Like the crystal palace adorning the opium-addled fantasy of every utopian vision-quest democracy in the name of ‘freedom’ is postulated as the proverbial carrot justifying the application of a severe stick. One may be promised frankincense, myrrh and gold by powerful men from distant lands in an attempt to sweeten the imposition of a bitter imperialist pill but like the carrot hanging by its strings from the chastening stick one must also be wary of the whole dragnet and not just the microcosmic, instant satisfaction. To have every person part of one kind of system on this planet is a control-freak’s true crystal palace. Especially when that system with inherent hierarchical power structures, like a house of cards, can be easily manipulated, especially by those who originated it and hence already have a vested interest. For democracy, just like any other system, is not perfect, witness the variety of its internal manifestations to be applied in any number of external environments. People, places, cultures are not, yet, homogenous. Furthermore, where is the evidence suggesting that democracy is, generically, the best system with which to further the human species? These systems, for there are more than one when world leaders talk of ‘democratisation’ (i.e. ‘free market’ capitalism, international law, trade regulations, liberal mores and values, etc.), have not always led or are not leading to beneficial results for humanity, witness global warming, continued conflicts and global poverty. Further still, it can be shown that one unified system is not well-suited to adaptations to changes in, or indeed the demise of, its environment. At such times as bifurcations in systemic conditions a better survival strategy may be to have a multitude of systems, the ‘fittest’ then becoming the ‘steady-state’ under the new conditions (‘steady-state’ here acknowledges that this is simply the state which maintains ‘dominance’ over a discrete time frame as opposed to ‘equilibrium’ which may instead suggest that the system states will no longer oscillate, for instance.) However, these leaders have amassed great resources like a pathogen exploring its surroundings with the one goal of its superiority in the global social, political, economic and spiritual landscape. We should carefully read the small print of that toffee-apple ingredients’ label before we imbue it within the sanctity of our own bodies. In other words, the walls of the crystal palace are not always transparent.