By Kalparaj Chakraborty
21st Century – The revolution in technology, the explorations of space, the miracles of medical science, the spectacular opulence of some nations, the dazzling high-rises in the metropolises and the apotheosis of state politics has definitely compelled us to proudly declaim that we are, indeed, Civilized. Shall the connotation of the term, then, remain confined only to its technological, infrastructural and political advancement? I wonder many a time! We need to first comprehend the meaning of the term ‘Civilization’ and later scrutinize its demands.
The word itself comes from the Latin root ‘civilis’, meaning ‘civil’. The word ‘civilization’ first began appearing during the Enlightenment. If you’re familiar with the Enlightenment, this is not surprising. The Enlightenment was all about civilizing humankind, using reason, education, and science to bring people up to a higher state of human functioning. A civilization is generally defined as an advanced state of human society containing highly developed forms of government, culture, industry, and common social norms. Of course, not all scholars agree with this definition. In fact, there is much debate over what constitutes a civilization and what does not. Furthermore, who determines what is ‘advanced’ and what is not? Historians, anthropologists, and other scholars have identified several core characteristics of civilization. Some of the most commonly suggested characteristics include urban centers, agricultural manipulation and storage, irrigation, written language, standards of measurements, craftsmanship technology, social stratification, state government, a common religion and/or ideological outlook, and a shared culture.
As far as my understanding is concerned, we have fulfilled all these demands of civilization. Science and technology, culture, religion, politics, infrastructure etc. have reached their pinnacle today. Then what is that which is undermining our ethical progress? What is it that we are constantly craving for? Why is there a murder of probity? Why such malevolence? Why must we be contented with the proud declamation – WE ARE ‘CIVILIZED’. Are we?
After the primeval period, it became necessary for a civilized construction. Since Homo sapiens were devoid of rationale, they were no less than animals that lived on hunting. Let me not go deeper into history and present a totally unnecessary and convoluted account of how civilization launched or came to be launched. However, what is obvious is that a paradigm shift was indispensable into the very essence of human beings in particular and humanity in general. Man needed a more focused and a directed pattern of life that only a civilized milieu could offer. Man needed more than mere livelihood. Man needed ‘ambition’.
Civilization, as I observed earlier, can be connected to ‘enlightenment’ and its prime aim was to bring people up to a high state of human functioning. Let me illustrate this highest state’ with the following exemplar. When we speak of civilization, one cannot exempt Greece from the frame. Around 2500 years ago there existed Lyceum, a gymnasium in Athens. Today’s gymnasium stands in sharp contrast to the one that existed in Athens in 334 BC and talks only of body building. In Lyceum, the greatest philosophers of that period like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Protagorus, Prodicus and others congregated and discussed and debated for hours on end on myriad topics such as philosophy, literature, religion, astrology, astronomy, economics, politics, medicine, etc. Thus, it was not only for sheer body building that a gymnasium existed but it included the all-round building and development of body, mind, soul and spirit. This is civilization in the true sense of its term.
Where have we lost that spirit and why? Why has human probity fallen into its lowest ebb? What such malevolence? We are definitely educated. At least the statistics provided by the governments of different nations draw a parallel to the fact. The number of scholars globally should be strong evidence of the fact that we must be a hundred times better and more prosperous than our forefathers; than our ancient civilizations because we have the experiences of the past to rely on. We are laden with technology and most importantly we have books to provide us knowledge of not only the globe but also of the cosmos. And then suddenly I remember Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words, “…instead of Man Thinking, we have the bookworm. Hence, the book-learned class, who value books, as such; not as related to nature and the human constitution, but as making a sort of Third Estate with the world and the soul”.
Today’s man doesn’t introspect. They don’t delve into their inner selves. Analyzing Emerson’s view on books, I come to an understanding that books can educate man but not civilize’ him. A civilized man can be educated but an educated man may not necessarily be civilized. We have created a society for ourselves where the highest order of thinking is not possible; where upliftment of human beings is possible, but not humanity’. Let me be allowed to copy and paste Emerson again from The American Scholar, “The state of society is one in which the members have suffered amputation from the trunk, and strut about so many walking monsters, ⎯ a good finger, a neck, a stomach, an elbow, but never a man”.
We have become Auden’s “Unknown Citizen” – surviving and perishing by total conformity. If readers feel this acceptable then I would go on to say that our identity is reduced to mere papers and numbers. If this is education let us deracinate such an education which has been eating into the vitals of our society and civilization for ages. Let us throw away all the books, empty the minds of the population and instil into them values, ethics and conscience. Education and civilization must complement one another. Congratulations to modern science for having conquered the once unexplored part of the cosmos, for having rescued man from being devoured by the monster of diseases, for bringing the world closer into a global village, for facilitating man with modern gadgets and thereby simplifying his task and for providing almost all that is required for a standard living.
Having fulfilled these, the need of the hour now is to ponder upon the question of creating a civilized society, like those which once existed in Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Mesopotamia, and are mere anthologies now. Restore and restructure the ancient Indian ‘Gurukul’ system to meet modern standards but retaining the originality in spirit. Civilization never took birth out of nowhere; it evolved after a lot of collective human effort. The seed of civilization was sown, fostered and endured by man himself to perfection and education is the “manifestation of the perfection existing already in man”. (Swami Vivekananda)
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