Chapter Four: The Future of Ourselves and Society
The Current Path of Society
For continued survival, growth is an inevitability, but it must be stable. A society must be stable enough not to destroy itself, but flexible enough to evolve and grow in order to be able to survive. A society cannot survive within stagnation. When a society is stagnant, then suffocation of the society will soon follow. Suffocation within a society will breed more suffocation, and suffocation will lead to death. When a society becomes unstable, this instability will lead to violence, which leads to more instability. These cycles are sometimes difficult to break.
However, there are greater and more immediate concerns than cycles within our current society. There has always been violence and control over others even before concepts of society were formed. However, over time and especially in this age, people have living out violence and exerting control with deadlier weapons and means. What I find even more troubling in this discussion is that it has become increasingly easier to commit acts of increased violence without physically being there. What concerns me about that is our increased ability to distance ourselves from physically committing the act, and with this comes a decreased sense of accountability and sensitivity. The act of simply pushing a button or reducing humans to blips on a monitor has nullified our perception of accountability. Pushing a button or making a statement advocating violence is different from wielding a sword, but it has the same or even amplified results. We do not have to physically commit the act ourselves to hurt or kill someone else or cause a chain of events resulting in harm. We have accepted this disassociation from results that are products of our actions.
Have we reached a point in the natural progression of our knowledge where our current violent, destructive, or controlling nature has made extinguishing our very species a certainty? As we grow as a species our knowledge and intellect increase, and we will gain an increased thirst for knowledge and data. We should pursue this, but not with methods that are counterproductive for the survival and improvement of the human species. We must drop destructive and unproductive control of others, so that we have a free hand to reach for peace. How can we hold on to peace if at the same time we are also holding on to violence and control of others?
Yet I choose to have hope and confidence that we will outgrow our need for violence and control. Remember, violence is often the last resort of those who do not plan ahead. One of the obstacles to stopping violence and control within a society is that people often want others to change their ways but are unwilling to change themselves. It is in our self-interest to examine ourselves. So many people do without the basics of life while we race toward Armageddon. Hundreds die. Thousands die. Millions die. Hundreds of millions die. Sometimes this seems to not affect some people one bit, yet they have time to try to mandate the lives of other people. We, as a society, can be manipulated to follow paths of violence and/or the control of others. But when we as a species refuse to be bombarded by or become a part of the many forms of violence, control, and oppression, then we may be free to explore our full constructive potential.
In order to survive and to progress as a species, we must go in search of all our positive characteristics and various personal potentials. If we go in search of the human intellect and a state of mind that has mutual survival as a core value, then we may find compassion within ourselves. Once we have found this compassion within ourselves, we will be able to show true compassion toward other species, and in turn to our own. Yes, we can improve our lives by feeding off others, but this is not conducive to the ultimate survival of the community in general. We can only elevate ourselves so high by climbing on the backs of others before the base collapses and brings us all down. When we only feed, we can become bloated to the point of being immobile or paralytic, and then we can no longer create. We sometimes forget that without creating we would have nothing to feed upon. Individuals who feed upon society or other individuals are unproductive and detrimental to the general well-being and the higher path of humankind. They only feed, producing nothing of intrinsic value, and live off the producers. We cannot continue to feed upon the future of our children and expect them to survive, let alone grow. What can we hope to give future generations, not to mention our future selves, if we continue to destroy and put in jeopardy everything we touch? If we do continue to act in this manner, I hope we will grow tired of war and seek alternatives before we destroy ourselves. When life has little value, the future is of no consequence.
I am worried about our future. Many people whom I have met believe humankind is doomed to its own greed and other vices. Moreover, many of these people are living out their lives predicated on this assumption. Some say we are on the edge of the end of humankind. Some say this is the last age of humankind. Some say not. Some say someone or something beyond us will intervene and save us or at least the righteous. Perhaps we may be on the edge not only of the end of this age of humankind, but also the beginning of the next stage of human evolution. Perhaps the next stage is beyond our current understanding. Perhaps the end of this age will be either the complete end of all or just the end of the last one that is under our current definition and understanding of humankind. However, no matter what future a person may believe in, chances are that unless we all take the first step forward, we will not start to change or compel whatever we believe in to intervene on our behalf, whether the intervention is from someone or something beyond us or just simply our own action. My concern for the future is more of a result of anxiety rather than fear or hopelessness regarding the future, repudiation of current authority, or anything else. This is one concern of mine: that we are near the end of this age or even stage of humankind and/or society and sitting on the brink of what is next. My hope is that in the future we may yet have the opportunity to look back and say: “A new age was coming, and it was a future that was not predetermined.”
I am unsure how the future will unfold, but two possibilities are that this imminent major change could lead to a utopia or a living hell for the entire human race. I do feel certain that society cannot survive if it continues on this current path. However, we must remember that no matter what a living thing does, it always has an instinct to attempt to survive itself or pass along something to the next generation. Therefore, I think we will survive. I think we humans are too stubborn to completely kill ourselves off. However, this does not guarantee the future for humanity. Everything everyone does affects the chain and directs the course of the future directly or indirectly. The future is like a loaded deck of cards. We load the deck ourselves and the cards we play are the actions we take. The decisions we make today are guiding the next ones. We must remember that the choices we make today, no matter how insignificant they may seem, will impact the future, will either expand or limit our ability to make choices in the future, and set the stage for the next set of choices available to us in the future. Thus, in making our choices, we as a society have an obligation to our future. We have an obligation to give our children somewhere peaceful to live. Children should not have to inherit our hell, live in our hell, or fix our hell.
Hope for the Future
I believe that many people deep down think that there is hope for the future of the world. If people really thought that there was no hope for a future, then why would they even try to prepare for one? Without the subconscious belief in a future, people would not raise a family, build what they consider to be an empire, seek fame or fortune, attempt to leave anything behind, or even think about the future beyond next week. If they truly did not believe in a future, why would anyone endeavor to try to create and make something of what they consider to be important? If people truly believed that there is no hope for the future, then why would they ever try to leave anything? Even a child will try to carve their name into something. I just hope that we, as a society, will not follow those who are childish or self-interested to the point of risking all futures.
There are many things I see, and many things that I hope will be. One of these hopes is that society will reach the zenith of its current age someday, while it creates a new one to reach for. I have faith that society will find its new horizon one day. I have faith that we will be one, once more. The ability to achieve these goals lies within all of us. We must continue to search within ourselves for what we need to accomplish these goals. We must never stop in our search for what we need to accomplish these goals or in our efforts to achieve the goals themselves. If we stop, even for an instant, we will lose it all forever. These goals and unity can exist, but only if we search for them tirelessly. They will not come without hard work and sacrifice. But once we have found them, our efforts will seem insignificant compared to the glory. A better world can exist.
Looking Back
When reading this, please remember that when I refer to humans being violent or destructive, I am comparing our present overall current demeanor to how we could be potentially in the future. Imagine the future if we made more of an honest effort to control or better yet change ourselves. If we compare how we acted in the past to how we act in the present, it is clear that we have indeed made some progress in managing our violent and controlling nature. Of course, this assessment can be debatable or biased. Nevertheless, we are still too violent and destructive for our own good.
When it comes to the past, we can often judge how we believe societies should have acted based on our current judgments, knowledge, or beliefs, not theirs. We use our current criteria, while not living in their situations. Not always, but occasionally, we do this because we want to convince others or ourselves that we are better than our past. We can forget that at that time people may not have known about the better alternative. They may have not believed the better alternative would have been practically achieved. More importantly, we can forget there may have been much worse choices available to them that they did not choose. We might ask ourselves, why did not some defy their current society? The answer is, maybe some did, just in their own way. Defiance in their time may not seem like defiance from our perspective when looking back. The possible falsehood of the superiority of our current societies over those in past is but one of the myriad of reasons why I ask for the forgiveness of future generations on behalf of my generation and past generations; we know not what we have done. Even on a personal level many of us have done things that we have felt needed to be done at the time. And yes, we may regret some of those choices that we made. However, we cannot forget the knowledge and experience that were provided by the choices we may regret. When we look back on humanity we should not react with disappointment, but with admiration that we are capable of evolving and overcoming those obstacles of before. People should be judged not only by their past actions, but more importantly, by what they inspire to be because of their past. It is how people act now that matters for the future.
We cannot allow sins of the past to corrupt or affect the present or future. We cannot allow the sins of the present to become sins, justifications, or actions of the future. Yes, inconceivable action may be necessary, so sometimes we must forgive mistakes of the past that allowed our own survival. We must forgive the mistakes of the past so we can move on. Of course, this does not mean to forget the past or to not take preemptive actions in the future. We cannot allow mistakes of the past to be forgotten, lest they be doomed to be repeated. We must use mistakes of the past as inspiration to do better, not as justification to continue actions. We must not feed upon the past; we must create because of it. We also have walked the halls of indifference for too long and not noticed the portraits of the faceless victims. But if we cannot remember the people, we must remember the reasons why they became victims. If we have the capability to remember something, it is better to remember the actions and ideas of someone, rather than the individual person. Many can be guilty of selective memory, while others can be guilty of trying to remember sweet memories that never happened. They try to forget some memories or try to invent others for self-preservation. And in the hunger to forget, sometimes the best thoughts and memories are overpowered. The longer we hang on to the fragments of memories and deeds of the past, whether good or bad, the harder it will be for us to move into the future. The longer benefits are distributed because of the past and not the future, the harder it will be to prepare for the future. As long as those who live in the past are in control, it will be harder for us to move away from the negative influences of the past. Until those beliefs and fears of the past are no longer entered into the equation when deciding how the present affairs are conducted, the current path of the present and future will be harder to change. All grudges must be left in the past or we will never advance to the next stage of our collective consciousness or of our society, let alone be stable enough to nurture a new beginning. We can be blinded by our own hatreds and mistrusts, thus stopping our individual selves from advancing, or even sometimes from simply maintaining. We all need a respectful way out of our current modes of behavior. We all must have humanity. We must forgive the past. We must forgo our self-congratulatory ways. We must remember the extenuating circumstances that prompted our actions and situations in the past. We must remember the past and forgive our predecessors, but not forget their mistakes, so certain instances from the past will not be repeated. Because of our abilities, repeating those actions now could have even more devastating repercussions. If the same mistakes or worse are made then it may be only fitting that we be set aside and replaced.
We inherited the world of today and its problems had already been set in motion, but we do contribute to the world, for good or bad. We must stop both others and ourselves from continuing that which is negative. We must stand up and change what is going on. What our predecessors had in mind for us may have been wonderful, but they may have gone about it the wrong way. The ways they went about things and some of the things we are doing right now have destroyed almost everything. We must face this fact and forgive our predecessors. More importantly, we must change our current paths by cleaning up all the damage (physical, emotional, spiritual, and social, just to name a few damaged areas) that has been done in the past and is currently being done. We must not continue or allow others to continue this behavior. We must go forward by repairing the damage created by the past, and along the way put the past where it belongs. Looking back, we must come to the realization that we must change to grow, learn, and survive into the future. In looking back, we must realize that things can never be precisely the same as they were, and we can never go back to precisely the way that things were. Going back to precisely as it was before is impossible, as long as our memories of what has occurred remain. We must go forward.
Going Forward
Going forward, I would prefer that we alter our current habit of receiving short-term benefits in exchange for creating long-term negative consequences. In the future, I would also hope that we strive to reduce the negative side of human nature. We must take action to ensure that humanity thrives in the future. Some of the ways in which humanity may help itself thrive is to inspire and seek freedom, wisdom, empathy, and helpful thoughts. We must look for and practice new, creative, and innovative ideas. There will be some who will try to stop these changes, because they are afraid to admit they have failed or that they are simply motivated by their own greed. We, as a human species, have always struggled deep down for the development and advancement of peace, progress, compassion, free independent nonviolent exploration, and the quest of and for knowledge. However, what makes the present different than the past is that we are now on the verge of a new era—we only need to focus. So, it is even more important now that we must ever so carefully continue our search for a better world.
Sometimes, I do have my doubts that humanity will or can survive what we have thrust upon ourselves. It is said that everything will die someday, including a society. It is inevitable that a society will eventually fail, be replaced, or evolve. All societies do. When they fail, they sometimes degenerate slowly until the last straw or sometimes a great catastrophe falls upon them, decimating them beyond repair. Sometimes, civilizations and/or societies are remembered as being brought down by one catastrophe and other times by a chain of events. When remembering the fall of some societies, we can say they were not able to be saved, while it could be said of others that they could have prevented themselves at some point from their fall, but then it became too late to do anything. If our society does fail, not only must we save something, but we must actually endeavor to keep as much of it as we can. We must save as much of it as we can for our children. We must think of future generations that are not yet born. Let us not be the lost ones who have forgotten our souls. So, when you cry out, cry out not for us but for the children, for they are the ones who must live on. We have a responsibility to the progeny of the world. We have a responsibility that they should not be required to rebuild what we made by our own neglection or destruction. We have a responsibility to leave them a better world to inherit. It is our responsibility to leave them as close to a perfect world as we are able to.
Yes, an absolutely perfect world, even one termed perfect, in a consensus of just two or more minds, theoretically could never exist today because our views are vastly different. Perhaps the perfect world for one person is a hell for another. Of course, unless we continuously strive for something better, there will always be the greater possibility that a hell is indeed in store for us. We must continue to strive toward achieving a perfect world, even if that is unrealistic. The road to a universally perfect world can be filled with many less exact or accomplished ones. When we search and strive for the perfect world, beginning the never-ending search for knowledge and enlightenment that benefits everyone equally and does not borrow from the future, we will find wonders we could have never even dreamt of. Imagine what we could accomplish for all of humankind if we worked for a long-term better world that benefited all of humankind, future and present. What can be debated is what is best for the future. This can be debatable not only between peoples, but also sometimes within ourselves. I am sure most of us have contemplated between different ideas or had one idea only to disregard it for a better one. One of the multiple possibilities that I have thought of and wondered about myself is an agrarian society based not on agricultural production but on societal production. An agrarian society based not on the farming and cultivation of the land, but one based on the farming and cultivation of society or the individual (i.e., cultivating culture, science, innovation, creativity, discovery, knowledge, accomplishments, et cetera). A society where the stereotypical primary focus of the individual is not the accumulation of material or financial wealth, but the accumulation of mental, bodily, or spiritual wealth, et cetera. Unfortunately, we still would have the human vices, just in a different form. This form of society would not necessarily be in opposition of human nature. One example of how it would work: instead of a focus on personal rewards for individuals raising themselves through the process of bringing others down, there would be more of a focus on rewards for those who elevate others along with themselves. So, what is in store for our future? Some may say that we are going into the blind unknown. Perhaps they are right, and if so, then we are all going into it together. We are like blind rats running to safety, which we may never find, our grandchildren may never find, and their children may never find. However, someday it will be found. When the new world is found the children will cry out with joy. From that point on, people will see that the long wait and sacrifices in the past have been worth it. In the future people will find the reasons why all of the rights and wrongs that have happened in the past, and are happening now, have occurred. All things that have happened that seemed both significant and insignificant in their time will be viewed as insignificant in comparison to the overall picture as seen in the future. We will finally know the reasons for events that have happened in the past. The beliefs resulting from the events, actions, situations, and circumstances of the past will not be the beliefs of those in the future. Yet the beliefs of the future could not exist without all that has gone before. As for those of us who are currently living—we may never be able to totally heal all of the wounds that we have endured in what we may view as an unjust society. We may not be able to completely heal all of these wounds and the memories within those who have experienced the injustice. We may not see these wounds healed in our lifetime. However, we must still try to heal the wounds, so our future generations might have a chance to see these wounds become fables of the past. We must try so that our future generations might have a chance. Our descendants and the generations that come after are deserving of a better chance than that which was given to us.
My goal is not to preach, tell people how to act, tell people how to treat others, or to tell people how or what to think. My goal is for all of us to think beyond ourselves and the future of our children to the future of all humanity forever. There is nothing wrong with wanting a better life for our children than we have had; that is instinctual. However, I do want people to think of not just their own lineage but the lineage of humanity and as a whole. When it comes to the survival of our species, I am more concerned with the survival of the whole rather than the individual. When we strive for a better world, we must make an honest effort to think about the community before ourselves. We must all ask ourselves: “What kind of world do I want to leave behind after I am gone?”
Education Is an Investment, Not an Expense
One of our most valuable assets for the future is what our future generations can create. In this new world of today, exploration and creativity, along with working diligently and intelligently, are some of the essential accompaniments to our main assets such as the technology that will be created. Therefore, education must be thought of as an investment in the future and not as a current expense. Investing in education is a premier action in the interest of responsible growth and development and preparing for the future. We need to invest in the future by investing in people. Education is one of the most crucial areas that we must improve in if we expect to survive or move forward as a society. If we wish future generations to compete effectively and succeed in the world of tomorrow, we must devote more resources to their futures. It is a fact that providing a higher training or educational level and better opportunities for future generations will give them a greater chance of a higher level of comfort and security in life.
Education is an essential part of ensuring that an economy will be self-stimulating. An economy must be self-stimulating in order to remain permanently viable. Thus education is one of the main pillars in the infrastructure of tomorrow. Education will help create an atmosphere where infrastructure can flourish. In the world of competitive economics, we must create solid and stable infrastructure. It is essential that we reestablish infrastructure that creates stability; stability is often a prelude to peace and prosperity. We must reinvent, create better, or at least improve upon the existing infrastructure to allow the opportunities of our future generations to flourish and so we can protect something for them to inherit. We must reinforce infrastructure along with educational and job training opportunities that promote an atmosphere in which our citizens can become more self-sufficient and improve their own quality of life, communities, and societies. Our economic future depends on affordable education, apprenticeship, technical training, job training, and reliable job markets for workers of all ages who want or need them.
We must give current and future generations hope and something to strive for. We must give them faith in themselves, that they can accomplish what they strive for. We must supply them with the proper atmosphere. We cannot teach someone something if they do not believe that they can do it, or if they have been taught that they are incapable of learning it. Students should be able to receive the help that they require. However, this is much easier to talk about than to actually do. A few of the problems that our educational systems are having great trouble with are a lack of funding resources, quality educators, efficient policies, proper implementation of policies, community safety, and even sometimes constructive, positive public interest. Why is such an inconsequential amount of resources devoted to the individuals who are entrusted with our futures? Do we not deserve and need to keep the most qualified and talented personnel? Another problem is the need for fair, honest, and adequate division of resources per student, ensuring every student receives the attention they require. We need to keep the student-to-teacher ratios that are able to teach students proficiently, effectively, and productively, while keeping neighborhoods and communities intact. We must unite and not divide the neighborhoods that provide a high-quality future for upcoming generations, and ours as well. We must keep education as current as possible. We must educate and prepare future generations, and protect and invest in their potential by supplying the necessary tools, skills, and opportunities they need to be competitive in the new world market of the twenty-first century and beyond. The jobs of today are not the jobs of yesterday, and the jobs of tomorrow will not be the jobs of today. We need specialists, as well as generalists, to fill those jobs of tomorrow. Given the way that our school systems are now proceeding we are not able to fully accommodate students to fill those jobs to the best of their abilities and potential. Not only do we need to develop basic skills, but we also need to dedicate resources to cultivate special interests, talents, or abilities that students may have in those fields. Everyone, in one way or another, has a special talent or ability. We only need to discover it, bring it out, or nurture it. The key is discovering the ability or potential, then implementing the approach that works best to help that potential trait to develop.
Many schooling systems, grading systems, and intelligence quotient examinations do not encourage or correctly show intelligence, talents, or aptitudes. In some circles, many of these tests and structures are considered to be flawed or biased. Many of our modern testing and schooling practices put an unbalanced emphasis on memorization and regurgitation. We must rethink education. We must make sure that educational institutions are capable of helping future students utilize any special talents or abilities that they may have. We must also ensure that we do not neglect those students who have the ability to succeed, but rather see that they are given the opportunities to excel. We must not only create opportunities and provide the resources for the best and brightest future talents to pursue, create, and explore to their full potential, but also create a work base that brings quality jobs to all. We need to find long-term solutions to all areas instead of short-term fixes. Another set of problems that we must solve is the various budgeting crises, and one of many solutions is to create incentives to encourage outside investment. Investment within the educational process could be provided by business and community partnerships/participation, who could support students by providing apprenticeships or training experiences before the students enter the workforce or college. These experiences, whether they are academic or hands-on training, could be a vital step for individuals seeking career experience or an ease of transition from educational pursuits to joining the workforce. This, of course, is just one of the myriad of ideas that we need to explore in order to free ourselves to become self-sufficient, as well as to create a way for all to contribute to society.
I believe that no matter what our age, we are always learning something new. No matter how old we are, the old saying is true: “We are all students of life.” Based on this, I believe we never stop learning and we should never stop trying to learn. In this pursuit, we must create an atmosphere of mutual productivity. We should never interfere with someone learning, unless it results in long-term harm. People need to be able to make their own choices, within safety limits that do not restrict; sometimes they can learn things from their mistakes, such as a sense of responsibility. Sometimes the only way for us to learn is from our own mistakes. However, do not let the debate or fear of what is harmful interrupt the exchange of knowledge. We must not fear what we do not know, for curiosity is one of the greatest gifts we have. We must let nothing and no one stand in the way of our learning. Learning can be beautiful.
I personally believe that in the early years of schooling, it may be necessary as we teach to incorporate play into learning in order to make it more interesting. This can potentially give children an enthusiasm for learning. It may get our young people used to finding things out by themselves and spark curiosity. If future generations are our future, then it stands to reason that we must spark creativity in them, for the survival of our future. From the very early years, we need to encourage children to explore their creative side. We must get their curiosity going. Let them explore their constructive side. We must teach them how to deduce. Teaching how and why to make a choice is often a more valuable lesson than teaching what choice to make. We must teach young people in ways that get them interested in learning. We must make them have a desire for learning. Make them want to find and discover things for themselves. There also should be more of a reward emphasis