, currently has a bill before parliament that will restrict social media access for individuals under 16.

Jenny Shipley, a former prime minister remarked, “I have often thought Parliament is at its best when people have to stand up and convince each other of the relative merits of an argument.  It is appropriate that issues of conscience [should] depend on the quality of the debate.”

This view was echoed by another MP who felt that conscience voting engendered a greater rigour in debates as a result of individual perspectives being freed from having to ‘toe the party line.’

Where WE need to be vigilant is when Party Whips effectively and inappropriately prevent an MP making a conscience vote on behalf of their electorate.  Do individual MPs have good systems for ascertaining the ‘will’ of the voters they represent?

Regardless of which Party you vote for, the Candidate who obtains a simple majority [FPP] becomes your representative and may be a member of a different party with a different agenda.  Again, take the Tukituki Electorate.  It has a population of about 73,500 (2017 census) of whom 63,400 are of voting age.  In the 2023 election Catherine Wedd won comfortably with just over 19,000 votes = 26% of the population [a super minority].  Another way of looking at this is that 74% of the population did not vote for her.  She has to represent that 74%, as necessary, in parliament despite that disconnect.  MPs need to be quite special people!

Other questions: Should being an MP be a long-term career?  Or a limited time of so many terms, allowing fresh representation?  In the USA the President is limited to two 4-year terms.

Another interesting USA variation is different electoral terms.  House of Representatives has elections every 2 years (whereas Senators have a six-year term).  In New Zealand the 3-year term has the effect that of creating chaos and change for many months around election time.  What would 2 years be like?  The USA House has 435 members not by State – Hawaii has 1, while California has 52! – so there would be frequent change in membership and new people learning the ropes.  Each member represents a congressional district of about 750,000 people - about 10 times the size of our electorates!

Each of the 50 States [regardless of size] is represented by two senators who serve staggered six-year terms, which give more stability at election time and allows each senator to gain experience in the role.  The Senate is considered a more deliberative and prestigious body than the House due to its longer terms and smaller size.

 How well does our political system serve us?  Do we need change?

~~~~~

Chapter 15: Envisioning

For those who are new, I have been, in these musings, trying to find helpful pictures for understanding Rudolf Steiner’s description of the social catastrophe of the First World War at the end of his life, his insights into the social ills that magnified it, and his suggestion of changes that would be healing.  His ideas have been called the “Threefold Social Order”.  Even a hundred years later they can provide many helpful insights into the challenges of our day and how we might overcome them.

In trying to understand the Threefold Society, we have to compare and contrast concepts.  When these are put into written words there is an habitual bias coming from the way we read English from left to right in a sentence and from the top of a page to the bottom.   Right and left are far apart spatially, and directionally left always comes before right.  Even the words themselves are directional - they have the first letter on the left.   

For example:
Body  -  Soul   -  Spirit
Seems different to:
Spirit  -  Soul   -  Body.

With something circular we may have a tendency to follow the numbers on a clock going ‘clockwise’.  There is also, I suspect for most people, a tendency to move from the past to the future, not the other way – from the future to the past.  In fact, we often work backwards when we plan an event:  We start by envisioning the future finished state and move back through the processes to the present moment.

A hypothetical example:
*Target: arrive at school by 8:55;
*walking takes 15 minutes so leave home at 8:40;
*pack bag: make lunch; clean teeth; eat breakfast; get dressed; shower; this takes 75 minutes, so
*get out of bed at 7:25.

Most creative processes do the same,

I was wondering how one can lessen such bias.  Maybe one way is to first read a line normally and form pictures of the concepts in sequence; then release the words as a ‘group of letters’; close your eyes and reverse the sequence of concepts in your mind, perhaps some new insights may arise. 

It involves a breathing process of exhaling, expanding, separating, analysing, letting the light in.  Now close your eyes, inhale and synthesize the ideas into a unity again.  We can differentiate in analysis, but we don’t need to maintain the separation.  

In life my head doesn’t separate from my trunk, nor my legs. They carry on their different tasks while united.

So, I have created a diagram that is not linear -- by creating a circle so that the two ends of a line come together.  Here I have used the basic concept of MYSELF consisting of Body, Soul and Spirit with some related concepts nearby, and further 3folding.  Does that help?  Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale ……

 

Diagram: Threefold Human Being

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