Let’s tell one thought-provoking anecdote about the development of human civilization.
A survivor of a plane crash lands on an island inhabited by cannibals. These cannibals, led by an intelligent European-looking chief, plan to eat the survivor. The survivor, puzzled by such primitive instincts of the chief, asks: “Haven’t you been influenced by civilization?” The chief’s reply is, “Of course I’ve been influenced. When I eat you, I will do it in a big way – using plate, fork and condiments. It will be very exquisite.”
This story makes us wonder why civilization has never been able to stop the wars and horrors.
Civilization needs inner work. That is, changing human civilization for the better begins with changing man from within. In fact, there are no horrors. The so-called horrors we witness are simply a manifestation of people’s selfish nature to gain pleasure at the expense of others. It is this nature that needs to be corrected. Everywhere we look – on personal, social, international and global scales – human selfishness is out of balance.
If people were given the freedom to harm each other without being punished and without the harmful consequences of their actions, we would see incredible barbarism. Also, along with such barbarism, we would see people using plates, forks, knives and spoons while eating just out of habit.
Besides war and barbarism, human selfish nature manifests itself in many of the things we consider normal and valuable in life. For example, take a sports stadium filled with tens of thousands of people. Some people cheer for one team and others cheer for another. It shows how fundamentally opposed we are to each other.
Our willingness to cheer for one side while devouring the other is what needs to change in us. It is worth putting an end to such events, i.e. any kind of competition that promotes hatred and superiority.
We are not against competition in general, but only the kind that breeds hate. But we need to get our act together and create competitive events that don’t emphasize who is bigger, better, faster and stronger, but allow us to strive for unity success rather than selfishness and division.
If we take the course of competing with our selfish nature to elevate unity above it, we will eventually find that we do not need borders between countries or any other form of dividing people. First, however, within these boundaries we must first undergo a correction: we must compete to rise above our selfish nature, our hatred of others, and create an atmosphere of love, mutual respect, and positive connection over selfishness.
Eventually we will discover that we are one nation scattered all over the world. The difference between how this concept is being realized by us and others who have attempted a similar vision is clear. Their mistake was trying to build a collective transformation without changing the egoistic human nature that lives within each person. They ignored the inherent evil in us. Before we can embark on collective transformation, we need to change within ourselves.
Today, we have reached the stage where we can learn from these past mistakes: using force to build society does not lead to anything positive. However, we have yet to build a true human civilization.
Civilization means recognizing the importance of strong positive connections over our innate selfish nature, regardless. That’s her point. When we prioritize such connections, we agree with the natural laws of interconnectedness and interdependence, and then we experience a new harmonious and peaceful world opening up before us.
It is said that one should pray for the welfare of the govrnment, for if not for the fear of the government, one would eat his fellow alive. But the ultimate government is within ourselves — and we pray for one that will reach out and connect with his fellow in mutual responsibility and guarantee. May it happen at all levels; may humanity become this most beautiful fractal.