Civilization and its abhorrence

Here is another of my great thoughts: Civilization abhors two things, isolation and complacency.

I took that idea as gospel when it came to me. It came to me while I was contemplating a world event which I thought could be better explained. As I racked my brain for a better explanation in burst that revelation, that axiom about Civilization.

The world event that gave birth to my axiom was a dual one. It involved the last two governing systems in the world, Communism and Democracy. For years those two systems competed with each other for the hearts and minds of the world. Each professed to be the best system for maintaining Civilization. Then Communism collapsed. The main reason given for its collapse was that it was a depleted system. But what made it so? Isolationism and complacency did. As a closed, isolated system Communism ignored and blocked out the influences that could have rejuvenated it. Its complacency was also depleting because in having such an attitude it grew self-satisfied and no longer tried very hard. Both behaviors made it an unproductive, inefficient system. Democracy, on the other hand, has ascended because it shuns those practices and rarely rests on it laurels.

Because of those practices Communism grew stale, atrophic and died. Its isolationistic behavior stymied the introduction and acceptance of new economic and political ideas that are essential for keeping a governing system going. In comparison, Democracy has been very open and receptive to new ideas. It has attracted and welcomed thinkers and fresh blood from all over the world. Communism didn’t. Communism isolating itself from new ideas and procedures because it felt threatened by them. This behavior showed it for what it was, a lifeless, bankrupted governance.

Let’s go back to an old theme - change. Isolation and complacency hate change. Change is an inevitability and if a system doesn’t go with its flow it eventually will be swept aside, as Communism was. Isolation puts up barriers that restrict change. It doesn’t accept the new and fresh ideas needed to handle an ever changing world. Communism didn’t realize that procedures that once worked in dealing with the world no longer worked. So, new ones must be found and allowed to surface. Isolation is an insular, closed mentality that doesn’t encourage this. It’s like living in an ivory tower, oblivious to the currents of the world. Such oblivion is detrimental to the health of a society because it weakens and leaves it vulnerable to deteriorating forces. Communism was oblivious to the changing world.

Complacency is like laziness. It also has an atrophying effect on society. Communism became complacent in thinking it had devised the perfect system and thus felt it unnecessary to develop new techniques to govern its people. This attitude is hostile to the idea of reform which is always required to keep a governing system health. Democracy continues because it has encouraged reform and the reevaluation of itself. However, now and then we see democracies have faltered because they too have gotten complacent about their achievements. Canada found itself there in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Resting on its laurels it became inefficient and uncompetitive. In the 70’s the U.S. also floundered economically because it grew complacent about its industrial prowess, losing its competitive edge to countries like Japan. The British Empire lost much of it preeminence in the world due to it. To help combat complacency and keep it alive and awake, Democracy has cultivated self-correcting mechanisms like individualism and its agitating nature, something Communism always tried to smother.

Because of globalization Civilization isn’t what it used to be. Before it was composed of many different groups of people acting independently. Today, though, it has consolidated itself and become an extremely interdependent body. Today its members depend more than ever on each other for survival and continuance. Because of this closeness, if one member doesn’t perform well it becomes a burden and liability for the others. Communism collapsed because it performed poorly and became drag on the rest of Civilization. Also, today’s closely knitted and highly demanding modern world requires a uniform, well performing system. Communism with all its foibles and inadequacies wasn’t up to the task. In contrast, Democracy, with its organization and flexibility, is more than up to the task, hence it been chosen by Civilization to take it into the future.