Setting up systems for individuals anchored in the material world

I have been exploring the possibilities of setting up systems for quite a long period. Systems aim at bringing harmony. However, my experience tells us that the more we try to put the systems in place the more chaotic it becomes. There are two fundamental problems with systems. Firstly, systems become rigid over time and resist dynamically evolving with the changes in the ecosystem. Secondly, the human beings, for whom these systems have been designed, resist the system and find ways and means to sabotage the systems.

Human beings have a fundamental urge to be free. I feel that this freedom is the core of human existence. Consciousness is free to manifest. It is not bound by any rules, the good or the bad, the right or wrong. It is just free to manifest. A storm just passes through a place without discriminating between a densely populated area and an inhabited area. An earthquake takes place without discriminating between the countries. Human beings are also fundamentally the same consciousness, operating through a medium called the human body. That is the reason why the fundamental drive of human beings is the same i.e. to be free. 

However, due to loss of awareness after coming to this human body, we anchor ourselves primarily with this body, a few individuals whom we consider to be our own, and certain tangible and intangible material possessions such as money and power. This anchoring becomes the core of our existence since we have lost awareness of our true nature. This anchoring becomes stronger each day we live, even to the extent that any effort by a fellow human being to explore the questions related to the real meaning of life appears to be stupidity. Due to gross ignorance, the sole motivation for living is to protect and strengthen the anchor of our lives. 

Basically, we forego our fundamental freedom due to a loss of awareness of our fundamental nature and compromise for a substandard life revolving around the anchor we have chosen. Since the fundamental human nature is to be free, we want to exercise the same freedom vis a vis such as an anchor. Some people want to enjoy this freedom by having food of their choice, some by visiting different places, some by getting up at a time of their choice, and some by doing the work the way they want. There are an infinite number of expressions of this urge to be free. 

However, there is a limitation to this freedom. Human beings are social beings. We could survive this harsh world because of community living. We collaborated with each other to protect ourselves and become the most dominating species on this earth. Community living and collaboration necessitate compromise with freedom. In a family, which is the most basic unit, we compromise our freedom for the benefit of the other members of the family. Parents work hard to bring up their kids. Kids take care of their parents. In a local community, we participate in each other's celebrations and support each other in moments of grief and loss. In an organization, we give our most precious time and make efforts for the growth of the organization and get a salary in return.

So, we compromise a degree of our freedom to survive in this world. In order to organize these communities certain systems are developed. For example, a country makes laws to define the rights and duties of the citizens, to collect taxes, and to provide what is considered a crime. Systems are put in place in the form of different courts, ministries, organizations, and agencies to effectively implement these laws. There is a fundamental commitment of all the citizens of the country to abide by these laws. Similarly, each organization puts in place different systems that are required to be followed by all the people working in the organization. In societies, communities, and families, most of these systems are not hard coded and are generally driven by an unwritten code we refer to as social conventions.   

There is always a conflict with the systems. Since human beings are fundamentally free, they dislike these systems at the core of their heart. They do not want to give away their freedom. However, they have to abide by these systems, rules, and regulations to survive. That is where conflicts arise. These conflicts result in duality and artificiality in behavior. For example, people want to sleep till late hours while the organization has put in place a system of office timings. So, there is a conflict and people want to bypass these systems by giving one or the other alibi. 

That happens constantly in all aspects of human life. Some people do not want to pay their due taxes and devise ways and means of tax evasion. People do not want to work hard and therefore resort to shortcuts to make money by violating different laws of the land. That is the reason why setting up systems is always and will always remain a challenge. 

I feel that the sustainability and effectiveness of any system depend upon a few factors. Firstly, the system should be in sync with reality and should have an inherent mechanism to dynamically update itself with the changes in the ecosystem. For example, the system of office timing could survive during the COVID-19 time because it dynamically evolved and provided an option to work from home to the employees. Secondly, it should account for human psychology, the fundamental urge of human beings to be free. It has to demonstrate its use case in the form of rewards for the compromise of freedom. For example, office timings are generally well maintained in organizations that appreciate the value of the time of employees and well compensate them. Thirdly, it has to be appreciated that all human beings are different and therefore there should be certain elements of customization. For example, office timings have to be sensitively flexible towards the needs of specially-abled human beings, and people suffering from certain health problems. Fourthly, there has to be a system of reward and punishment in place. If "A" sees the systems being violated by "B" for his selfish interest each day without any punishment, then "A" would also violate the systems sooner or later. Similarly, if "A" sees the rewards of following the system by "B", he will also follow the system sooner or later. 

Human beings will continue to remain anchored with their body till they realize their true nature. Till that time this hide-and-seek between human greed and systems will go on. Human beings will keep seeking freedom from the rules and regulations and fellow human beings will keep putting in place the new systems. The best possible system will assist human beings in gaining freedom from all the bondage.  Probably that is the aim of many spiritual organizations. However, mostly these organizations fail to understand human psychology and more often the Guru is himself anchored in the material world and these organizations end up being just a tool for his personal ambitions.