|
C i v i l i z a t i o n With their modified, highly capable brain and physical structure, human beings became the most dominant form of life on the planet. We possess the ability to understand many different things. We understand the fact that we all have the desire to live and to live satisfied. At the same time, we realize that the Earth has limited resources and suitable land for everyone. And as the population grows, order and planning is needed to prevent hostility among the competition to survive comfortably, and to give everyone a fair opportunity to progress in life. When people began to think this way (or at least something like that), and form communities working together for satisfying lives and advancement, civilization was born. After that, the rest was history. Small civilizations were created. Laws were made to promote order. Labor was divided because it was easier for one to do a single job and trade for everything else, rather than to do many jobs alone. Certain people were appointed to oversee the civilization and make sure it was in good running order. The civilizations were prosperous and they flourished. But inevitably, there was competition for power, land, and resources between and within the communities. These caused major wars and, just like that, the civilization became more important than the individual desire to live and live satisfied. The civilization needed to be defended for the sake of living. Sadly, lives were lost in the process. In the end, a bigger, more powerful civilization ruled. All this is a natural outgrowth of civilization. Civilization is beautiful. It allows us, as it did the ancients, to live emotionally connected with nature. We do not have to worry too much about survival like animals and primitive man did. They did not have the strength of an entire civilization to help them with their survival needs. With that worry off our shoulders, humans are better able to appreciate nature, learn about it, and feel connected with it. We are better able to live more productive, satisfying lives. Our love of nature and desire for knowledge gave rise to interesting philosophical thought. From this came amazing scientific and technological advances. Humans went from making tools with stone and fire to putting a man on another world. I take a walk through lower Manhattan, and no matter how many times I go, I stand there looking at the buildings like a tourist or more like an alien! The only unnatural and therefore unethical outgrowth of civilization is corruption of power. Human beings are so evolved and blessed with abilities that we don't have to worry about survival everyday. Therefore we can devote more time to living comfortably. But when certain people gain more wealth and power in society, they become corrupt. The beauty of nature, life, and the individual experience become overlooked. Sometimes we become forced or manipulated into doing certain things for the good of the society (Utilitarianism). Government, the part of society responsible for this, and the distribution of wealth, must work hard to keep everything balanced out and moderated among the civilization. Many times, the political system allows itself to become overly preoccupied with competition, domination, business, wealth, and other trivial matters which far overlook natural beauty. History has seen competition and domination cause wars which, although gave us amazing new technology, devastated nature as lives perished. Desire for power and big business only caused unfair distributions of wealth during the middle ages (Feudalism) and a massive worldwide depression in the twentieth century. In a way, we are more civilized and moral than our previous generations, because we can look back on their mistakes and learn from them. But learn what? That life is precious. Love, success, and dreams are all about the individual. Happiness is a way of life, not a goal. Progress in society must include protecting nature. Therefore, it is in the name of our civilization that we must protect and appreciate nature. It is in the name of ourselves that we must. Government in modern times has become entirely too powerful and entirely too ununified across the world. Imagine how a world political and economic system would be. Problems would be dealt with concerning the world and humanity, rather than for the individual country. Instead, today the government will do anything to protect the individual nation and (mostly) itself. It will keep secrets (area 51), conduct unethical, unnatural research, destroy nature, and many times kill innocent people. For example there are governments who harbor terrorists, and promote unfair religious laws. Because of these, many people believe individual beliefs and ideas have nothing to do with the interest of society. A good example of this is slavery, which still goes on today. Nobody but the slaves question its morality because it is so beneficial to society. Most politicians don't question it because the people gain power while making money. And if the government won't question it, the people could never question it. The government is the "best" representative of the people, and if it doesn't care the individual won't care. The effect of that corruption and greed is still felt in many parts of the world today, including the continent of Africa. In America, because the government doesn't listen to the common individual enough, and listens more to big business owners and the wealthy, more than 50 percent of the people don't vote. This means that the average person feels that they do not have enough power and cannot make a difference in the world and the community around them. One should not feel obligated to change the world on a political or economic level, but on a personal level. As long as they are happy and the people in their world are happy, that's all that may need changing. Although society will always have its share of problems, the beautiful individual life should not have to suffer from it.
Sadly, this notion is taken to the extreme by the media. In their quest to keep ratings high and compete with each other, the media only provides what they think people would like to spend their time and money to pay attention to. This makes both society clad with misinterpretations of real, important current events, societies, and cultures. The individual is left out in the cold wondering about the truth of issues that really affect him/her. When society sees things incompletely, it could only breed corruption, prejudice, violence, and disregard for other people and nature. Many people don't thoroughly know about the real problems in the world...deforestation, global heating, overpopulation, extinctions, pollution, famine, poverty, disease, and so on. Politics, business, religion, violence and other similar subjects are what make headlines. Society sees life and nature through a huge filter, and the individual has to suffer. What is the solution to these real problems? Education. Paradoxically, money seems to be removed from public schools and universities much to often. If we want higher academic achievement, the problem of crowded classrooms and teacher shortages should be non-existent. It seems to me that some people only believe that people's lives are dictated by the society they live in (the media, advertising, money, and what most call material things), and that this is our "reality". The notion is not entirely true. Sometimes society can corrupt, and cause people to only be satisfied when these petty things are plentiful to them. It may be true that we like "nice" things, like clothes and cars, but deep down inside everyone there is a sensitive side which knows what success is all about. Anyone would rather live without these things than die with them. Do you take money with you when you die? NO! You take a successful life with you! Money doesn't necessarily mean success. With all these conflicts civilization breeds, a good solution is hard to find. I think Edith Hamilton (Greco-Roman author and scholar) says it best when "Civilization is a matter of imponderables, of delight in the things of the mind, of love, of beauty, of honor, grace, courtesy, delicate feeling. Where imponderables are the things of first importance there is the height of civilization."
Home · Nature · Life · Experience · Civilization · Possibility
|