CIVILIZATION: Finding the Elixir of Eternal Youth

Civilization’s history and future are driven by the different aspects of life that serves as the reason to shape the behavior and physical features of the present population today. The publication of Niall Ferguson reveals the success of the West from the rest of the countries around the world as to how they rapidly change the West as the super power of the World after the industrialization of the world. The smartness of America to change the Empires’ world influence from the Mediterranean Empires leave many in wonder as to how the West was able to change the world to their favor in terms of Economics, Politics, Science, Education, and Civilization as a whole. In this blog article I’m using also the text of Yuval Noah Harari in his second book Homo Deus A Brief History of Tomorrow and the famous Novel of Dan Brown “Inferno”. The writings of Yuval and Ferguson will prove the novel imagination of Dan Brown as to how the civilization of today is tainted with political influence it is not only national or international business but also we have the national and international criminality that sometimes criminalities both national and international are more advance and high-tech compared to the tools that are being used by the governments. Every movement in the national level has its connection with the international arena of politics.

The movement in the national level are almost run and maneuvered with the international connections that international influence are more versatile in terms of the wideness of understanding and technique to maneuver things in the national level. To give an analogy, after world war 2 Japan wants to isolate themselves in terms of business and politics knowing the traumatic experience they have with the Americans after the Pearl Harbor. But later to make the story short, their plan to isolate themselves made their economic and political morale weaker. Thus, they rather connect with America in the later details of their economic history that until today many leading companies in America are mostly Japanese brands. This scenario is not only with the legal business and entities inside a country but also with the illegal movements both political and business. Any discomfort that they will feel from the national level will quickly be maneuvered and tailored from the outside. Even criminalities are all internationally managed too. Thus, in the case of US many instances that US are being attacked in terms of politics and terrorism they were able to go around international criminals because their government can visualize the whole picture as to where and what are they going to do.

Same thing in business and economics. As a country one must look at in a macro way of seeing the many cases that will come along as a challenge either political or economics. Going back to the story of Kublai Khan and Marco Polo, Kublai Khan is very smart because he doesn’t know the civilization in the other part of the earth, and his objective is to conquer more lands. Thus, he always want to capture scholars and clergy passing in his kingdom because he wants to know information about the civilization from the different parts of the world. That is why he is so interested with Marco Polo because Marco is from the civilization of Europe and Kublai Khan is very smart to compare different civilizations according to the travelers that will pass to his Kingdom. As to Marco Polo, he is very useful in giving details to the places he traveled along the way from Europe passing the Siberian peninsula. That is still the epic story of Kublai Khan and Marco Polo, but come to think of the things that makes our modern civilization more complicated in terms of politics and economics. If invasion before is through the arrows and swords of the Khan Warriors, today it is more complicated. Invasion today is more on diplomacy and national government destabilization. That is what happened in the Middle East countries like Iraq during Saddam Hussein and in Alhassad in Syria at present. America is so clever to use his hand through media in terms of national and international publications with the ultimate goal of influencing the UN to declare sanction against one country. And you know already when does sanction usually implemented. After sanction usually it is the military invasion of the country that the given country can’t do anything but to give up its sovereignty. Luckily, Syria was able to suppress the rebels through the support of Russia under the banner of Putin. What US is trying to do is to support the rebels in Syria giving them weapons to empower the rebels. Same is true in South American countries.

Thus America is so powerful in terms of international politics. In the book of Niall Ferguson there are six main parts why the West or America is so successful in building their late civilization but became more powerful more than the Romans and other Empires in Europe.

First is Competition, a decentralization of both political and economic life, which created the launch-pad for both nation-states and capitalism.

Second, Science- a way of studying, understanding and ultimately changing the natural world, which gave the West (among other things) a major military advantage over the rest.

Third, Property rights- the rule of law as a means of protecting private owners and peacefully resolving disputes between them, which formed the basis for the most stable form of representative government.

Fourth, Medicine- a branch of science that allowed a major improvement on health and life expectancy, beginning in Western societies, but also in their colonies.

Fifth, The consumer society- a mode of material living in which the production and purchase of clothing and other consumer goods play a central economic role, and without which the Industrial Revolution would have been unsustainable.

Sixth, The work ethic- a moral framework and mode of activity derivable from (among other sources) Protestant Christianity, which provides the glue for the dynamic an potentially unstable society created by apps 1 to 5.

With all these aspects that America offered to the world after the reign of the European and Mediterranean Empires almost every human in the world wants to go to America and achieve what we call the “AMERICAN DREAM”. Remember as a country we are selling our governance and political machine as to how comfortable a family will live in a given country. Thus, China wants to compete with America in terms of the standard of living and economy. Just like business and selling if we can give more than what our competitors can offer to its customers then we can have the cash. Not only China but also Japan. The standard of living and comfort of every family and citizen is the ultimate power of a given government even during the time of Kublai Khan until today. If you look at North Korea, they are busy making weapons but they tend to forget the farmlands that sustain them for their health and wellness. Thus the aspects that I defined above in terms of the 6 values that American gave to its people captured the expectations of the general public not only in Europe but around the world that we think that America is flowing with milk and honey. In a negative view, after 2008 when America started to suffer the credit crisis and affected the New York stock exchange people start to doubt if America is still the “American Dream” they are visualizing in their imagination. If you can think how civilization will change its sympathy to the point that some citizens will even sell their lands to other interested parties for the sake of money and power.

Finding the Elixir of Eternal Youth:

After the American dream, what is really the ultimate objective of people and civilization in order to survive as a community and a person? According to the book of Yuval Noah Harari after Communism and Capitalism. Science will dominate more in terms of governance. One example is the ultimate dream of living longer and eliminating death if possible. Going back to the concept and theory of “American Dream” if America will fail in upgrading of what they are offering to their people today “maybe” Pax Americana will start to change. It is very natural that people are always finding the “AGORA” of gold, silver, and honey. If one empire or country will fail to fulfill or upgrade the existing public comfort like the “American Dream” then it will change to “American Nightmare”. As to the second book of Yuval, Americas public policy offering is starting to get obsolete they need an upgrade to a more “HOMO DEUS” type of public comfort that people will feel the ultimate comfort of human life. If America will fail I don’t know what will happen next. Moreover, the novel of Dan Brown “Inferno” is portraying the negative dilemma of society and its inner scandal of international population control. If you read the novel it will give you an idea that human survival needs to BALANCE the many aspects of a given civilization to acquit political trouble and instability. Relatively, every national troubles and problems today either in business or governance is always stringed with international motives that sometimes in the national level we tend to be confused of the things going around. As the sayings goes, everything is international… Even our problems is international, but that is always part of civilization and nothing to worry about that as long you can HIT THE RIGHT TIMING in executing things for the goodness of everyone then that would be an easy stuff.

He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, Will be victorious. SUN TZU

Thus, right timing is everything…..

No worries..... Sometimes in Civilization their are "Heart Shakers" let them dance and we all have fun..

Heart Shaker can Sometimes be a Heart Breaker.... We need good "Timing" to love them....