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Is every culture relevant? I would have to say yes but then I enjoy learning from history. Unfortunately we are a “collective” culture and most of us choose to live in ignorance. Harsh but true. My natural mentality is to encourage those around me, but I also have a need to call out in the truth we are all living. If we are an “evolving” people why are we so messed up?
Evolution? Creation? Which of these answers the real questions we all have? I lack a scientific degree and for that matter a mind of science. I do not lack curiosity nor do I lack hope. Let’s be honest, if evolution is the real deal than we, meaning my culture, are so unsophisticated that we are de-evolving by our very own tools of technology. My theory about this is based upon communication alone. Communication with other species, other tangible input and each other; without this we have no reason to evolve, right? If our sole input for all of our growth comes from computer games, texting, chat rooms and anything other than actually interacting as human beings, where are we going from here? Are we to live in a Sci-Fi movie and actually believe the computers we use will evolve until we can actually have “halo decks” and make up our own fantasy worlds?
To me that smacks of “creation” doesn’t it?
Hmm… something juicy, I’ll bite. I do not find the fact that we are a collective culture to be unfortunate. While it has some unfortunate side effects of recurring ignorance I believe that part of what makes us all human is the collective experience of the species. It is the observation of the mistakes we all make that allows us to learn from them and ‘evolve’. Our species suffers when we stagnate in the ‘status quo’.
Everyone has a unique opinion about where they think we should be steering the species in order to uphold ‘progress’ and while some feel like we are receeding into something disconnected and savage, I would challenge that notion with the assertion that we are actually becoming more connected and innovative. My opinion is that evolution is something more than just how we interact with eachother physically. I believe it’s the refining of our natures blended with the sum of all our experiences which creates the path our species is taking. Perhaps it is both creation and evolution working in synergy which defines a species. As problems arise we create solutions and as a result evolve into something more robust. Sounds like semantics to me.
Amidst the ocean of technology we create for ourselves that physically isolate us from eachother, a new interconnected society emerges where everyone has access to everything and everyone. In the online world I have met more people and drawn on more collective experience than would’ve been possible otherwise allowing me to in term give back to society from what I have learned. Even third world nations benefit from this as programs like One Laptop Per Child strives to reach out to those who are less fortunate. The real gift of technology is knowledge, not convenience like some would have you believe. With knowledge we are able to better help ourselves and help others. That’s real evolution. That’s real creation.
An excellent point and very well stated. I was only looking at the negative aspects of technology as it has affected our youth here in the U.S. but you are correct in bringing to mind how much technology does help other nations come into communication with outside ideas and available opportunities for growth.
It would be awesome to see more stories in mainstream media for what good is being brought with all this inter-connection. Unfortunately most of what we see in general media is commercialism geared to dumb down our youth.