The soulless civilization

It is up to the reader to determine whether the title of this essay is a contradiction or not. Can a civilization exist without a soul? It is not difficult to determine what a civilization is, but what a soul can have to do with it is all the more difficult. The funny thing is that people have a high expectation of “civilization”, as if a civilization can’t also just be low, simple and primitive. So it’s about the value judgment we give to a civilization, and the question is whether that includes a soul.

The Maya believed that all objects had a soul. It is argued that the Maya had a high-level civilization, for example, because of building structures, infrastructure, not to mention their specific calendars. At the same time, we question the sacrifice of women and children. The Maya civilization certainly had a soul and it was expressed in their culture. But if everything has a soul, then nothing can be soulless. Perhaps we also use that word “soulless” more to express that something has “very little” soul. A civilization that is very little civilized. A culture that is very little high-minded.

The Mongol Empire and the Roman Empire were also high-level civilizations. At least, that depends on how you look at a civilization and what you want to value. They got a lot done, but it came at a price. The British Empire is still not fully resolved. And today’s Empire of Lies is not much different from all its predecessors. It has fine buildings, beautiful roads and extraordinary inventions. All Empires and Empires sacrifice people for all their splendor. High-end cultures are built on oppression, theft and murder. You may find it cynical or even negative, but until we take a closer look at the whole picture we don’t actually see a civilization but our own imaginative fairy tale.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “The greatness of a country and its moral compass can be measured by how that country treats animals.” Let alone how a country treats human beings. Can we point to one country on Earth that is truly civilized at this time? The fact that most people will shrug their shoulders at this, because they in no way equate animals with humans when it comes to coexistence on this same Earth, indicates just how far from civilized people are. Yes, in my definition of civilization I set considerably higher standards for humans. Being against human slavery is not enough for me, because I am also against animal slavery. And then this is just one example, there are so many more issues to discuss when it comes to being a civilized people.

“He who is without sin cast the first stone.” This statement of Jesus Christ applies to all of us, because no one is without sin. What I want to make clear with this is that we cannot exchange a dictator for a saint, but always get someone who is in between a dictator and saint. A person who is given power is consumed by that power. Any institution will irrevocably corrupt over time. When the Empire of Lies comes down, others will be eager to enter the world stage and then everything starts all over again. It has always been that way and it will always be that way unless man himself evolves and becomes civilized. Only when we allow our souls to be at the helm of our lives can things change for the better.

Chances are that you as a reader consider yourself civilized and that you live in a civilized country. That you do see that there are some things wrong, but on the whole and compared to others, you are doing just fine. I invite you to start looking at that more critically. Not in comparison to others, but purely at yourself and your own country. This of course requires a further explanation of what we can understand by civilization. We can differ considerably on that, because who decides what is civilized and what is not. If I don’t set the bar too high, I come up with the following three “requirements”. First, having respect for life. Second, giving freedom to others. Third, consciously developing yourself. I will explain these, but without their fulfillment I cannot speak of civilization.

Having reverence for life is not easy today. When others are at your mercy, how should you have respect for their lives? I think humanity is also far from this, and for the time being we will not succeed in truly living in peace without killing each other. Perhaps we should first try to express this as an intention and start behaving accordingly as much as possible. Yet even this seems like vain hope, for how many people do not say one thing and end up doing another. It is also so easy to blame others so that you yourself can do that which you blame the other. Not to mention the death penalty. Then I’m not talking about killing animals for pleasure or for food you don’t need. Do you have reverence for life and what does that look like?

Giving freedom to others often begins by indicating where others must conform to your frameworks of freedom. Freedom of speech is allowed for many people as long as it fits into their own worldview. But freedom can only be curtailed if it literally interferes with the freedom of others. When we impose how others should think and speak, things go seriously wrong. Governments and religions make laws and regulations that we must comply with, but does that serve us or does it serve those governments and religions? Ideologies are narratives that can sit like a straitjacket around our freedom. Democracy, for example, suggests freedom except when you don’t want democracy. A religion that states that you are only a full human being if you follow that religion has nothing civilized about it. Races were invented by man to divide us into groups and be able to place one group above another. Are you stuck in group thinking or are you truly free and allow others to be completely free?

Consciously developing yourself is necessary to evolve as a human being. Too few people are truly and consciously working on this. Some live from barbecue to barbecue and others study psychology, philosophy and personal development without putting theory into practice. We want to improve the world instead of ourselves. All these others are doing it wrong. We are victims of what happens to us. Meanwhile, we are afraid of not belonging, of having too little and missing out on something so adamantly touted by equally fake people. Woke really doesn’t come out of the blue. We live in virtual worlds on screens. Our work is important because we need that money so badly for more and better stuff. Is obesity a physical or mental illness? We seek distraction and are always addicted to something. Humans are like a bunch of jerking monkeys on a rock, waiting to be allowed to climb higher. Do you really know yourself and what do you really want?

Well, we are a civilization and it does have a soul. But what do we think about that? Once we get rid of that Empire of Lies, will we as humanity have become more civilized? Or does the solution never lie outside us at all and does it simply come down to the fact that civilization can only lie within ourselves? And can you actually learn civilization while living on Earth? Can you be civilized in an uncivilized environment? Can you be or become civilized if you are not interested in these questions? Do you think your soul is ready to become more civilized? Now what if tomorrow you forget this whole piece and just go on with what you were doing all along? Duty calls, work waits, there is bread to be earned and money to be made, the meat from the supermarket tastes good just like that soda, why change anything? Let everyone else become civilized first and then we’ll see.

What is your idea of civilization and who do you think are civilized?

By Nico Cost for GlobalSouth.co