(See the video for this text blog on YT, here)
One cannot deny that at the beginning of the 21st century, mankind seems as divided as ever.
It were Neanderthal-man and Cro-Magnon-man, now so long ago, fighting each other culturally and physically, for the dominance of Europe. Neanderthal-man disappearing from the face of the planet. Cro-Magnon-man carving its way through another ice-age, to end up at the top.
Homo Sapiens, the knowing man, if only he had known what future lay ahead for his children and their children and their children … etcetera
From the Stone age, to the bronze age, the history of mankind aging ahead, towards the atomic age, and now ending up in the 21st century.
With time knowledge grew, has grown, is still growing. With speech, cultures could florish, and with cultures came unity, for the one. But unity can also divide. If you have two tribes with a different culture then at some point in time, they will clash and fight it out. Which culture is the better one?
A dishonest question? …Perhaps. Because if you know nothing else then your own culture, then your culture is always the better one, because then … your values can only be determined within the boundaries of your own culture. To judge, one can respectfully only do so, if you understand –that- what makes other cultures tick. What makes cultures tick? What is culture?
A group within the global society of mankind, with certain beliefs (not always religious), showing certain behavior (in the widest meaning of the word) towards other groups within the global society of mankind, setup with the parameters of their specific ability for symbolic thought and social learning.
It does not negate the ability to learn new things and respect new customes. But it has the risk you may not be able as part of that group, because the group may attempt to stop you from mixing with other cultures, to protect their own unique culture from being tainted with the wrong beliefs, values, theories, thoughts from the other.
But understand –culture- has a wide meaning. If an Aboriginal and an Inuit are both Roman Catholic, then besides them living thousands of miles from each other, can still have a part of the same culture in them, namely that part with in them, that part which originates from the Roman Catholic faith. On everything else they may not seem to mix, and probably will not.
So cultures divide as well as unify.
But at the dawn of the 21st century it is as clear as ever we are still as divided as in all the centuries and millennia before us. Is mankind doomed to fight each other in wars (in all its forms) forever? Do we lack the ability to compromise on cultures, always with the attempt to protect our own?
We may lack that ability indeed. After all it is only natural to defend your own borders. Your culture is just another border. But, now there is something else that is changing us. That one thing is science. We evolved with a brain and we used that brain. Yes, knowledge is true power. It allowed us to shape the world around us and made large parts of our world technically able to allow interaction globally.
Science is magnificent. From marathon man, the horse-courier and signal fires … to the telegraph, post by train, radio communication, telephonewire systems, satellites, … to its applications, texting, the internet, social media, uploading, downloading, … mankind is communicating now, more then ever before.
And I believe we have no choice. If we do not, then we are doomed to destroy ourselves. Why? Simply, … because the world population is becoming so large, the only thing that can save us, is talking to each other, accepting each other cultures and values. And we have no other way to accomplish this then using the inventions science has provided for us. Use them properly, or go the way of the lemmings.
Those that are unwilling to communicate, will lead us to destruction. Because it means they are unwilling to compromise. Communication is salvation. Compromise or die out.
Where will all this, lead us too? Perhaps, in some close or far future, the world will truly be one, have one culture. Mankind free of the strict rules of some cultures now, like religions that only serve to undermine mankind’s development of the brain, being reason and free-thought.
One world, One mankind, One global society, One culture, … ONE FUTURE.
