Individual And Civilization

The picture above gives a very good illustration of the tension and gap that lies between Civilization and the Individual, the actual and the implied, the real and the ideal. Civilization means a better society than known in the history, “something in process of attainment”. The society we seek should serve the material needs of individuals, while raking them spiritually, by means of the love that is of God and which involves a giving of the self, to love the people around him. Civilization is an idea, while individual is real with a lot of material needs.

 

However, if we are to endeavor to attain “civilization”, it cannot be done solely by means of materialism, as unmitigated materialism only “debases” human beings. Materialism, whether practiced in a democratic nation or in a communist one, has failed in reality to achieve its presumed goal. Contrary to the general belief, our actual experience has shown that material improvement does not necessarily elevate human beings at all levels. It does not help people to be more virtuous and serve their fellows with love. Neither does it help them create beauty. Instead of a new dignity of man, materialism has brought a respectability to “vulgarity, bad taste, and cheapness” in our society.

 

As a society is actually composed of individuals, the improvement of individuals is a basic task to be undertaken, if we are to strive for that “Civilization”. Of course, scientific knowledge is useful, but “the wise and humane use of this knowledge depends on the existence of better individuals.” It ought to be understood that knowledge itself is neutral. The making of better human beings is a personal not a mass matter; it is a matter of excellence not of uniformity; it grows out of individual responsibility and effort, not out of techniques of mass education and mechanized social improvement.

 

Freedom consists in choosing the right slavery; slavery to oneself is one of the worst forms of slavery, while love is the highest form of slavery. The search for civilization by individuals who have chosen the right slavery may well provide a means to cope with critical problems of our age. Scientific and technological development may have done immense good to man but it has also created a danger of total annihilation of the human race.

 

Reference

A Search for Civilization, John U Nef 1962.