Pyramidical Revolution

September 11, 1994

Q: What is the meaning of pyramidical revolution?

You know what a pyramid is? It is very small at the top and very wide at the base. So in society those who have the most power, the most political power, are very small in number and those upon whom they rest, the base for their power, is very wide.

There are many at the bottom of the pyramid. They are the ordinary people upon which the power of the elite is based. They are the foundation, though often unrecognized. So if pyramidical revolution is applied, the powerful elite, who govern the masses and sit on top of them, resting on their base, will have to be the ones to change the society. They will follow the pyramidical order and revolution will be according to pyramidical lines, having its focus on the top from which the command shall come forth to the masses.

But you know this type of revolution is not very successful. Let us say an enlightened leader is appointed in a society steeped in ignorance, where the youth have not been educated to a higher standard and corruption abounds. What will this leader be able to accomplish? Though he is at the top he has no base on which to rest his authority. Those below him will not support him. Leadership must have a base to rest upon. The quality of the leader is inherently associated with the quality of the society from which that leader has come. A great leader can make many changes to improve the overall functioning of the society but if he has no base for his power, he is virtually without capacity. So you see, to replace leadership alone is a useless act. There must be education, intellectual and spiritual renaissance. There must be the development of a base for the more enlightened leadership to be successful. One cannot start at the top. It is with the people that revolution truly occurs, not to organize them to overthrow this or that government but to change their fundamental approach. Then a more enlightened leadership will have fertile soil in which programs and policies may be carried forth. Otherwise, the leadership will fail utterly and again corruption will grow.

Society cannot be changed in this fashion. Change must come from within the very fabric of the society until the call for leadership of a more enlightened nature is so strong that it cannot be overlooked and when it is implemented, it is like a fertile seed in rich soil, it will grow and blossom.

[It was then asked about palatial revolution]

Now, I have said that pyramidical revolution will not succeed in changing the society nor will palatial revolution which involves the overthrow of the ruling class in order to establish a new ruling class. This is also useless as one class is no better than another unless their is a fundamental restoration of balance within the society. For this fundamental change is essential. So palatial revolution will also not be beneficial. It differs from the pyramidical revolution in that it involves the substitution of an entire class, not simply the ruler. For example, if the military overthrows the civil government this is a palatial revolution. Or if the proletariat overthrows the capitalist elite and establishes a government of the people, again a change has been made in the governing body and the power structure, but if this is the only change and the society has not become Dharmic, the same corruption as previously noted will again surface. In truth balance cannot be restored in this fashion.