August 22nd, 2008 
ccurwick Alexander Tytler, a Scottish historian who lived at the same time as the American Founding Fathers, who described a repeating cycle in history. He had found that societies went through this same cycle again and again, and that the cycle lasted roughly 200 years each time. Tytler said the cycle starts out with a society in bondage. Then it goes in this sequence:
Bondage
Spiritual Faith
Courage
Liberty
Abundance
Selfishness
Complacency
Apathy
Dependence
Then starting over with Bondage
Tytler organized these items in a circle:
Now we start into the other side of the circle/cycle. We get selfishness and laziness setting in. Then we get apathy and finally dependence. Then we arrive back up at the top with bondage again.
Most of Tytler’s work has been completely lost. I found this cycle to be very interesting in relation to where we are in the United States today. Everyone has said we are somewhere on the left side of the circle. I think we are somewhere between Apathy and Dependence. Any opinions on this? Comments?
Posted by Corey of Project Liberty
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To me, I think that we are about to finish the selfishness cycle and move into complacency. I see that a lot of people I know are just starting to realize and understand that the economy we are in may not go away and turn things back into abundance. It seems that many are just starting to realize that their home values won’t go up anytime soon after being stuck in a mindset that our homes have to appreciate because that was what they were accustomed to for over a decade. When people turn their attitudes from a state of denial to acceptance that they can’t spend the ways they have recently I believe they will become more complacent in their spending and expectations.
We are dependent on foreign oil and cheap goods from China and other countries. Many of the American have lost jobs to China, India and other countries. Policically we are shy to face Russia and China. So in a way we are on the left side of Tyler cycle.
I personaly think we are between dependence and bondage. For all the money americans will have to pay to get out of this economic crisis.
Is it possible that we’re at the bondage point and the bondage is represented by the self imposed debt – private and public?
I am enjoying the continued discussion on this. I personally believe that we are going headlong into the dependence stage given the government intervention in the banking system. This is actually happening worldwide as UK banks for example are also being bailed out by their government. Ah…Dependence!
What do you think will be the trade off for this dependence on government then? More regulation on an international scale where it hasn’t really existed before. Ah…Bondage! And this new state of bondage doesn’t apply to the United States alone but applies across the board, globally. Many people ask, “what do you mean by ‘bondage’ exactly?” Bondage takes on many forms. Increased regulation in a free market to me means less freedom and thus bondage.
Any thoughts?
-Tbird
Great comments! This cycle is so interesting to consider as we look at the economic challenges that face us now and will face us in the future. The question I ask is how does a civilization that is dependent on the will and voice of the people for direction remain in the Liberty/Abundance stages? What was happening during the Great Spiritual Faith and Courage stages that led to liberty and abundance? How do we get back to that?
Ruel asked a very interesting question. How do we get past the bondage stage and get back to liberty and abundance? I believe that key thought leaders will step up during the bondage phase, which we are about to enter.
People will know they are in bondage, they will feel the constraints that are about to be imposed on them post-bailout. We are already feeling them! How many investors do you know right now who can’t get credit because they aren’t in a 9 to 5 job? If you don’t have a 9 to 5 job working for the man, you can’t get credit. Talk about bondage!
Now is when the true leaders, the thought leaders, will have to step up and make true changes in the world and lead us back to the phases of liberty and abundance.
These are interesting times for sure!
-Tbird
We actually have a recent example of entering the “bondage” stage of the cycle. I had a professor in college that was German and his mother lived in Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. He told us the story of how he asked his Mother if she supported Hitler, and her reply was “honey, EVERYONE supported Hitler in Germany.” His incredulous response elicited an amazing story of the run-up to WWII and how the average German was suffering under such a financial depression that it was the perfect environment for someone like Hitler to rise to power.
Keep in mind that it wasn’t like Hitler was unknown. Mein Kampf was available and people knew his politics- but they followed blindly because he got results in turning the country around. Of course, the trade-offs for stability weren’t worth it in hindsight, but the strange and organic process of acceptance seems foreign to us. Yet, are we in such a different situation here in America? Or what about many other countries in the world? If this financial mess continues to get worse, are we ripe for the plucking by a dictator who initially provides “stability” at the eventual cost that we are all in bondage? (Forget Democrats and Republicans- the thirst for power cares nothing of political ideology.)
The greatest change in our country is the “individual first” mentality which is antithetical to democracy. We are losing, or have lost, the ability to rally around the only important single issue- democracy. (Really, does the Bill of Rights and the Constitution mean anything to most people today?) Instead, it’s abortion rights, race rights, gay rights, conservative christian rights, rights to the American dream, and so on, all of them causing the “other side” of the political spectrum to hate the other. Democracy is so far down the list that a dictatorship is inevitable simply because there isn’t any common ground anymore and who will sacrifice for the good of democracy? Really, it requires everyone to give a little and respect others. But that is a civilized democracy that has had time to mature- we aren’t maturing as a democracy at all!
Well, if the cycle is correct, people won’t sacrifice and be driven into bondage all the while denying it is happening and mumbling that they are entitled to their rights! There are some very bright people that get this and are trying to sound the alert that we MUST find common ground or else. Being a liberal or conservative means nothing in the end if neither makes a compromise to save our basic liberty as a people. If we stop fighting for what we feel entitled to and start fighting for the common ground, we might actually save our democracy. Unfortunately, even grade-school age children have the entitlement mentality ingrained in their thinking already- are they going to save us?
Lastly, I think that it is possible the stage of bondage might be more global. I think that it is very possible we will see a global dictator (a horror of biblical proportions if you believe that sort of thing!) especially if this financial mess turns into a global depression.
-glgcag
I agree very much with your last bit about a state of global bondage. What will happen once all of the new international monetary regulations are in place that they are hashing out right as I type? This is only one example of bondage on a global scale that lies on the near horizon.
Tbird
Great comments, glgcag. Very insightful and applicable. You mention the “individual first” mentality and its destructive nature to democracy and I couldn’t agree more. Aristotle spoke of 6 forms of government, 3 based on virtue of one (monarchy), few (aristocracy), and many (timocracy or republic or mixed government or constitutional government); 3 based on tyranny of one (tyrant or despot), few (oligarchy), and many (democracy). Without proper checks and balances or auxiliary precautions, people will be duped into policies and laws that eventually enslave them. Three things that contribute to a loss of public and private virtue and lead a nation from a republic to a democracy are:
Flattering Leaders
Sexual Promiscuity
False Education Philosophies
According to various Founders and history, democracy is always followed by mobocracy, anarchy and then dictatorship.
Very interesting…
I think that many parts of the world are in the Apathy phase, and quickly moving towards Dependancy. Spiritual Faith starts the process of success, and a lack of it starts the process of destruction. Fortunately, there is about to be born one last great move of God that will open eyes and educate all the people of the earth, thus sparking a revival of the Spiritual Faith phase for many. These understandings will NOT go over well with the “churches” of the day, but will be like a spring rain falling on the hard dry soil of many weary and oppressed hearts.