"Life-affirming democratic civilizations must confront a difficult, yet necessary truth: individual freedom and will—even when empowered by a rare and universally positive authority—must be restricted within public institutions. No matter how brilliant or branded one may be, a prolonged hold on public power risks transforming even the sharpest minds into a kind of Genius Malignus—a deceptive force that manipulates truth with rhetorical elegance while appearing rational. Such an authoritarian figure, if left unchecked over time, distorts insight into self-serving illusion.

What we have witnessed over the past century is that political policies promoting rapid economic growth in one civilization often generate frustration—both internally and in neighboring, less prosperous, and often exploited nations.

State-level processes require time, in part due to the essential role of strict oversight. When oversight and criticism are weak, nearly absent, or ineffective, these processes accelerate—but only a small elite benefits. What often follows is a steep collapse, as those responsible either become renegades or transform the state into a bureaucratic mafia, deliberately constructed on a recognized—and therefore utilized—institutionalized systematic error.

The lesson for us is this: the freedom we cherish must be exercised with consideration for others—and therefore, in certain cases, must be limited. These necessary, yet flexible and dynamic boundaries reveal a fundamental dialectical contradiction. Freedom can lead to tyranny and vengeful abuse of power, particularly when an authoritarian figure prioritizes the interests of a small group over the greater whole. Conversely, democracy and its freedoms can descend into anarchy, where the universal maxim constructing a nation fractures into factions, each claiming its own land, rules, and sense of sovereignty.
















To avoid both extremes—if that is even possible at this point in spacetime—life-affirming civilizations must uphold civic balance by enforcing strict term limits and systematically changing individuals in high-level public roles. I am not referring only to elections or term limits for mayors and prime ministers, but more critically, to the regular rotation of leadership within public institutions. These positions hold significant power, shaping entire sectors of the domestic economy and controlling de facto different fields of production. Without these practical safeguard tools, we risk the worst: masked diversity; stagnation disguised as plurality; and tyranny suited like Wall Street."


      — I. S. Kalter in Conversation with a Stranger, Fleshworks and Related Activity, April 29, 2025, Tel Aviv–Yafo