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Monday, August 31, 2015

ARE WE A VANISHING CIVILIZATION?





Many,many thanks for the fantastic, thoughtful and interesting comments in my previous post under the heading DO YOU AGREE WITH THE LEGALISATION OF SAME SEX MARRIAGE?

The following comment is worthy of further scrutiny.

uthman saheed   ===Sodomy has been a generation to generation phenomenal, and no country can actually be excluded. Its only call for attention when its been legalized by the institution which supposed to protect the morality of its citizens.

Human history is generally dotted with waves of civilisations from era to era. The fall of one civilisation has always signaled the beginning of another.
Where are the civilisations of the yore today? Haven’t such ancient civilisations, such asEgyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Mesopotamian, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman each ofwhich lasted far more than a thousand years now become sheer rubbles on the pages of history? From the experience of history, we
have come to learn that when a civilization wants fall, its conductors will begin to see themselves as super human beings and clad in the garb of arrogance.

Please click on the name above to visit uthman and I am sure you will become good friends

Now the question is ARE WE A VANISHING CIVILIZATION?

Before answering this question let us briefly examine this story.

God tells Abraham He plans to destroy Sodom because of its wickedness. Abraham gets God to promise to spare it if 10 good men can be found. Lot, Abraham's relative, lives in Sodom. He is visited by three men who are angels. The men of Sodom want to have anal sex with these visitors. Lot refuses to allow this. He offers the Sodomites his two virgin daughters instead. The men decline the offer. They storm Lot's door. The angels rescue Lot. They tell Lot that God has sent them to destroy Sodom for its wickedness. They order Lot to gather his family, and leave the city. They forbid Lot or any of his family to look upon the city during its destruction. Lot and his family flee. Lot's wife looks back at the city. She is turned into a pillar of salt.

When we, as a civilization go against nature and do things which imperil an orderly, peaceful existence of society, are we in the process of a vanishing civilization. Let us take a few examples.

Michael Jackson did not want to get married but wanted children. So he engaged a surrogate mother to have children and brought them up by himself.

Elton John with his gay partner wanted  children and so he adopted them. He wanted to show his sons just how much he loved them  - by getting their names adorned on his shoes.

Mr. Obama visited African countries and tried to convince the African leaders to legalize same sex marriage. The African leaders listened to him patiently and politely refused to agree.

We know about the climate change that is taking place in this world but we are not doing anything to stop this danger which will certainly imperil future generations.

Politicians make promises to win elections but after winning, the promises are conveniently forgotten and they are busy making money for themselves and their families. They are not accountable for wasting public money. Politicians implicated in scams involving huge sums of money are not uncommon.

Democracy has a built in evil called Majority O Cracy whereby the party which comes to power gets the mandate to suppress and oppress people who elected them.

Condoms being distributed to school children in schools of some countries.

Couple live together without getting married and having children out of wedlock.

Single parenting is not uncommon in some countries.

Stock piling nuclear weapons for the security of nations.

Pesticides and chemicals used by farmers and traders in growing and preserving vegetables and fruits.

I can go on and on.

Now what do you think? Are we a vanishing civilization? I hope you will let your thoughts flow freely.

30 comments:

  1. Society has transformed at breakneck speed particularly in the last 50 years or so. Conventions have shattered.Value systems have collapsed. People are greedy corrupt immoral unnatural. Terrorism is rampant.Kidnapping and beheading is rampant. Genocide is on the rise.People are chasing wealth and power. Values like love compassion sincerity honesty integrity simplicity is fast declining. Pollution levels are rapidly rising. Our seas rivers & ponds are polluted.The air we breathe is toxic.The food we eat is poisoned. Nuclear wasted is dumped in the deep sea and underground. Garbage stockpiling is rising every day. Diseases and viruses are rampant. A new one emerges every day. Millions die every year.Our mineral resources are being exploited at a terrifying pace. Forest cover is being stripped extensively. Climate changes with consequent calamities are occurring frequently. Technology has taken over and is controlling human beings.We have become robots and slaves to Smart phones computers note books and net books.
    Society is fast degenerating. Religiousness piety and godliness is on fast decline. As our sages have foretold many yugas ago we are in Kali Yuga now. Evil forces have ascendancy over good forces. Man is bent upon destroying the world and himself.
    We can soon expect a massive "pralayam" to occur which will wipe out all humanity.

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  2. Happy Onam to you and your family Joseph !

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  3. "Democracy has a built in evil called Majority O Cracy whereby the party which comes to power gets the mandate to suppress and oppress people who elected them."

    "Tyranny by the majority" it's also called, and it can be done through social customs and values as well as through politics.

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  4. Oh my. I have some definite thoughts here. First of all I do not believe our civilization is vanishing but it is certainly changing.
    Lot and his daughters did escape Sodom and the wickedness there. But you left out the fact that they then committed incest. Is that better?
    Michael Jackson's children are irrevocably harmed by the lives they have lived so far. Purchasing children is wrong. At the same time giving homes to children who would not otherwise have one is commendable. For that Michael Jackson and Elton John did a good thing. Other celebrities have done the same thing and been applauded. Who is right and who is wrong? And why is one right and the other wrong?
    President Obama trying to convince leaders of other countries to dictate what sexual practices to allow is perhaps questionable. Americans (I am one) seem to believe that our way is the only way. Suggestions are acceptable; force is not.
    Climate change is something I feel strongly about. It is getting warmer. We are exiting a small ice age. Of course we are getting warmer. Can we stop it? No. What we can stop is the pollution we are poisoning our world with.
    There are dishonest politicians in every country. Some countries have no choice about which dishonest politicians are in charge. In a democracy we hope to choose people who are not corrupt. We are not always successful but we hope.
    Condoms being made to sexually active teens disturbs me less than unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. I would like to see more education about abstinence and personal value in schools too. Perhaps the need for the condoms would be less.
    The ideal for a family is one mother, one father, and children. That does not always happen. Unplanned pregnancies happen. And sometimes there is a family that loses a member for whatever reason... death, divorce, desertion... whatever. I raised my children by myself. They all have the same father and are the product of my marriage. My husband chose to leave and I was left to raise them alone. I do not regret much but my children deserved so much better than they received.
    If every nation would destroy all nuclear weapons I would be happy. But I am pragmatic enough to know that even if that were to happen they would probably come up with something worse.
    Pesticides and chemicals used in farming has produced mixed results. Larger more nutritious food is available for us. But the side effects for some of them has caused a great deal of damage. I have mixed feelings.
    Has the world changed? Yes. Are humans on the way out? Not yet. Are the changes all good? No. Are they all bad? Certainly not.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Emma for taking your time to write a wonderful comment. Your comment is so fantastic that it will form a separate post by itself.

      Best wishes to you and your family.
      Joseph

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  5. I believe in live and let live providing no ones views are forced on another. I also do not believe in same sex partners adopting.

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  6. Ultimately we can not legislate morality. Not in a democratic culture. People fail to look beyond the immediate and look at long term effects on a society. What makes us feel good in the moment. The group thought will do what it will. We have to make individual decisions.

    Where I have a problem is if they start teaching it in the public school.

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  7. Of course we're a vanishing civilization. It may take a very long time and give us a chance to evolve into a more highly evolved species or we disappear quickly through our own follies and of course there's the chance cosmic forces like a rogue meteor could send us on our way to oblivion.

    In the meantime, do we as individuals have the right to impose our flawed and biased set of moral standards onto other people happily going about their business? No we don't.

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  8. I think that we could be a vanishing civilization ~ If we don't take better care of Mother Nature that well could happen ~ People are hooked on my aspects of our society ~ seeking constant entertainment and overloading their senses with things rather than the beauty of Nature ~ Many don't seem to know how to 'just be' and fear 'solitude' ~ They spend more time doing than being ~ I have done so myself but now realize Nature is all around me and don't need to be with people as frequently as I used to and don't enjoy many of the crowded places they seek for 'entertainment' ~ I am even 'tiring of the internet ~ yet here I am ~ Thanks for your thoughts and provoking our thoughts ~
    Happy Week to you,
    artmusedog and carol

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  9. Thanks for making this a new topic of discussion...you have raised so many thoughtful issues here and I think, the contributors above had done so much justice to it.

    The major problem we face in Africa among all these is the corrupt and selfish politicians who won't mind to give up our social and inherited cultural values just to get power.

    Climate change and other pressing global issues will never be of much concern to them, so far they are still on power and nobody is actually trailing them.

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  10. First of all, I like your new header photo. :)
    Are we a vanishing civilization? I think that as long as there are people wise and concerned enough to ask that question, we are not. We can be redeemed. There is still hope. As long as we wake up with the determination and passion to better ourselves and our lives, we are not a vanishing civilization.

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  11. Many thanks for another thought-provoking post, Joseph!
    It does seriously concern me, too...everyone seeming need more and more entertainment and diversion...and as a result, losing sight of the importance of interaction with others and with Nature.
    And those in power seem to be oblivious to this destructive trend...in fact, some appear to promote it.
    As for majority rule...what happens to those who fall outside of that "majority"?
    They are overlooked...as is climate change.
    There is a distinct "If it doesn't affect me, then I don't care."
    But, of course, eventually it will affect those "me's".
    It will affect us all...

    Have a good day, Joseph.:)

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  12. You always ask such interesting questions. I am very conservative. I don't understand same-sex relations. I don't understand liberal views of things. Will these cultural shifts/ acceptance of non-conservative values result in the demise of civilization? I don't know. Probably not, unless we nuke each other over our differences of opinion. What it will do, is make it uncomfortable for conservative people, and confuse our children as to what's morally right and wrong.

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  13. I'll go against the grain of the crowd here. Many of the examples you gave are evidence that we are moving forward as a race, the human race. What Obama did was laudable, he reminded African leaders that two same-sex human beings who love each other are expressing the most basic human trait: love. Parent who do not wish to marry are exercising their human and civic right not to. One of my brothers-in-law lives with his partner and their daughter and they have had the same successes and failures my wife and I have had as parents despite the fact that my brother-in-law is not married to his partner. When religion dominates a person's mindset it makes the person forgo their humanity for an identity that can and will make them carry out inhumane acts.

    Sorry for the tirade, but my main identity marker has been humanist for many years, That means in practice that I relate to other human beings from our common bond as humans and then everything else.

    Greetings from London.

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  14. I think people are different than they used to be. Our civilization has evolved, but if we continue to ignore the issues causing climate destabilization, we may incur greater harm onto ourselves...

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  15. i go on with the adage of go where you find happiness without losing self-respect. Same sex marriage if they're happy with that. just a thought though. Thanks!

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  16. Such change in the world, not always good. Joseph, thank you for your thoughtful words and visit. Prayers are always appreciated. You are so right, my son was looked after when in this horrible car accident. Blessings

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  17. I have plenty of worries about the way the world is going, but on the subject of relationships I agree with Cuban. Where are we or would be without love?

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  18. Hello Joseph: it was so nice to have you comment on my latest blog. I've missed you. I do not feel qualified to share on this subject. I strongly believe that what is missing in our world is LOVE ... no matter what form that takes. I think that religions (all of them) constrain our capacity to love.

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  19. The question in hand is not easily answerable because it contains both yeas and nays. Which one weighs more depends upon the analysis on arrives at. Time brings about changes a lot in the society.The meaning of value has changed a lot. The importance one attaches to one's action is the value.So everyone defines the value in his own way as per his need. One has no hesitation to kick out any person, may he be a relative or stranger,elder or younger,pal or rival to get his path to one's aspiration cleared.

    Money has become the master of every mind.Even in a family itself the siblings with riches much enjoy more acceptance. Mankind has changed immensely. Inhumane humans blindly serve their 'self'.Courtesy, clemency, reverence, regard etc.etc. have vanished from the midst of society in general.

    But still there are a good many limbs ready walk and work for the benevolence of the needy.Best examples are organ donation.blood donation, charity extension to real hands.and so many and so many such activities.Benevolence in fact is related to the civilization passed on to the successors by the predecessors So there are a lot of grounds for desperation though, the civilization has not totally dried up.

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  20. I think civilization will continue. Many countries have a population explosion. Love for all in spite of our differences and encouraging the creation of peace is what we need more than anything. Thank you for your kind comment on my blog.

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  21. My biggest concern is the environment. Since we all share this one planet it would be good if everyone could be careful not to harm it.

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  22. I do not know what to think about the current civilization.....I pray for the world

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  23. Many thought full comments. It's interesting to see people's opinions from different places in the world.

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  24. Thank you for visiting my blog. It is truly my pleasure to meet you and listen/read your meaningful thoughts.
    A thousand years is a long time for a civilization, it seems. Ours.... 2-3 hundred years at the most. I don't believe people will vanish but change is happening right under our noses and no one ever mentions it.

    We are all products of our childhood, more or less. I think it's difficult to remove a child from their basic principles. It appears that the people now in charge of the government want to make us into one homogeneous blend without the republic, the constitution or a bill or rights. I suppose that could work, especially with a brand new generation who knew of nothing for comparison.

    I can't help being that product of my youth, of growing up in an ethnic community living under a Republic of an English-speaking country with laws protecting our freedom. I'm talking basic values, not skin color or religious choice. For me, that would be a more peaceful lifestyle. I would especially like to see a return to (what is now old-fashioned) growing our foodstuff the organic way and without chemicals.

    Other communities could follow their own lifestyle.
    WOW....I guess you know how to open a can of worms.

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  25. its complicated topic
    but interesting thoughts

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  26. The answer to your question title is - probably, yes.
    If one believes in God, and I do believe in God, then one understands that He is angry with us as we have violated every aspect of his Creation, and He's probably willing to let us go.

    How do we know that God is angry? From the increasing number in the last decade of natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, lava eruptions etc...) and from the increasing numbr of countries with nuclear capability.The vanishing of our civilization might happen as a result of one or the other of the two phenomena.

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  27. The Maldives is sinking. This is a scientific fact, and even the Maldiveans believe in it. In such circumstance, there are changes involved. If these atoll country is eventually claimed by the Laccadive Seas, isn't it appropriate to use the term "vanishing"? Or "vanished? At least from the perspective of land-based beings, it is vanishing. It is of course easy to argue that the solid mass of earth, i.e. ocean bed, is still there, albeit submerged by the seas, but its capacity to be "home" to land animals ceases completely.

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