OCIM — the Totalitarian Society
OCIM is a society built on four interlocking pillars: objective reality, which values technical knowledge, data and clear rules; subjective action, which finds meaning in shared rituals, symbols and the emotional power of community; instinctive physical action, which enforces authority and secures territory; and metaphysical reality, which sustains tradition, myth and ideology. These sources combine to create what I call the Totalitarian or OCIM society, where order is paramount and every aspect of life serves the state.
For most of human history, OCIM societies have emerged when centralized power fused with a unifying belief system. Ancient empires codified laws in stone, marshaled armies to guard borders, and held grand ceremonies to reinforce the divine right of their rulers. Modern totalitarian regimes update this formula by deploying scientific management, mass propaganda and staged displays of loyalty, but the core remains the same: objective expertise legitimizes the regime, rituals bind the populace, force maintains discipline, and ideology provides the moral framework.
In an OCIM society, education is designed to serve the state’s needs, emphasizing technical skills and ideological conformity. Mass media and cultural production are tightly controlled, turning art and entertainment into extensions of official doctrine. Citizens learn from an early age that obedience and participation in communal ceremonies signal loyalty, while deviation invites swift reprisal. Efficiency in mobilizing resources and manpower for expansion or internal projects is celebrated as proof of the regime’s superiority.
Yet the very strengths of OCIM also sow its weaknesses. By subordinating individual innovation to rigid protocols and by demanding absolute loyalty, these societies often stifle creativity and breed paranoia. The emphasis on objective expertise can morph into technocratic arrogance, and the relentless spectacle of power risks eroding genuine belief. When crisis strikes, the lack of open discourse and decentralized initiative can leave OCIM states brittle and unable to adapt.
Understanding OCIM helps explain the persistence of authoritarian states, the appeal of powerful symbols and ceremonies, and the central role of force in maintaining cohesion. It reveals why such societies prize order above all else and why they resist the very freedoms that might invigorate their people and renew their institutions.
