history of mankind/earth has seen rise and fall of different nations/cultures/languages/civilisations/religions/life styles.but is fall correct?i do not think so.we each carry with us,in our genes/memories/dna?/hearts,the past in whatever form/bit.that is humankind for you.a mixture of past and present,races/bloodlines/dna/chromosomes.but commanalities exists .we all eat cooked food, generally.have the same natural functions/desires/aspirations/.that is why everybody drives a vehicle today,build houses,make homes,have children,grandchildren,wish the best for our children,wash clothes,you cannot stop or destroy variety,but you can look at all the commonalities.it is up to all of us,aged/young.educated/uneducated/intelligent/dumb,rich or otherwise,to understand we sink or swim together.pollution affects everyone.viruses/germs/natural calamities,lies,hatreds.there will always be people who thrive on dividing each other.but this, looking to join hands,must have reciprocation on all sides.that is where the crunch lies.learn to accept the benefits of science/modernisation,escape from the dead past,do practical thinking.admit the advantages that the other civilisations have given you-technology,science,radios,cellphones,tv,satellites-weather&c,cars,machineries-modern,biotech,computers.so much has come from the western world.
-
- 2007-08-12 @ 20:19:56
-
- cishanjia
- 2007-08-13 @ 18:17:12
As with all things, I think it is a matter of degree and perspective; of context. It comes down to what actually survives from earlier times, not merely in terms of artefacts, but also in terms of cultural memory. For example, the Western Roman Empire may have declined and "fell" as a political and military, unified entity in the 5th century c.e.; but the Christian institution of the Vatican continued as, of course, did its lettering.
I've already indicated in the last Saturday series on my blog on the Nature of Knowledge the beginnings of a theory on how this happens. In a future series, we will examine what I call the "Parkinson Effect", after the famous "Parkinson's Law". This, I believe, explains at least in part the fall-side of entities such as civilisations.
Ian-
- http://general123.blog.co.uk
- 2007-08-13 @ 18:28:34
beautifully said,memories or those which survive do affect us.
Well said. We carry the past with us and occasionally even learn lessons from it.