Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Hidden thread of civilization growth

Hidden thread of the growth of civilization (or)
The probable 'order' of evolution, judging from human history 

( This was first a chain mail sent in 2010 to the media leaders,but later in 2013 it was modified,incorporating an evolutionary angle also to it )  

If journalists have to take any side in their business of reporting and commenting about world affairs,it should be based on  the hidden thread( or direction) of  the growth of our civilization so far– ie. man becoming more and more accommodative of the other man, and  his attainment of more and more civility.


This rule could be adopted not only by the journalists but also by governments all over the world, political and industry leaders, educationalists and evolutionary scientists. 

As journalists being the most 'informed' representatives of humankind, they should always stand for, and distinctly and clearly REPRESENT this hidden thread of growth in their words and deeds.

If they think that they should represent something that collectively and universally represents mankind and its right-kind of progress, it should be this hidden civilizational course and agenda.

This hidden thread was all about man getting more and more 'evolved' in the process of civilization..It is all about our getting more and more free from our animal traits. It is all about our showing more and more tolerance towards the fellow men,fellow-communities and fellow nations.

 It (development of civilization) was NEVER  about man’s acquiring more and more sophisticated weaponry, communication and travel related scientific advancements etc. because, immediately after those technological achievements of mankind, ie. discovery of gun-powder, aircraft, modern ships etc, the history witnessed two world wars, fought by the LESS EVOLVED  MEN, for the mastery over all other men, communities, and nations !

 One’s desire to be the strongest, and then keeping other members in the community/world subjugated to him was basically a trait found in the animal kingdom. Civility primarily meant freedom from this primordial animal trait. 

The above-said thread of 'civilization- growth' had started from the time of emergence of the Roman empire. They attempted to treat every man equal before the law, for the first time in history. Then came the MAGNA CARTA  treaty, where mankind heard the concept of individual freedom for the first time, followed by the American bill of rights and similar declaration of freedom of rights in the French revolution.

Civilizational- development has always been the story of conflict between the less
evolved men, and the more evolved men - -between the not yet shed animal
nature in some men, and those who were more receptive to Reason’s call to
evolve more humane.

There is an urgent need today for all Journalists and men of mind to make it clear to the rest of the world, this narrative of human progress and civilizational growth because, the current world exhibit the danger of an OPPOSITE trend; American President Trump, by his order to close the borders of the country for certain nationalities, and Prime-Minister Modi of India, by his silent move to make the ancient land a Hindu-State. Then comes France; certain leaders there shows a clear tendency to make that country an exclusive place for certain culture and/or religion! England has already voted to move out from the European Union and be herself. The tendency in many other Western Nations is also not different.

Trump's policy shows its echo in many parts of the world. Recently  (March 2017) an Australian citizen attacked an Indian, shouting 'go back to your country', a vicious slogan now used by US citizens to attack foreigners!

A counter-narrative is almost absent in the world today!

One will be astonished in realizing that, due to the exclusive job of media in passively ( what they claim 'objectively') 'reporting' these events to the world, people have forgotten that there could be a 'counter-narrative' to the current rabid and bigoted narrative that prevalent in the world. People are clueless as to how to counter the following argument: 

'If Trump is minding the future of his own countrymen, job opportunity, and exclusive safety of American citizens, isn't he doing the right thing akin to that of a true patriot and a proud American?'

'If Modi is trying to take back his country into her ancient glorious past, purifying her of the current Western- influenced corrupt practices, her badly distorted history, the menace of her 20% minority population consists mostly Muslims and Christians who allegedly do not keep loyalty to the tradition and culture of the father-land, isn't he doing the right-most thing, fit for a patriot and a proud Nationalist?'

Globalism is now a 'pariah' concept. Multiculturalism and pluralism are fake, Western concepts! Yes; modern world is at cross-roads.The light and spirit of Enlightenment has already exhausted. Darkness is setting in. Law and justice issues are increasingly handled between man and man in the streets, over bloody fights and even murder!

The need of the hour for Media is to re-write and re-introduce those old concepts of progress, openness, and modernity to the new men in the world. Those who are already aware of such silent 'thread' of the progress of the world are very few today. 
    

Though by evolution what Darwin had visualized was:

 " Growth with reproduction;inheritance which is almost implied by reproduction;variability from the indirect and direct action of the condition of life,and from use and disuse.....as to lead to 'struggle for life', and as a consequence to 'natural selection',entailing divergence of character and the extinction of the less improved forms'....Thus from the war of nature, from famine and death,...the production of 'higher animals'  directly follows".( his article ' Recapitulation and conclusion" )

We do not know whether Darwin's notion of 'evolution' went wrong, or was it man's sense and notion about life got altered, ( man's unprecedented evolution of mind intercepted with nature's laws ?)  concepts like 'equality' and 'universal freedom' had suddenly emerged into our perception of civilization.  The net result was a distinct and clear track-record of the above-observed direction with regard to man's civilization growth!

We could easily observe, that the conflict of civilizational growth was always between the so- called rightist ideology and the leftist ideology - - rightist taking the stand that it is the privilege of the strongest, or the smartest ( in the sense of those who better 'adapt') to keep the weak and the less smart under subjugation. For them,( the Rightists, as Darwin had anticipated) it was natural law.


 But upon close analysis, one would observe that civilization was always a stride against the said mainstream ideology. Obviously, the fight is still unfinished. It is a process of conflict between opposite forces. But clearly, nature’s intent is to achieve more and more inclusiveness, where everyone gains equal relevance, space, and utility in the scheme of life. 

What Nature seemingly aiming at is, a 'fully conscious' individual, who is capable of realizing his integral relation with existence. 

Only a freeman can be rational and enlightened. Someone enslaved to mass ideologies can not be an independent human person! He is a herd animal. Man's leaving his herd ways was the starting of civilization.It was he, the LIBERTY seeking individual, who started respecting himself a lot, who sought individual dignity from the State. Hence, the first time in history, American people made their govt exclusively for safeguarding the individual dignity and liberty of citizens!

But lately, both Rightist and Leftist govts seriously diverted from their above sole goal; while the Rightist states started existing for themselves, relishing the old, king-like power of the State, Leftists  (say communist) govts simply started adopting the authoritarian ways of their class enemies, the Rightists. Though communist govts seldom exist today, those who exist are the replica of their Rightist counterparts, ie.capitalistic economy, and the power- wielding states! 

What the world badly needs today is a STRAIGHT ideology, not ‘RIGHTIST’, not ‘LEFTIST’. It seems, Nature's intent is also the same. 

Here, if not any other strata in the society, (like governments, political and industry leaders, and educationalists)  Journalists ( also the class of intellectuals) must be at the side of this hidden thread of growth of civilization. It should always serve the purpose of a mother premise or a universal premise, to derive sub premises that could define their stands, and causes they represent and project. 

Such adoption of a MOTHER-PREMISE, and inferring all sub-premises and conclusions consistent with it, would serve the purpose of giving a much-needed intellectual, rational and moral direction to mankind. When each and every news event and story is treated as a stand-alone report, unrelated to any mother-truth and direction, it gives intellectual wilderness to mankind as happens today. 

The Faculty of Reason is the hidden seat of cosmic ORDER in man. Mother premises always
emerge from this hidden source, to taunt man to develop it further into its constituent sub premises and ideas, and to carry man's destiny ahead. Concept like freedom, universal equality, his morals, and ethics etc. also have emerged from this mystery source of ORDER.  


Journalists have to keenly listen to Reason’s dictum in every situation, keeping
in mind the above seen hidden thread of human civilizational evolving.

Our media leadership has to know what Nobel prized author  Albert CAMU had
quipped on the subject:  ‘an age can be called truly civilized only when it
starts sending its criminals to mental asylums than jails’. What he had hinted was nothing but the culmination of man’s inclusive philosophy of life, that would define and design future governments and societies.

If our media men open up towards these hard facts, our reaching such stages of civilizational growth would be faster, and much earlier!

Please open up towards our repeated call to the media to share our CAUSE
of ‘re-inventing democracy’ to redefine our lives!

Authored by: Abraham J.Palakudy
An independent philosophy,mind,Reason,Polity and Spirituality researcher,seeker&writer  
Contact him with your valuable inputs: ajoseph1@rediffmail.com

Twitter: Voice of philosophy@jopan1
  
(Note: This write-up was mailed to all leading newspapers and TV channels during September 2010.) 









1 comment:

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