The Three Elite Groups

The material progress of human history is not the synthesis of a process of dialectical class conflict between those in power and the oppressed, but rather as the result of rivalry between three elite groups, each of which claims to represent the greater good of society. These three groups correspond to the body's digestive processes, and in order of succession, they are: the priests/philosophers, warriors/administrators, and merchants. They also may be referred to, in more derogatory terms, as liars, murderers, and thieves. Collectively, the groups may be symbolically represented as a 3-pointed star within a triangle representing the social order. They are the dynamic force which perpetually rotates the social order between six stages of domination and upheaval, like the blade of a food processor. The food processor analogy is apt, because the continual instability of the social order dissolves the materialistic aspect of individuality of those most involved in the process, rendering the disillusioned survivors ambiguous and ambivalent in their identification with their material interests. In effect, the survivors become the “food of the gods,” in that they wish to disengage in the outward struggle for material dominance, seeking deeper introspection and self-definition. Of course, the “trialectical” competition is maintained by the diehards and their new recruits among the young.

Interestingly, these three groups closely correlate with certain paradigms of both Hinduism and Buddhism. The Hindu caste system accords with its cosmic view of energy. “Thought” is considered the highest, purest form of energy, and the Brahmin (priests/philosophers) are intended to embody thought. Action, corresponding the the Ksatriyahs (warriors), emanates from thought. Finally, energy dissipates as Inertia, represented by the Sudras (merchants and craftsmen). A well-known allegory illustrates this: at an athletic competition, those watching the game represent Thought, the players- Action, and those betting on the game- Inertia.

Buddhism correlates the three types as partners in a vicious cycle of delusional emotions, perpetuating Rebirth. At the center of a Tibetan painting of the Wheel of Rebirth, we may find three animals chasing one another: a dark Boar, representing Ignorance or Fear, being chased by a Snake, representing Rage, who is in turn chased by a Cock, representing Greed or Desire, who is in turn chased by the Boar, completing the cycle. These emotions lead into one another, and it is no great feat to see a relationship between the three emotional weaknesses and the three types of elites which exploit them: Fear/Ignorance- Priests/Philosophers, Rage- Warriors, Desire/Greed – Merchants.

(c) Copyright 2009 by A. Rogolsky