IS OUR CIVILIZATION JUST PRETENCE?
A few days ago, I saw this drama “Blackout “on Channel 4 TV. It
was an hour-long sketch depicting the scenario following a total electricity
failure due to a cyber-attack on the national grid. The whole of Britain was
affected. The grid failure lasted for only seven days. Because of our utter and
total dependence on electricity, even for the essentials of human life such as
water and food, it created a harrowing state of affairs with almost total
breakdown of law and order, water and food supply, hospital and transport
networks.
What affected me most was the rapidity
with which most people regressed to prehistoric animalistic behaviour, shedding
all pretence of a civilized society. All notions of kindness, charity, hospitality, sharing and
caring for weak and sick went by the window. Thieving, looting and wanton
selfishness became commonplace. Thank god, it only lasted for seven days and
the sanity and civilization returned.
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It poses a very serious question. Is our civilization just pretence?
A facade? A mask? It seems at the very primary level we just
behave like an automaton programmed by DNA. At the very root, is it just coded
for self-preservation at any cost? Are all other qualities just to achieve that
one aim?
This metamorphosis from an angel to a devil does not just
happen in individuals but also affects the nations and states. At the mere
whiff of a disaster, the human rights are the first to be eroded by even the
enlightened and rich societies. The draconian anti-terror laws have started violating
the basic rights of individuals at mere suspicions in even the most liberal of countries.
Does it mean that we should all turn barbarian and abandon
civilization because it is so thin and brittle? Should we start teaching our
children to trust no one and care for none but self? Certainly, the odd of our survival will be
much higher; but at what cost? I would not like to live in such an anarchic,
chaotic and selfish world.
No, I think, we should
nourish our civilization with even more care and concern precisely because it
is so thin and brittle. We have created our civilization; it is not the natural
state of affairs. We should not take it
for granted. Even if it means enduring some pain and loss, we have to uphold
the basic human rights and rule of law to avoid regressing back to anarchy and barbarism.
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