Given all the irrational and destructive behavior that has been characteristic of mankind since day one, I believe that the only salvation for humanity is technology—which by itself is already rapidly changing all of the world’s cultures. In the long run, even without forward thinking and forward-acting leaders, the world’s cultures will become more and more rational, and more and more democratic because of the universal, objective, unemotional, impersonal, influence of technology.
But given the fact that primitive religions and authoritarian political forms still have at least a partial death-grip on the majority of mankind, these transformations could take generations because educators and political leaders will not take the heroic steps necessary to change today’s morality and today’s policies…even if they want it to happen!
And, of course, there are many national leaders who are dead-set against freedom and against a humane morality for the people they rule over.
As a result, most people may continue to be oppressed and prevented from achieving their full potential for generations to come…unless these changes are aggressively promoted by huge numbers of people blogging the world’s bureaucrats and leaders in business, in politics and in religions with criticism and advice! And even more importantly, by simply refusing to go along with stupid, insane policies and the people who promote them!
Of course, there are thousands of things one can point to in the U.S. and elsewhere that are encouraging. I saw in a recent news article that American entrepreneurs have established etiquette schools to teach young kids basic, good manners…something that parents used to do in their homes.
But how many schools that teach manners and the accompanying morality do you think it will take and how long will it take to counter all of the course behavior and lack of ethics that are being programmed into the minds of millions of children and young people seven days and nights a week by the so-called entertainment industries?
Of course, the majority of people everywhere are sickened by all of these cultural failures. But survival, power and profit-making…not moral behavior…are the overwhelming goals of most leaders in politics and business. And as already said, there is no way that the weak, divided and often irrational spiritual-based moralities of today are going to change that!
We therefore need to teach and follow a philosophy of living and working that is based on common sense, on the fragile nature of the Earth, on the real physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and philosophical needs of human beings.
Of course, there are people already espousing these philosophies but with so little impact that contemplating the future is frightening. Despite the misuse and abuse of the Internet by hate mongers, pornographers and radical religious zealots, this new technology also makes it possible for the average person to make his or her voice heard on a large scale for the first time in the history of mankind.
Ordinary people can now vote and express themselves online at any time on very important issues of the day! If enough rational, educated, morally enlightened people will bring more and more pressure against leaders in every field to force them to give up their self-serving ways—or force them out of positions of authority and let a new breed of people have a go at it—the ancient religious promise of peace on earth might be achieved.
Two of the more obvious things that we in the United States are now talking about—and could do if we had the will—is to reintroduce discipline and a reality-based future-oriented curriculum into the educational system, and to boycott purveyors of obscene, immoral and harmful ideas and behavior instead of rewarding them with fame and great wealth.
Just as obviously, it goes without saying that the First Amendment of the Constitution should be amended to prohibit its abuse by the so-called entertainment industries. In addition to being morally inexcusable, the present system is socially insane.
Copyright 1911 by Boye Lafayette De Mente. All rights reserved.
