Civilization’s fall

A recurring question concerning the destiny of the current civilization: are we facing a fall of civilization, or are we just experiencing a temporary crisis which will be resolved eventually? Perhaps both are true.

The fact is that civilizations fall, History proves that. Civilizations have their cycles, they emerge, grow, reach a golden age and then begin to fall. This is absolutely normal, as everything is evolving in Space and Time – from a living being to a civilization – everything has its cycle, beginning with birth and ending with death.

And just like it is difficult to accept the proximity of our death, it is difficult to recognize the end of the civilization in which we evolve: we are too attached to it, too close. We sometimes lack perspective.

Just as we would wish to stop the passing of time and escape death, we wish the civilization not to fall. But we need to respect the laws of nature, and in a way, death is nothing more than a possibility for a regeneration, an opportunity to build something better.
As time passes through us, we age, and in a moment our physical body degrades, as does our vitality and our ability to work with our psyche and our mind. Many ancient traditions understood this as a compassion of nature, helping us to accept death with serenity, and prepare for reincarnation in a new body, with a rejuvenated vitality, psyche and mind.

Our civilization has aged and has traveled far away from its golden age. Of course many individuals are open-minded and have an open heart, but when we look with objectivity at the state of the world, do we really see an achievement of a kind of universal fraternity among human beings? Have we achieved – as humanity – a state of Unity? Can we use the many tools and technology to serve Beauty, Justice and Good? Of course not! Quite the opposite in fact, and if we are unable to look at the harsh reality, then Nature is here to remind us that we have lost our balance: pandemics and climate changes are only the first examples.

So, what can we do? What should we do? Try to stop the footsteps of nature and defy death? It won’t work, we know that. This civilization has reached a point of no return. Sad? Perhaps. But it’s a fact, and the sooner we accept it, the sooner we can join forces to build a better one.
From my limited experience in this life, I believe the love of wisdom – that which is called philosophy – to be the only true remedy for this situation. A better civilization means a wiser one, it means learning from the current difficult experiences to build rock solid foundations. Not only new foundations, but better, who are based on beauty, harmony, justice and ethics, with respect of Nature and respect of our brothers and sisters in humanity.