let us look at another idea that is no longer talked
about but drove action and conversation for
over a century… that idea of progress…
this idea of progress is no longer talked about…
how MAN is progressing from one point, ancient or
medieval to the modern viewpoint…progress is no longer
a goal to be achieved… in light of the 20th century and
the combination of science and technology, which by itself is neutral,
and that science and technology was used for “evil” once again,
we see the impact/influence of the two World Wars and the depression
and the Holocaust and the cold war and 9/11…
who talks of or about progress today?
and yet, this idea of progress drove actions and conversation
for over 150 years, from the start of the enlightenment to
the Second World War…you may call the dropping of the Atomic
bomb as the end of the age of progress…
so what does the modern age think of progress?
it doesn’t… our modern age is about the three prong
dance of the creators, the middleman and the public…
do you see where progress can fit into such a trio?
what can progress mean in this age of weapons of mass destruction?
the doomsday clock stands at 2 minutes before midnight…
progress can only mean we turn the clock back, literally…
if science and technology created this impasse, but recall that
science AND technology is neutral, that science and technology
created this impasse, what can free us from this impasse that
has lead to the doomsday clock being 2 minutes from midnight?
a rewriting of, a new evaluation of what progress actually means…
progress doesn’t have to be, in fact, it shouldn’t be about science or
technology…it needs to be about the progress we make in
non-material mastery of who we are and who we can become…
progress needs to be redefined as a new understanding
of our inner nature… progress is no longer about the external
world but the internal world… does that mean the spiritual world?
no, it has been often said, that MAN has a external, material nature
and an internal, spiritual nature…our slavish devotion to material
goods is in defiance to the inner, spiritual world… this is not true…
the devotion to the spiritual world is still devotion to something
outside of ourselves, to an external god or nature or to something
“higher” then we are…so what does progress have to do with this
“spiritual” world? Nothing as far as I can tell…
because the goal, the progress is preparing for one’s death and the
external passage into heaven, still outside of us…progress is not
about some external matter that lies outside of us…
this new understanding is no different then Socrates bringing
philosophy back to earth… from studying the heavens to matters
about the soul and who we are and knowing thyself…
and what does this have to do with the modern age?
what is progress in the modern age? New and improved toothpaste
and a shiny car seems to be the entire goal of progress in our modern age…
but what about us? can you or will you understand progress as the
rise or the gaining of wisdom within yourself?
progress needn’t be about the external world… it can be the progress
gained in discovery in who we are and what is our role within society…
how are we to act and how do we know what is the right thing to do?
are these things “MORAL”… I don’t believe so… they are essential
actions of, part of the nature of who we are… human nature is
understanding who we are and what is our goal or how do we measure
progress in the human soul…how do we become who we are…
ask yourself, if progress is not about our material progress, then
what is it really about?
Kropotkin