Stage theory, macrohistory and surviving the Kali Yuga – Asia Times
Our time has all the marks of the Kali Yuga, a dark era of individualism, alienation, injustice and social collapse. But there is trust.
In Hindu cosmology, the Kali Yuga ( Age of Conflict ) is the last of four epochs described in the Vedas. The next epoch will be the Satya Yuga ( Age of Truth ), the equivalent of the Second Coming in Christianity.
Amazingly, contemporary macrohistorical and stage theories provide a comparable framework for understanding the evolution of humanity and closely coincide with old spiritual prophecies, providing guidance on how to navigate this transforming era.
One of the oldest level ideas in the world is the Hindu prophecy that humankind develops in four distinct phases. Ancient Indian scholars predicted a period whereby the philosophies of the four varnas—teacher, warrior, trader, and worker—take turns “ruling the planet”. This Varna period is a reflection of the Vedas ‘ continuous science.
When the cycle is completed, it starts fresh.
The last judgment, the development of a new heaven and earth, and the return of Christ as a linear growth toward holy fulfillment are all depicted in the Bible. Various religions have similar prophecies. While their idioms differ, they all anticipate a world of harmony, justice, unity and justice.
Over time, there have also been liberal level theories. For starters, Confucius described royal cycles, charting the surge, maximum, decline and fall of dynasties. Also, Greek historian Polybius proposed the theory of anacyclosis, describing recurring political advancement from king to elite to politics and their respective crooked forms—tyranny, elite and ochlocracy.
Modern Tales
In the 19th century, European philosophy developed several stage theories and macrohistories, including Hegel’s dialectical model of historical progress ( thesis, antithesis, synthesis ), Comte’s Law of Three Stages ( theological, metaphysical and positivist ), and Marx’s modes of production ( primitive collectivism, slave society, feudalism, capitalism and communism ).
In the early 20th centuries, German writer Oswald Spengler presented his seasonal theory of societies, likening them to biological organisms with predictable cycles of birth, growth, age, collapse and death. The rise and fall of big civilizations were the subjects of Toynbee’s macrohistory.
By the mid-20th era, macrohistories and level ideas gained popular interest. Francis Fukuyama, Samuel Huntington, and Alvin Toffler all gained acclaim.
Toffler identified society’s change from hunter-gatherer and agrarian societies to professional and post-industrial eras. Huntington argued that future conflicts would be influenced by social and spiritual identities, while Fukuyama famously declared the “end of history,” implying that Western liberal democracy represented the turning point of intellectual evolution.
Development of perception
The Stage Theory of Cognitive Development, a Swedish psychologist’s theory of mental development, which describes how children’s considering develops over time as they mature, had a significant impact on contemporary period ideas in the 1920s. His theory had a significant impact on the study of individual mental development.
In the second half of the 20th centuries, thinkers Jean Gebser and Ken Wilber extended level principles to human consciousness. Gebser described humanity’s progression through unique” buildings” of consciousness, old, magical, mythical, psychological and integral levels.
Gebser, whose concept relied heavily on art story, pointed at Cubism as a metaphor for expanding awareness. Cubism replaced the one-point view of the Renaissance with “multiple ideas”.
By embracing the difficulty, duality, and interconnection of life, Gebser came up with the term “aperspectival,” a way of experiencing fact that goes beyond the boundaries of distinct and fixed perspectives.
Ken Wilber’s essential concept identifies three stages of development: pre-personal, private and transcendental.
The transpersonal emphasizes the potential for people to move past their ego-driven, personal problems and accept a deeper feeling of interdependence with the world. Wilber sees this evolution as essential for addressing global issues and fostering a more included, sympathetic, and spiritually awakened world.
Gebser and Wilber were both influenced by Indian cosmology and ideas about spirituality and consciousness, and particularly by contemporary Indian spiritual teacher Sri Aurobindo ( 1872-1950 ), the pioneer of Integral Yoga and one of the first advocates of an integral approach to spirituality.
Gebser and especially Wilber used key concepts from Indian cosmology and consciousness, among them the Sanskrit terms Sat-Chit-Ananda ( being-consciousness-bliss ), Atman ( true self ), Maya ( illusion ) and Turiya, ( pure awareness ). Wilber used the term Turiya to describe a sublime state of consciousness, a breakthrough in metaphysical study and revelation.
Reviving the Varna routine
Based on the original Varna model, Indian spiritual teacher Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar created the socio-spiritual model PROUT ( Progressive Utilization Theory ). Sarkar restored the original interpretation of the Varna idea after the initial idea had degenerated into the harsh, genealogical caste system.  ,
In the Vedic revelation, the four Varnas (teachers, soldiers, retailers and workers ), are emotional characteristics. One of the four Varna forms is the dominant inclination for all people. Although there are characteristics of two or three Varnas, one of the four usually predominates in each person.
For a working world, Sarkar argued that all four Varnas are required. As we have seen in recent past, when one or more of the four Varnas is sidelined, cultures lose their stability and strength. Socialism is failing because it minimizes the employer, and capitalism failed because it minimized the merchants.
Sarkar’s model rejects notions of order, superiority and inferiority. He focuses instead on the idea of cooperation. All Varnas may help because they are dependent on one another.
They must build a mutual relationship. Peter Hayward and Joseph Voros, two researchers from Australia, created a design based on Sarkar’s concept to teach organizations about the value of cooperation and mutual respect.
In the 1980s, the American macrohistorian Lawrence Taub, artist of” The Spiritual Imperative”, made the extraordinary state that the Varna period can be mapped to real people background.
As the diagrams below indicate, Taub made connections between the four castes and particular historical eras. ( Taub used the original sequence of the four Varna ages mentioned in the Vedas: teacher, protector, merchant, worker. )
In Taub’s model, we have just emerged from the Merchant Age. Because of how closely its worldview aligns with the Merchant type, The West was preeminent in the Merchant Age. The Worker Age is about to reach its height. For the same reason, Confucian Asia will be in the spotlight because its worldview most closely resembles that of the worker.
In the 1970s, China reintegrated the traders into society and created a hybrid system based on communism and capitalism. In barely a generation, it became the world’s largest producer and preeminent trading nation.
China has grown to be the world’s largest trading partner for almost all nations, and it has a significant influence on people’s physical well-being. People who live in slums or are in daily battles for survival are at a disadvantage. ( Spiritual development is challenging. )  ,  ,  ,  ,
Taub argued that India will guide us into the Satya Yuga, a renewed age of enlightenment, and that Confucian Asia will help us leave the Worker Age ( and thus the Kali Yuga ). India will be a leader in the new spiritual era because it has the largest body of spiritual wisdom and understanding of the nature of human consciousness.
incorporating stage theory and macrohistory
Stage theories and macrohistories offer new insights into how humanity developed over time. Macrohistory looks for broad, overarching patterns and trends in history, often over centuries or millennia. It attempts to identify recurring themes, structures, and dynamics across time and cultures in an effort to predict possible future events, which is closely related to futurism.  ,
Stage theory argues that history progresses through a series of distinct, sequential stages, often based on specific criteria like consciousness, economics or social organization. When combined, stage theory and macrohistory can provide insight into seemingly contradictory contemporary developments. For example:
* What explains the rise of religious fundamentalism in recent decades, not only in Islam but also in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism?
* In a world where everything is becoming more and more connected, why do nationalist politicians like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prosper?
* Why does a growing number of people in developed countries experience psychological issues as a result of increasing material well-being?
Separately, macrohistories and stage theories can’t explain these seemingly counter-intuitive developments. However, integrated” macrohistorical stage theories” can offer a wider framework for understanding global human development across cultures.
First, macrohistorical stage theories would promote interdisciplinarity and advance our understanding of societal, cultural, and developmental patterns. This would give rise to a more nuanced understanding of how societies move through stages in longer historical cycles.
Second, macrohistories span disciplines like history, sociology and anthropology, while stage theories often incorporate psychology, philosophy and organizational studies. They are integrated, which promotes a holistic view of complex questions.
Third, stage theories frequently emphasize moral, spiritual, or cognitive development, while macrohistories emphasize the larger effects of societal choices made over time. These ideas would be boosted by the incorporation of values-driven approaches to developments that balance short-term goals and short-term actions.
Lastly, macrohistorical stage models should include post-colonial theory, an academic field developed by scholars from previously colonized countries. Post-colonial theory examines the power imbalances and exploitation that occurred both before and after colonialism.
Forgetting the Kali Yuga requires replacing systemic injustices and global inequality with reciprocity and mutuality.
.jpg "Shermaine Wong, co-founder and CEO of Cult Creative (Left) and Lina Esa, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Cult Creative")