A Matter of Humanity
58Searching for Signs of Civilization
Why do we have to defeat someone in order to live a decent life? Why is competition required? Much more can be accomplished through cooperation and no one must be defeated to do it. Competition is a highly negative activity. It takes its ultimate form as war. No one needs to lose. All we need to do is grow up, stop acting like a bunch of spoiled children, learn to work together and share.
People have no sense of value. They live vicariously through their mostly useless material possessions and a bunch of "celebrities" who are idolized for doing absolutely nothing of value for the society that worships them.
I have learned to accept the fact that the human race is not deserving of survival in its present form. We will continue to consume with reckless abandon until Earth is barely suitable for human habitation. Hopefully a few survivors from the extinction event we have triggered, if indeed there are any, will finally evolve to a level capable of creating a true civilization. That's something we haven't managed yet.
Do you have children or grandchildren? Think about what we're leaving to them. All the money and material possessions in the world won't quench their thirst when there is no potable water available. Nor will it help them breath when the air is a toxic soup, or find food to eat when the soils are nothing but barren, poisoned wasteland.
Everyone wants their slice of the pie. You better get yours before it's too rotten to eat.
hu-man-i-ty
n.
pl. hu·man·i·ties
1. Humans considered as a group; the human race.
2. The condition or quality of being human.
3. The quality of being humane; benevolence.
4. A humane characteristic, attribute, or act.
emphasis mine)
5. humanities
a. The languages and literatures of ancient Greece and Rome;
the classics.
b. Those branches of knowledge, such as philosophy, literature,
and art, which are concerned with human thought and culture;
the liberal arts.
Has a real human civilization ever existed? Were the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Incas or Mayans actually civilized? Can any of our modern cultures really be considered to be so?
Although many empires and societies from the past to the present can be said to meet the objective, dictionary definition of civilization, there are many criteria which are not addressed by such superficial analysis.
civ·i·li·za·tion
n.
1. An advanced state of intellectual, cultural, and material
development in human society, marked by progress in the arts
and sciences, the extensive use of record-keeping, including
writing, and the appearance of complex political and social
institutions.
2. The type of culture and society developed by a particular
nation or region or in a particular epoch: Mayan civilization;
the civilization of ancient Rome.
3. The act or process of civilizing or reaching a civilized
state.
4. Cultural or intellectual refinement; good taste.
5. Modern society with its conveniences: returned to
civilization after camping in the mountains.
Should a nation, however technologically advanced, which forces even a small segment of its population to live without shelter be considered civilized?
When any portion of a society, regardless of its modernity, is forced to live in abject poverty can this society be called civilized?
If the primary force driving the economy of a nation is greed and profit is given priority over the wellbeing of people, is this nation civilized?
Are laborers forced to work excessive hours, in unsafe conditions, for wages that keep them in or near poverty characteristic of a civilized people?
Does a civilization really require a prison population that includes one out of every hundred of its adult members?
When people cause wholesale destruction of their environment, knowing these actions condemn future generations to unimaginable suffering, are they to be accepted as civilized?
Does a civilized country characteristically invest nearly all of its wealth, resources and labor in the creation of weapons of mass destruction to be used in the subjugation of other nations?
Is it a civilized land that encourages belief in the false concept of racism?
I, for one, do not accept that any nation, society or empire which displays even one of these characteristics is worthy to be described as civilized and this is but a very short list of disqualifiers. Every nation, society or empire that has ever existed has been guilty of most or all of these failures and many more.
A civilized society must exist inclusive of, yet beyond the differences of, its members. Ultimately it must be recognized that all humans are fundamentally the same.
We are all of one race, one species. That we speak different languages, follow different customs and even appear somewhat different outwardly in no way diminishes the fact that we are all genetic relatives and belong, literally, to the same family. Every human that has ever lived, is alive or ever will live shares the same parents. Whether you believe those parents were Adam and Eve or prehistoric primates in what is now Africa is irrelevant.
That such divergent schools of thought can exist simultaneously is one of the prerequisites for the existence of a society. That such differing viewpoints are able to coexist within the framework of a society is essential to its survival. A society without diversity will stagnate and die. A diverse society without tolerance will be consumed by conflict. Diversity without animosity is the key to civilization. Understanding, tolerance and, especially, rationality are the means by which animosity may be mitigated and ultimately eliminated.
Diversity is an asset that can be used to great advantage in the betterment of any society. It is a primary engine, which is currently stalled, of human evolution. It gives great impetus to progress. It is regrettably most often used as a weapon, by a very small cadre of deviant individuals, to create conflict and disunity among humanity at large. They blame their victims and, through propaganda, disinformation and obfuscation, convince them to blame each other. By distorting superficial differences and conflating those with whatever ills befall a nation at any given time, the inhumane ruling classes are able to deflect attention from themselves, who are in fact the source of virtually all the suffering, onto the diverse segments of the population.
Civilization does not necessarily require leaders, per se. It most certainly doesn't need rulers. What is does need is an educated, knowledgeable, healthy and rational populace working together for the common good.
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Comments
I have often wondered if the Universe would be better off without us mucking around and messing things up. I have been undergoing several crises of the spirit, as it were, trying to decide whether or not the ideas I was taught as a child still hold any relevence to my life.
I was deeply involved with religion, a tenet to which I still somewhat stubbornly cling, at least partially out of fear, yet which I am growing to see may simply be a crutch for a mind not yet ready to move to the next level.
Still, I have always feared - what if I am wrong and the religious things I learned so long ago really are true? But then I think, if they were true, then why does the world and the Universe operate as if none of the teachings make any sense at all?
Nominally I am still a Christian, and as such, I believe in the ideas of treating all people as I would wish to be treated - to be corrected when incorrect, to be praised when helping others, and to be understood and welcomed as brothers and sisters in all matters. I think it is the rest of the message which has been co-opted by con artists and made "mainstream" which turns me off to the modern days Christianity.
That said, if the Fundamentalists are right, things will soon crash and burn.
If Bush and his surrogates (McCain and Plain) take power, things will crash and burn just the same. The fanatics will claim it is God's Will, and the rest of us will just worry about where we can find some food and water to get us through another day.
But even if Obama and Biden win, does that make us any more worthy? I support Obama but I realize that any choice can lead to disaster, no matter the best of intentions given at the ballot box.
Great hub, and one which fundamentally demands that we ask of ourselves: What right do we have to exist?
Too bad a win-win situation is regarded as foolishness by the great majority of humanity.
thank you pgrundy. I guess I'm just tired. I've been beating my head against this wall for a very long time. I, like many others, thought that after Vietnam and Nixon we had actually won. We were so wrong. We should never have let up. We had the upper hand for a moment and we dropped the torch. We let the fire go out. The penalty for that mistake has been horrendous and there's no good end in sight. I guess I've just come to feel like it's too late. The train has run off the cliff and there's nothing to be done except wait for it to smash on the rocks below.
You wouldn't happen to have a tractor beam or an anti gravity generator handy?
Jeff, even if the religious stuff is true, you have nothing to fear. Stripped of all the manmade rubbish the christian god is a just and forgiving deity. All the fire and brimstone crap is nothing more than monsters under the bed created by men, and I do mean men, seeking power and control over other men and women.
As far as this so-called election goes, I really don’t give a rat’s ass any more. We’re screwed either way. One will be quick and bloody the other slower but agonizing. Name your poison.
I’m still waiting for bank runs, food riots and the declaration of martial law.
Thanks for showing up once again.
GOOD ONE CWB ,
Well said! Yes, cooperation, rationality, diversity, tolerance, working toward the common good... these are the things any society needs to prosper and grow. We currently seem to be stuck in a cycle of superficiality, materialism, competition, greed, fear, and ignorance. Will we advance beyond this stage or crumble under the weight of our misguided aspirations?
Thank you for being a source of wisdom and even restrained optimism in the crazy times we're living in. We need more people like you, and fewer people who only care about getting ahead in life, no matter what the cost. I'm trying to stay in high spirits, yet I can understand the crisis of faith that Chef Jeff is going through. Over the years, I've abandoned most of what I learned through the Roman Catholic church, aside from lessons about love and compassion, and I've been struggling to fill the space with some type of rationalization for why we seem to have stalled in our evolution, and what we can do to reclaim our humanity (definitions 3 and 4) and spiritual development.
Thanks for this great post!
Nice job on this hub! I do believe that everybody on this planet has a negative and positive side. We can all benefit from learning skills to control that negative side. Then we will see real improvement in civilization. Feel free to see how I try to help others in new ways too. Sincerely: Gary Eby, author and therapist.
Thank you starcatchinfo!
Melissa G,Thank you so much. You have literally brought tears to my eyes with your kind words.
I’m making a very concentrated effort here to see some light, any light, at the end of this totally dark tunnel we’re in. Having read some of my other Hubs I know you’re aware of my generally cynical outlook. The truth is, I have a deep and abiding belief (forgive me Paraglider) in the innate goodness of the human race.
As they say however, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the barrel. All through history this archetype recurs. In every society that has ever risen there have always been a small percentage of people who simply can not tolerate the concept of human rights and equality. Invariably they have managed to bring about the corruption, perversion and ultimate destruction of every society they have infected.
Your observation of our “stalled” evolution is precisely on the mark. Our “intelligence” and unrestrained technological “progress” has been as much a curse as a blessing. Evolution in a species such as ours is a very slow process. It takes many generations for successful changes to become part of the genome. We change the environment so quickly that our physiology doesn’t have time to adapt. The extinction event we have precipitated will catch us very much unprepared to survive in any significant numbers.
This is where my "restrained optimism" comes into play. It has become my hope that the disaster we have brought upon ourselves will stop our mad rush to oblivion long enough to allow those who survive an opportunity to resume the evolutionary process. It is my hope and belief that, should it survive long enough, the human race will become a beacon of light and love in the universe. Our infant species holds the promise of an inconceivably wonderful future as a steward and guardian of life everywhere it may travel.
We just need enough time to grow up.
Thank you qlcoach.
Ying and Yang, good and evil, right and wrong. Most people believe one can't exist without the other. I disagree. I think that an equilibrium can be achieved which will render them both meaningless.
Nirvana? Don’t know. I guess we’ll find out when we get there.
Well, I got a little misty-eyed while reading your post, so now we're even. ;) I also have a great deal of faith in the human race, despite the high visibility of seemingly immoral and corrupt actions, and I resonate deeply with the hopeful image of humanity's future that you set forth at the end of your comment. The question is, how bad will things get before they begin to improve?
How bad Melissa? That depends upon what you consider bad.
How about this. The end of the human race as we know it, leaving a small handful of survivors who must, perforce, learn to live with Earth once again. They will have to begin anew, rewrite the story of humanity and, hopefully, follow a different path which will lead, perhaps in a few thousand years, to the evolution of the truly civilized beings we are capable becoming.
The end of history, the beginning of history.
Wow--that's pretty bad. Are your predictions based on climate change or other factors? And do you think there are any other options?
Climate change will probably be the final straw. Even without it we would pollute and degrade our envirnonment to the point that it would no longer support us.
True... but I've been watching climate change experiments on the Science channel (or maybe it's the Discovery channel) and I know people say "don't count on technology to save us"... but, based on what I've seen, I think technology may be able to save us! Effectively becoming both the cause of and solution to our current environmental crisis.
There's no doubt that modern technology could mitigate the effects of global climate change Melissa, if...
*Our government and those of other nations attempting to emulate our perverted version of success could find the political will.
*Profit is not the only motive of the entities with the wherewithal to get it done.
*Every nation on Earth is united in a global effort to organize, coordinate and implement the necessary changes.
*Free market capitalism is eliminated and replaced by a global fair trade agreement.
*Major international corporations stop obstructing and start cooperating.
*The internal combustion engine is banned for all but absolutely essential and temporary purposes.
*All burning of fossil fuels is ended immediately and is replaced by solar, wind and, in limited instances, geothermal.
*All new buildings built are legally required to be energy independent and all existing buildings are retrofitted.
If, if, if much more and IF it was all done NOW. Not tomorrow, next year or over the next twenty, forty or fifty years.
What do you suppose are the chances of any of these things happening?
From all I can gather, as a result of our procrastination, it is already too late to avoid some very unpleasant consequences which will result from our abysmal failure as stewards of Earth and its once bountiful resources.
Our right to a secure and prosperous future is forfeit at this point. Our youngest children, our grandchildren and their children will be faced with a world increasingly hostile to life. When the machinery of modern humanity can no longer be sustained, those who remain will be left to their own devices in an inhospitable environment.
If humans are to be a part of a bright civilization of tomorrow, I think they will be very distant relatives of the few who survive our disastrous reign of irrational and arrogant destruction.
I’m sorry if you find this depressing or extreme. Perhaps I’m wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.
Oddly enough, I have begun to see this scenario as not necessarily all bad. Most species that survive do so at great cost at some point. We have brought ourselves to this impasse and have no one else to blame for what lies ahead. We have stopped evolving and it would seem that a catastrophe of this magnitude is the only thing that will allow the process to resume.
So, our mother will send us to our room without dinner and, if we behave from here on, perhaps in a few thousand years, we will be rewarded with a better, healthier meal.
Well, I can see why you've reached these conclusions and although I mostly agree with you, for obvious reasons I'm hoping that the future will be a bit brighter. My theory is that institutions that have been able to function solely as profit-making enterprises up to this point will be forced to find new, socially-responsible modes of operation in light of our current economic and environmental crises. A bit optimistic perhaps, but I can't imagine any other, sustainable future for corporations. As for the other conditions you set forth, I think it's mostly a matter of ethics, integrity, and personal responsibility. If people begin to care more about their character, and integrate values such as cooperation, kindness, and conscientiousness into their lives, social and political systems would cease to function in their current, destructive form and make way for something better.
Or not. :)
I don't think we ever stop evolving, although it seems like it at times. I think we're just stalling a bit because we realize we're in for some growing pains up ahead.
I would prefer your scenario over mine of course.
Sorry, but I think we have stopped evolving. We certainly don't have to agree on everything do we?
We have existed, far too long, in an artificial environment were evolution has been thwarted. Instead of changing to adapt to the environment we change it to suit our needs. We have largely robbed our physical component of its ability to adapt. Our unrestrained technological development has supplied a controlled environment allowing our evolutionary mechanism to atrophy. If and when we are deprived of our technological crutches we will find it very difficult to survive.
Because we have divorced ourselves from the natural world our spiritual evolution has been likewise stunted. Everything from religion to robotics has cocooned us in a sterile isolation ward and left us incapable of living a natural life, either physically or spiritually.
Once again I could certainly be wrong.
HI CWB,
WELL ANALYZED AND TOLD. YOUR HUB IS OF WISDOM AND EYE OPENER. WE, THE PARENTS OF STARCATCHINFO LOVE TO READ YOUR HUBS AND YOUR COMMENTS TO SCI's HUBS .
Nice to see you again starcatchinfo. I sincerely appreciate your compliment and humbly welcome your parents as well.
Hi CWB - catching this one late as I'm just back from a five-day trip to London and Amsterdam. Did we ever get it right? I'd say the Phoenicians got pretty close and more recently the Scandinavian countries have done well. But it's never going to be easy to maintain a truly civilised society for long. To be honest, I don't think it's even on the agenda.
Close counts in horseshoes and hand grenades Paraglider but just won't do in this case. You’re probably right about the agenda. I doubt civilization is seen as profitable.
Welcome back.
coldwar......2 thumbs up! Another well presented "truth!" For too many years I thought I was the only "thinking" human entity I've known in my 60 yrs of life. i AM NOT ALONE! ..:-)
qwark, thank you very kindly.
I have often felt very isolated, very "separate" in my life.
However, what once seemed to be loneliness has been replaced by self-awareness and a seemingly unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
Perhaps that's why I find myself desiring ever more solitude and tranquility as I enter the "Autumn of my madness".
This virtual world where we are presently engaged provides us with great opportunities to meet and talk with people from all over Earth. That could be a very positive thing.
One hopes for the best while expecting the worst.
The conflicting needs for privacy and companionship create just one more paradoxical dilemma we must deal with.
pgrundy says:
16 months ago
This is uncharacteristically upbeat for you. I'm glad you can be at least a bit upbeat, because right now I'm kind of discouraged. Things look really, really bad right now--Bill and I have acknowledged the possibility that, depending on how the next few months unfold, we may or may not have to flee the country. With what, I can't imagine--sure can't afford gas THIS week! I still have a small fragment of hope that the decent side will win out over the dark side and things will turn around, but it's a very small fragment. Great hub ColdWarBaby. Thanks!