the decline and fall of the world's empires
Hi Folks,
I have often thought that mankind has not progressed as far as his ego thinks he has. There have been steps of progress, of course. Fire, and tools, and electricity and the internal combustion engine. Scientific reasoning (a step forward?), and advancement of medicines. Technological marvels brought about by the genius of advanced engineering.
But really, fire and tools, those are the things which are fundamental turning points in mankinds history. The rest are merely outgrowths, or a progression from initial discoveries. We can communicate, over vast distances, via electronic marvels...but this ability is a progression from the ability to create fire, and smoke signals.
Mankinds engineering feats are considered today to be quite extraordinary. The towers in Dubai, reaching for the heavens! The skyscrapers of New York! The Nakheel companies many reclamation projects...living space, reclaimed from the sea!
But these engineering marvels, are they more impressive than the pyramids, or the great ships of the 14th century, or those ships built in the 3rd century even? Engineering is another discipline which builds on the creations and accomplishments of past discoveries...really just an outgrowth of the ability to make simple tools.
I think that mankind has become too "full of himself", much like the makers of the tower of babel. Mankind, even then, found the ability to elevate his ego over our natural belief in God. We can become very impressed with ourselves, pretty easily.
As I see and interact with cultures which are literally thousands of years old, in some cases MANY thousands of years old. I wonder to myself...Is THIS then progress? Is THIS what human culture devolves itself into? What I see in the Middle East today, after seven or eight CENTURIES of existance...is this then the culmination of culture for humankind?
I see that the people in this part of the world live in a much more "nuanced" society than we do in the western world. What I mean by that is that the societal interactions of the people here in the Middle East are RICH with meaning. A gesture means more here, than it does anywhere else in the world. The people here seem to interact with one another on a level which is hard to imagine to a typical westerner.
The evolution here seems to be in the realm of interpersonal interaction. How folks get along with one another. This is a society where rudeness, is very rude, and politeness is an art form.
I wonder what the United States will look like in 7 THOUSAND years? When OUR COUNTRY has existed for 29 times as long as it has currently existed...what will it look like, and how will we be...as a people? That's 10 times longer than now....and then ten more times longer than now...and then almost ten MORE times longer than now. We are a young country, by global standards.
WE have so much. We have a society that is absolutely brimming with potential. The potential to do so much good, and to be a strong force for the betterment of humanity...through Christ! I pray that we do not lose our way, and devolve into mediocrity as our history continues to pave the path to or future.
God bless.
Richard
www.casadeservicio.org
I have often thought that mankind has not progressed as far as his ego thinks he has. There have been steps of progress, of course. Fire, and tools, and electricity and the internal combustion engine. Scientific reasoning (a step forward?), and advancement of medicines. Technological marvels brought about by the genius of advanced engineering.
But really, fire and tools, those are the things which are fundamental turning points in mankinds history. The rest are merely outgrowths, or a progression from initial discoveries. We can communicate, over vast distances, via electronic marvels...but this ability is a progression from the ability to create fire, and smoke signals.
Mankinds engineering feats are considered today to be quite extraordinary. The towers in Dubai, reaching for the heavens! The skyscrapers of New York! The Nakheel companies many reclamation projects...living space, reclaimed from the sea!
But these engineering marvels, are they more impressive than the pyramids, or the great ships of the 14th century, or those ships built in the 3rd century even? Engineering is another discipline which builds on the creations and accomplishments of past discoveries...really just an outgrowth of the ability to make simple tools.
I think that mankind has become too "full of himself", much like the makers of the tower of babel. Mankind, even then, found the ability to elevate his ego over our natural belief in God. We can become very impressed with ourselves, pretty easily.
As I see and interact with cultures which are literally thousands of years old, in some cases MANY thousands of years old. I wonder to myself...Is THIS then progress? Is THIS what human culture devolves itself into? What I see in the Middle East today, after seven or eight CENTURIES of existance...is this then the culmination of culture for humankind?
I see that the people in this part of the world live in a much more "nuanced" society than we do in the western world. What I mean by that is that the societal interactions of the people here in the Middle East are RICH with meaning. A gesture means more here, than it does anywhere else in the world. The people here seem to interact with one another on a level which is hard to imagine to a typical westerner.
The evolution here seems to be in the realm of interpersonal interaction. How folks get along with one another. This is a society where rudeness, is very rude, and politeness is an art form.
I wonder what the United States will look like in 7 THOUSAND years? When OUR COUNTRY has existed for 29 times as long as it has currently existed...what will it look like, and how will we be...as a people? That's 10 times longer than now....and then ten more times longer than now...and then almost ten MORE times longer than now. We are a young country, by global standards.
WE have so much. We have a society that is absolutely brimming with potential. The potential to do so much good, and to be a strong force for the betterment of humanity...through Christ! I pray that we do not lose our way, and devolve into mediocrity as our history continues to pave the path to or future.
God bless.
Richard
www.casadeservicio.org
posted by Casa de Servicio | 10:19 AM
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