How to humanize the world?
When I was a child, I really liked science fiction books. I especially remember some classics like Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, books by van Vogt, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, or Philip Jose Farmer, to name just a few.
While reading those books, I fantasized about the future. It was the seventies and this moment of the 21st century was still in the future. Some authors imagined a post-apocalyptic world as a result of nuclear fire or something similar, but most envisioned a near future as a better world where most problems would be solved by science and its application.
Of course, Orwell wrote the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and warned us about the “Big Brother”, but not even he could imagine that such a nightmare would take on a real form as a reality TV show. But is it really just a show?
The idea on which “Big Brother” is based is the need for control over citizens… all citizens of the world. Why?
“They” say that we are just pawns in a grand scheme So why not take control ourselves and humanize the world in our own way? We have the power to change things, to live in a society where compassion, understanding, and respect for each other are the norm. We can create a world where everyone has access to the basic necessities of life and where equality and justice are not just distant dreams, but a reality.
Humanizing the world is not an easy task, but it starts with each and every one of us. It starts with recognizing the value and dignity of every human being, regardless of their background or circumstances. It starts with treating others with kindness, empathy, and compassion. It starts with standing up against injustice and promoting equality. It starts with fostering a sense of community and working together to create a better future for all.
So let us take a step towards humanizing the world. Let us be the change we want to see and inspire others to do the same. Together, we can make a difference and create a world that is truly humane. we need to protect… but who needs to protect us? And from whom? Or what?
“They” say that they must protect us from terrorism, fanaticism, extremism, sectarianism, and a variety of other concepts and “isms”… But who are “they”? And who gave them permission to “protect” us?
They say that “they” are the guardians of “democracy” and that they will protect our human rights, give us real opportunities, freedom, and other similar ideals.
It seems that the world has become a battlefield where “bad ideas” – various “isms” – are winning over ideas that are good for humanity.
However, as time goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that no matter who the winner is, there will only be one loser – the human being.
People fight for ideas, but they have lost themselves in the shadow of those ideas. We are no longer fighting for people. We are fighting for ideas: for democracy, for order, for tradition, for beliefs or religion. Ideas can change, but they will always remain just ideas.
The future we dreamt of is not the present we live in. We dreamed of a future in which Science and technology were supposed to serve humanity, but it seems that the opposite has happened. Technology has become a tool serving ideological visions, and humanity has been reduced to an experimental laboratory where these visions are realized.
This has become possible due to the uniformity and simplification that arise from globalization. Let’s take Facebook as an example. It is presented as a tool that serves each individual to build and maintain their “social network,” which actually represents their relationships with others: family, colleagues, and friends. The idea seems, and is, original, but a person cannot be simplistically labeled as a “friend,” “relative,” “partner,” and so on. A person is much more than a name and category. They have their feelings, thoughts, understandings, sensitivity, imagination, and doubts, and this wide range of expressions is now reduced to the option of “liking” with a press of a button on the screen.
Classical philosophies of all cultures have taught us that a person is a complex unity; subtle The profound unity of the visible and the invisible, the material and the spiritual. Each human being is unique, each contains the whole world. Self-discovery is always an adventure. There is no immediate answer to Socrates’ “know thyself,” and that is why this adventure can last a lifetime.
The main problem with Facebook, Google, and the phenomena of social media is the globalized mentality and its use of technology, a mentality based on a materialistic rather than a philosophical approach, achieving uniformity through simplification instead of adapting to human complexity.
Let’s interpret this last statement. From the perspective of classical philosophy, unity is always better than separation. In Buddhism, unity is even the only reality, while separation is considered the greatest illusion, extremely powerful and dangerous. Applied to today’s life, this means that we should view our identity and mortal nature as part of the unity of human beings, or humanity, rather than seeing them as isolated entities. A identity based on separation: separation of cultures, religions, social statuses, ages, places where we live, or any artificially created groups that we choose to identify with. We are primarily human beings before any part of humanity. We are human beings before anything else.
That is unity. However, within that unity, we must be able to recognize, understand, and accept the reality of diversity. There are two possible ways to achieve that unity: by eliminating differences so that all parts become equal, or by understanding that diversity enriches unity.
Achieving unity by eliminating differences is the choice of Facebook and globalization. Of course, there is the option of “comment” where diversity can be displayed… But will that really be diversity? The syncretic messages we read on pages are usually shaped in the same mold, and it is difficult to see cultural enrichment and dialogue between “LOL” comments from Asia and those from the United States. Our world has chosen harmony through uniformity, but it is a harmony that loses its colors. ogaćivanje naše individualnosti. Ne trebamo se bojati biti drugačiji ili odstupati od normi, već trebamo koristiti društvene mreže kao platformu za izražavanje naših autentičnih misli, stavova i interesa.
Umjesto da koristimo tehnologiju za prilagođavanje sebi, trebamo je koristiti kao alat koji će nam pomoći da izgradimo svoj autentični identitet. Trebamo upotrebljavati društvene mreže kako bismo istaknuli svoje jedinstvene talente, hobije i ideje. Na taj način, umjesto da budemo još jedna anonimna osoba na internetu, možemo se istaknuti i doprinijeti raznolikosti i kreativnosti online prostora.
Dakle, umjesto da nas tehnologija oblikuje, moramo je mi oblikovati. Moramo biti svjesni svoje autonomije i iskoristiti je za izgradnju svoje posebnosti. Tek tada možemo iskusiti pravu vrijednost tehnologije i društvenih mreža – kao alata za izražavanje i promicanje naših jedinstvenih kvaliteta.
Na kraju krajeva, kada koristimo tehnologiju na kontroliran i prihvaćen način, možemo istinski biti autentični i pridonijeti bogatstvu online zajednice. Activating us as human beings, instead of surrendering to the current of simplification and reduction. “Like” if you want, but only if you can express, show, publish and prove WHY you love something. Post something on your page if it has meaning, convey a message whether it’s a picture, symbol, text or music. Be proud and don’t let your presence on the internet be reduced to a simple “Like”. Be there for something or don’t be there at all.
The real subject of discussion is not Facebook, but the fact that we put chains on ourselves by following illusions of liberation that actually keep us even deeper in the cave, far from the real Sun shining outside of the cave. However, just like in Plato’s allegory – the key is always within us, and the state of our slavery or our freedom depends solely on ourselves.