THE MISSING TRUTHS

When we look back, from our 21st century perspective, on the societies of the past, such as those of the Roman Empire or the Medieval Ages, we shudder at the things that were acceptable in those times.

Slavery, public torture and executions, gratuitous cruelty to animals done in the name of entertainment, exhibiting ill people as fun objects.

Incredulously, we ask, how could they have been so blind to such fundamental and obvious truths as that all people are created equal, that inflicting needless pain on other living beings is never justifiable, that sickness, whether of a physical or mental kind, needs to be treated with compassion and looked after.

Of course, some individuals in those past societies would have been opposed to those practices and held more enlightened views, but the Collective Consciousness of those communities saw nothing wrong with these actions and beliefs.

My question is how would our modern Western Civilisation appear five hundred, one thousand, two thousand years from now?

When those people of the future look back on our society and our beliefs, what would they think and what would they shudder at? What truths, that will be self-evident and fundamental to them, are we blind to?

Of course one can argue back and say that our society is in possession of all the truths, but surely that is an impossibly superior and insupportable position to hold.

Note that what I am asking is which fundamental truths we as a society as a whole are missing out on or have not accepted yet as being a fundamental truth.

Obviously there would be the more enlightened members of our community who do realise that we are blind to these truths, but these truths have not yet established themselves within our Collective Consciousness.

Consequently, just like the majority of the Ancient Rome citizens were either indifferent to or supported slavery and public torture, so are we indifferent to these truths not being put into practice or, indeed, if their very antithesis is put into practice.

 

Reviews

[dead]

When it comes to the issue of public execution we actually have something very interesting, a good account of which can be found in Foucault’s “discipline and punish”. In any case, why do we presume that judicial and penitentiary issues are less cruel now and why is there even an issue of cruelty here which seems to be more important here than the idea of justice itself? The biggest change we really find in modern society is the institutionalization of everything (even Democracy does not really exist in any more in the capitalist consumerist society) and this all important idea of hiding everything; something concerning which I recently wrote an essay. The idea is that justice hides itself, just as the cooperation hides itself which brings us to an idea of Machiavelli: that it is better to be feared than to be hated; this is especially important in the institutionalized establishment because hate really needs an image, so by hiding everything, we do not allow any clear image to project our hatred towards; fear on the other can be generalized, a general sense of paranoia. Do we have any idea who rules us? Even the president has no idea who really is in charge, people known as rulers are just symbolical figures dealing with things that happen in the open, the openness which draws away attention from the vast hiddenness! Give people freedom and you will find that they are much easier to control! How would a society in the future look upon us (provided their will be a future of course) … probably we will be what is known as the real dark age!

Steven

[J. Marc]

Yes, so it is. People are concerned about themselves only and forget all that is happening around them until they are victim of the same. Who does not know about the ideals you are talking about? Yet they do not seem to transcend in the way we are living, hence, it is always necessary to reflect about ourselves and constantly put in question our values and their impact so that we can make sure we are going somewhere in this life! Great work of advocacy!!!

[Emily B]

Important questions. It is up to us, to raise the collective bar as far as our poor powers can and then hope that those that come after can stand on our words and raise the bar higher.

[Siddartha Beth Pierce]

I agree with the previous reviews in that many of these things are still happening and one of the most unenlightened activities we are involved is war - waged all over the place at his moment in time. Perhaps the future will look back and consider us the mongers that we are in so many ways. Great questions you propose - this is what I was thinking about after I just read your last piece 'An Ode to the Last Century' - how refreshing to go from one topic neatly into the next that came to mind. Thank you.
Light,
Siddartha

[Azaradelle]

With this, I think i'll have to agree with the previous comments made.
It's still happening, most, if not all of it... however subtly, or however much we refuse to see it.
Humanity never learns, and it never will. Either way, we're all hypocrites.

To quote my wise friend Phoenix: "People are crap" - can't put it any better than that.

A very interesting issue you have tackled here, and of course, very well argued.
On to the next piece!

Yrs.

Azaradelle.

[Done]

It's good to see someone else out there present the same argument I have asked over and over through the years.

"Of course one can argue back and say that our society is in possession of all the truths, but surely that is an impossibly superior and insupportable position to hold."

Kind of sounds like the Enlightenment. They thought they had all the answers, but in reality they were still human, as we are today. Each civilization has its problems, in their own ways, but they are in essence still the same.

People are still executed publicly--, capital punishment, the whole Iraq war has been one big public execution thanks to video technology, terrorists beheading people, gangs shooting people, animal fighting for sport, satanic cults who still practice sacrifice... and we still tout the ill like some kind of freak show... just look at what happens when a celebrity has a normal human day... look what the media does to those people.

Nothings changed, we just have different ways of doing it... and changing that cycle means changing what we will accept as a human race; and even then, we're not likely to convince everyone to see the light.

Unfortunately, in our time, money is more important than values, morality or just place decent behavior.

[E. M. Murren]

I don't know if there really is that much difference between now and then, really. Slavery still exists in the world... they call it minimum wage. Movies are full of violent depictions... for the entertainment of others... Gladiator was a metaphor for such behavior. Also, the Romans had their descentors as well. Great philosophers rose up during various ages and saw the horrors that humanity performs... the inquisition... the burning times... the holocausts. I don't think we have developed at all as a civilization... we just have new toys that make us feel better.

[E.L.C.]

You have to read the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It is all about the truths of our mother culture... Which is where all those accepted behaviours come from. But it is also interesting to look at how little has changed too. I mean people still rule the planet as if they were the f*****g kings of everything, and even as we tromp down this path (that we know leads to nothing but, ultimately, death). You also base on the age long question of what is right and wrong? And more importantly who decides. I could ramble about this for hours, and i do with a few friends of mine, so I will restrain myself here!

I like where you are going with this, but i would try to develop your argument a little more (i'm a lawyer's daughter, so i have been taught how to argue a point lol), and also look at the other aspects of your arguement as well. I would examine the cultural changes of those ancient societies, but also the things that have not changed. Sometimes, it is not what has changed that is fascinating, but more what hasn't. Also, what does that reflect? What brought on those changes, and why do we look hold ourselves above others because we are "civilized"? There are a lot of unanswered questions here that i would like to see more explored.

Ok now I would go back and proof read, but besides that you have a pretty solid piece here. I would just maybe consider expanding it and going into more depth. You ignite a lot of questions in the reader's mind, some of which it might benefit to explore.

Good work.

~Amellie

[Annelise]

I'm really loving this new work from you. You make such great points. I do wonder what will be thought of our world. When news consists of Paris Hilton and three legged cows but Darfur and the AIDS epidemic is ignored, what will they think?