The Lost Humans

Lost Humans in the entire history of mankind

I begin with the statement: “Do I alone think that the human race is poisoned by being armed with superstitions and hurrying towards the Middle Ages in bigotry and delusion?” If society has philosophizing thinkers, and not merely philosophical imitators, the misery of humanity will not come to an end. Can today’s society claim that it has overcome misery and abandoned archaic and ignorant thoughts?

For several years, we have experienced extraordinary technological advancements in exploring the depths of atoms, oceans, and space. However, the fundamental societal system still operates based on past ideologies and prejudices. Sometimes it seems as though society is making progress and promoting human values, but other times, deviations from this path occur, and we witness the sprouting of swords from within society itself.

Cultural decline has been a major concern for many Philosophers and social experts. The decline of cultural values is not only a threat to social cohesion, but it also hinders the growth of human societies towards real progress and intellectual transformation. Unfortunately, politics has proved to be ineffective in curbing this decline and guiding societies towards true progress.

One of the main reasons for cultural decline is the lack of proper education. Many societies today have prioritized material wealth over intellectual development. Consequently, there has been a focus on producing individuals who are primarily skilled at gaining wealth but lack ethics and values that are necessary for the development of a stable and peaceful community. This has resulted in a cultural shift that prioritizes individual interest at the expense of community well-being.

The problem of immigration is also tightly connected to cultural decline. Due to globalization, migration has become a global issue. Unfortunately, many countries have failed to prepare for this demographic shift. Consequently, the cultural values of the host country are in danger of being eroded due to a lack of integration, creating divisions within the community. The failure of politics to address the issues related to immigration has created further disillusionment amongst citizens.

In view of this, there is a need for proper policies to guide human societies towards real progress and not only material wealth. Education is the key to human progress, and societies should place a high value on educational efforts. Societies should also seek to bring together diverse cultures in the spirit of cooperation, unity and harmony so as to promote true integration among people.

In conclusion, cultural decline and the problems of immigration are significant issues that require global attention. The solution to this problem does not lie solely with politics but also within the society itself. The development of positive cultural values, education, and cooperation among diverse cultures would help societies to achieve true progress and overcome these challenges.

To overcome these conditions, we need long-term psychological and cultural changes. Efforts to improve education and upbringing, establish a system that values scientific and intellectual independence, and create a culture that emphasizes accepting differences and respecting others can tremendously benefit our society. Therefore, it seems that we must focus on long-term goals to achieve a dynamic and advanced society. Education and upbringing, with the integration of philosophy and epistemology, ought to be one of the main focuses of our efforts.

In this sensitive and dangerous era, we have entered a time of contradictions, an era of pointless luxuries, which may mark the decline of humanity. The gap between tradition and modernity has become so significant that parents do not recognize their children, children do not recognize their parents, and each accuses the other of not understanding.

In this era, contemplating cultural and intellectual development is less prevalent compared to the technological advancements. Weaknesses remain unresolved, and at the same time, technology has advanced beyond culture and human development. Let me give you a few simple examples: A girl and a boy move in together, one of them has a service job, and after a while, they file for divorce because they think they cannot spend enough time together. Here, the sensitive issue arises, were they not aware of each other’s job?

The simple answer is yes, they were aware, but they did not possess the knowledge and understanding. Why is this happening? Because we have not ceased to understand marriage due to a lack of explanation. Why do we think that a ring is the ultimate guarantee of a successful or failed marriage? Do the bride and groom wear special clothes only on their wedding day or nights? These are not simple issues, but strategic and vital ones that, unfortunately, we have not addressed. These examples are only a few of the contradictions I have mentioned.

We often forget the fundamental law of nature that states “your speed should not exceed mine” under the guise of freedom, and we exhaustively progress without aligning the global community’s pace, ultimately hindering transformation. Human rights denote the freedom to develop, not the right to choose clothing, lifestyle, or religion, amongst others, as it is an error in thinking. Without intellectual development, we cannot realize human rights in their true sense. It’s akin to driving a car at the speed of 400 km/h without knowing if the car is suitable for us or not. Are we driving on the correct path? Can we react appropriately to this high speed in exceptional situations? The law of transformation indicates that, despite having a driver’s license and the funds to purchase such a car, we do not have the consent to drive at 400 km/h.

Human rights signify creating a platform that suits a car riding at 400 km/h and providing the necessary training to manage this car. The disparity between the new generation, only 20 years younger than the prior generation, is vast such that it seems like they emerge from a completely disparate planet, and they are strangers to each other. Today’s generation does not comprehend our language, is heedless of our experiences, and often contradicts our generation. The cause of such behavioral contradictions in the new generation is technology’s progress and innovation without proper intellectual and developmental transformation.

The distinction in this conflict is at times like our generation living in a cave, understanding what a cave is, and comprehending it, while today’s generation alleges to have abandoned the cave but lacks a proportionate understanding of the new environment. We can bridge this divergence by philosophy and creating a platform for transformation, not by politics alone. Our perspective cannot be entirely political, which is one of humanity’s miscalculations. Governments need to engage philosophers as counselors and provide them with special attention.

Humans have lived on this planet for thousands of years, and several civilizations have risen and fallen, leaving marks of their era behind. Natural factors have entirely eradicated some of these civilizations. Temples, magnificent structures, inscriptions, exquisite images, and sometimes thought-provoking artifacts endure from ancient times, which, though circumstantially different, exhibit a common trait, the efficacy of engineering in antiquity.

Indeed, the potency of engineering in ancient times has been profoundly influential, and several civilizations have progressed based on it. Dams, irrigation networks, towers, walls, bridges, and roads are some of the areas in which various civilizations have used exceptional engineering skills.

Furthermore, some of these civilizations have progressed not only in technical areas, but also in politics, art, philosophy, and science. Several ancient civilizations have risen and coexisted with each other by focusing on this knowledge and techniques.

The aim of briefly examining human civilization’s history is to familiarize ourselves with past people’s knowledge and experiences to enhance and develop modern societies. By understanding previous people’s thought processes and functionality, we can identify problems and find improved ways to solve them. Furthermore, this evaluation can help us understand ourselves and our history better and be effective in cultural development as humans.

Currently, we have reached a point where we need to seriously pose this question, what has humanity achieved in thousands of years of culture and civilization?

Superior tools?

Modern education?

Agricultural advancements?

Sophisticated architecture?

Flight?

Seafaring and ships?

Space travel?

Biomedical engineering?

Better medications?

Advanced technology?

Artificial intelligence?

Quantum computing?

What has humanity’s primary achievement been when an elementary question, “where are we now in thousands of years of civilization?” continues to remain unanswered? The question does not pertain to whether women’s rights and freedom of speech and similar issues are being upheld, but why these issues are still being contested in the 21st century? How is it feasible that after thousands of years of civilization and culture, humanity has not been able to overcome the most basic social issues?

Have we erred somewhere in history? Or did we lose our way somewhere in human civilization? Why do we still refer to skin color as black, white, yellow, and red in today’s world when everyone is essentially human? Why have we only recently recognized the significance of women’s rights and started backing them? It’s time to progress towards transformation, not merely advancing technology.

Evolution comprises new ideas that shape transformation, and genuine evolution only transpires when we propel forward and align our thoughts, culture, and politics for future generations. Unfortunately, there is no fundamental change in today’s world. Technology without intellectual transformation creates a vast abyss, and technology without balance between tradition, modernity, and an accurate view of the future is perilous. Tribal thinking cannot confer transformation.

Even if we rode flying saucers today or progressed to cellular and molecular surgical technology, it would be extremely hazardous without intellectual transformation. Language speaks louder than thinking, and this has hindered resolving issues such as women’s rights, racism, and others. It appears that we have not gleaned any lessons from history. Rather than exiting the cave, we have decorated the cave with exquisite technology, and we absolutely must (reiterate) come out of the cave.

We can no longer utilize the planet’s size or the distance between civilizations and countries as an excuse because our planet has zeroed the distances out. Scientists unveil secrets, theorists propose ideas, engineers construct, and philosophers analyze, but even combined, their visibility does not equate to that of a football player.

Why do football or basketball players’ and cinema actors’ contracts reach millions of dollars annually, but not that of miners, for example? We violate human values ourselves daily, how can we then protect human rights? How much have we invested in global awareness? How much in identifying concealed abilities, such as in Africa? How many geniuses in the world will remain buried under poverty forever? Essentially, how much have we invested to actualize human rights? This is when it becomes indisputable that humanity has morphed into commerce. Unintentionally, we have transformed human rights into global trade.

Apparently, the law is now a hindrance to accomplishing genuine human rights. The danger siren has been blaring for several years, and it is incredibly prominent. If we invested one percent of the world’s military budgets in developing culture, thought processes, and global transformation, we would not need to spend billions of dollars on military equipment and combating terrorism.

If we were to take one percent of the world’s military budgets to support philosophers, experts, and social researchers serving poor, underdeveloped, or less developed countries, there would be no need for billions of dollars in aid. If we built schools that taught thinking skills, women’s and children’s rights, and racism would have already become history. The path of nurturing on the planet is flawed and mistaken. It is not possible to limit human society and civilization and still expect technology, innovation, and cultures associated with them to be in a state of intellectual balance where human rights become a reality.

We cannot and should not limit thinking to the frameworks of universities and sometimes suppress it. Philosophers and sociologists must be involved in this new transformation, taking responsibility for intellectual nurture. In this regard, I officially request that advanced countries and the United Nations facilitate this transformational path.

Modern cities also require modern transformation; we cannot travel to space by train, nor navigate the sea with a foolish spaceship.

We cannot live in a cave and claim to have discovered the truth.

We cannot build modern cities with primitive thinking or have satellite internet and filter it.

We cannot oppress women and talk about civilization, nor silence thinking and discuss culture.

We cannot have poverty and talk about humanity, nor view everything, even humanity, through a political lens.

Please note that cultural policy is mistaken; political culture is correct.

Social policy is mistaken; social culture is correct.

Economic policy is mistaken; economic culture is correct.

Scientific policy is mistaken; scientific culture is correct.

Even political policy is mistaken; political culture is correct. Educational policy is mistaken; educational culture is correct.

Even in the modern world, where communication has brought together distances, we can no longer solely focus on national interests. Now we must also consider the interests of the planet because national interests are based on thinking about international and planetary interests. We cannot ignore the impact of artificial intelligence because we have entered a world where we cannot revert. We cannot overlook children all around the world while talking about a good future for humanity. Humanity means evolving towards fair evolution, and this will take time as evolution will not happen overnight, and we are far behind in terms of evolution. We do not have time because nature does not obey us, and this is a fundamental and unbreakable law.

A home is where a family lives peacefully together in a safe place. This raises the question of where the perception comes from that the difference between a 100 square meter house and a 500 square meter house matters when the definition of a home is clear. If the goal of a watch is to calculate time, what difference does it make if the price of that watch is $10 or $500,000?

When the nature of something is lost in the appearance of its structure and components, luxury thinking replaces the truth, leading to destructive social consequences occurring that we are all witnessing on this planet to a greater or lesser extent. This leads to a clear violation of human rights that is visible in every country, more or less. We cannot claim that human rights can be national; we do not have 200 different types of humans in 200 countries. Human rights are fundamental principles of human life and should not be defined by national laws. Instead, human rights should govern the law, and this is a critical error that needs to be corrected.

We must also consider how, after a long and difficult journey in human civilization, we have come to prioritize luxury. Luxury thinking, science, and technology have all become luxurious, leading to progress being lost in the midst of this unnecessary frenzy, and we have lost our way as human beings. This means that we have also forgotten humanity.

With this message, I advocate for the correct philosophy of human thinking and evolution in the third millennium, hoping that intellectual development will align with technology to gradually raise human society towards perfection.

The cost of evolution is only wanting it, spending time, and proper nurturing, and this is the true modern order in the world. Intellectual evolution is a dynamic, complex, and diverse phenomenon that has undergone numerous changes over time, from ancient times to the present. It is one of the most important topics under investigation in philosophy.

Intellectual evolution refers to changes in individual and collective perspectives, views, and ideologies, which may be philosophical, political, social, or in any other form. For example, at a particular time, the idea of social reforms was accepted by many philosophers and theorists, as well as political powers. However, at other times, this idea may fade away due to other developments and give way to other ideas.

One of the factors that can facilitate intellectual evolution is developing logical and analytical thinking skills, as well as proper education. Also, personal and social experiences, government policies, scientific and technological development, and many other factors may also contribute to intellectual evolution.

Philosophical theorists believe that intellectual evolution can lead to human fulfillment and progress. By changing perspectives and ideologies, it is possible to create better conditions for humanity, including moral, cultural, social, and political growth.

Finally, it should be noted that intellectual evolution can lead to positive and negative developments, depending on the current circumstances. Therefore, it is essential to look at it carefully and critically and strive for the best possible outcome.

Professor, Abdolreza Shahrabi Farahani

Author and theorist, Principles of Mechanic Time

Oriental Sciences and Philosophy