What is your view on civilization?

Question

http://www.awok.org/

My view, is simply this:
Civilization is not progress, it is just pure chaos and destruction.

"As a civilization we grow food, lock it up, and make ourselves earn money to buy it back."
- Daniel Quinn

Does that make sense to you?

"The only real problem with this earth, is that it is infested by humans. Cease their existence, and all your problems will be gone." - Unknown

Answer 1

There's only two civilizations. One the kingdom of this world and the other The Kingdom of God. Which one you belong to will makes a lot of differences. Do you know your citizenship?

Answer 2

I completely disagree.

Civilization is simply organization and specialization among a group of people. In today's world, it improves quality of living and allows humans to focus on subjects that are not directly related to survival, such as the arts. Instead of fighting to kill an animal or forage for food (while fending off malnutrition and disease in our kids), humans can specialize in farming and medicine and offer these in the marketplace.

With science and technology, the world has largely improved. There are problems, of course (atomic weaponry), but no reason to toss the whole system. Capitalism is not a problem to me. Without civilization, the very medicine keeping you alive or the computer allowing you to type and send information at the speed of light would not be possible: It is probable that humans would be fossils like many other hominids in the past few million years (Google Java man) if we had no complex social organization or civilization to insure adequate food supply. One thing is for sure: If all humans were raised on crops without pesticides, two billion people would starve to death. Without technology, we could not support current population rates or quality of life.

I think the third statement, "infested by humans," is simply disdain and hatred for our species. It's almost as if the author wants us to go extinct. There are many things humans do poorly, but remember we inch forward each century.

Edit: Hello Nola. I am looking at civilization from a practical, as opposed to spiritual perspective, though I think the two go hand-in-hand. The problem is not that modern civilization is perfect or offers every member the spiritual satisfaction of their ancestors, but that civilization is a necessary precursor for human survival. Sure, some people may feel winded in a society where technology seems to change at an exponential rate, but what is the alternative? Rotting in a jungle somewhere, unable to provide food or a good lifespan to most kids, reduced to a primitivism that negates human ingenuity and essentially the human spirit. The spirituality possible within a civilization far surpasses whatever spirituality one can experience apart from it: In a civilization, you have more options as to what you can do and who you can share ideas with. By all means, discuss whatever you like: Every philosophy has its baggage. I'm saying that civilization is a far, far, far lesser evil than any proposed alternative.

Answer 3

Civilization has become tainted, corrupted by money-mongers and religious zealots trying to control the masses. It was like that ever since the first civilizations came about...It's sad, yes, but it's a fact of life.

I agree with both of those quotes, by the way, though I'd change the last one a bit...as in: "The only real problem with this Earth is life. Take away any and all forms of life, and you'll have world peace." -Me

Answer 4

Congratulations ... You have discovered what you have known your whole life .. but never thought of it before. You are half way there .. can you figure out the rest ?

Specifically to that article ..

We are born into this society and there is no escape .. (unless you join a tribe in Kenya) .. we must live the way in which our society works. Why ? Because If we dont then we will end up living in the street. Unless you are born rich .. or you are clever and have invented, discovered or won something.
For many of us .. we have to work to live. In order to survive we must put food in our mouth .. and they only way to get food is to work our *** off for the rest of our lives. Ironic .. since food is natural.. but thats where our society comes into place. It wasn't my choice.. but what other way is there ?
The upside is .. If things didn't turn out the way they do today .. then i wouldn't be able to speak to someone across the world on this invention called the computer and internet. Many things wouldn't exist today.

The downside .. We have bigger homes yet smaller families. We have fancy cars .. and for what ? We work more and spend less time with our children. We are forgetting what life really is about .. what is use to be about ..
We are in more debt .. we are more stressed .. more depressed .. more diseased .. etc

But once you realize *the truth* in which you've 1/2 discovered .. then things can change for you

good luck

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The only other person who understands is melgonz..
Tardis Girl i think understands .. tho i dont agree with her opinion .. wonder if she has thought about the *spiritual* side of this topic

Answer 5

No that's wrong, we have to earn our own food, communism doesn't work and I don't see suicide as an option to solving my problems, I'll just take the good with the bad and do the best I can.

On the whole our society is improving. I'd much rather be alive today then 100 years ago. Think about it, that would suck.

Answer 6

united statesa. remains ruled by potential of Christianity. In united statesa. being Christian or Jewish is needed in any political place. In maximum of Europe it rather is far less so, in spite of if Christians do have disproportionate stages of impression. In some countries like Poland and ROI, Christianity remains a key area of society. ordinarily non secular activities including easter and yuletide have become many times secular and in a number of Europe nearly all of human beings do not have fun the Jesus fantasy on such activities.

Answer 7

Yes, many of us are essentially doing the equivalent of the same things that we did when we were animals. But we do have technological progress, so that is something. Which is why I am so opposed to religion because religion is opposed to technological progress.

Answer 8

More or less. It would be better for everyone to realize that our material wealth is ultimately valueless. I say that only b/c control of material is a stepping stone to Self-realization, and once that is achieved, people begin to look at the deeper meaning of life so that the material ultimately becomes a hinderance.

Answer 9

Still, it's a lot easier going to the corner store to pick up some groceries than hunting and gathering.

Answer 10

Civilization means preventing anti-knowledge primitivists like you from destroying everything humankind has struggled to achieve.

Answer 11

If religion ends up ruling the roost, then civilization is indeed doomed.