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The 8th Civilization Died of Covid-19

“We learn nothing from experience. We learn, when we reflect on it.”

John Dewey

 

In Turning Point, Fritjof Capra proposes a paradigm shift. Of course, after the resounding – and well-deserved – the success of The Tao of Physics, Capra was more or less in a position to propose whatever he wanted.

In the book, he approaches the complexity of the underlying forces of transformations, which are intrinsic steps to their cultural dynamics. The surprising angle is that, instead of the philosophical propositions of historians, Capra brings a more practical application, where civilizations undergo four moments: germination, growth, recovery, and disintegration. Thus, the eight great civilizations are the Egyptian Sumerian-Akkadian, occurring almost together and starting around 3500 B.C., reaching their apex in 2500 B.C., when they began to collapse until their disintegration in 200 A.D. In 3200 BC, the Aegean civilization appeared, and was just about ephemeral, disintegrated in 1000 BC. Assyrian and Hellenic, parallel and also of short duration, began around the year 1000 BC. and ended in 500 AD. The Christian-Orthodox and Islamic civilizations, which also walked together, had their beginnings around the year 300 of the Christian era, and their collapse manifested around the year 2000. Finally, Western civilization began around the year 200. For me, the peak occurred precisely on July 20, 1969, when Armstrong stepped onto the moon; and disintegrated with COVID-19.

The principal evidence of the growth of a civilization is the positive response to a challenge, which fosters culture, taking it to a new level, where new challenges are overcome, promoting creativity, arts, and science; until coming across an insurmountable obstacle. When we stepped on the moon, the Neanderthal Petey who inhabits us found himself faced with a colossal question mark: What now? Mars? Jupiter, Saturn? Nahhh. It's not how far we could go but breaking the boundary of where we are. All is downhill.

Easy to observe. Complexity, Chaos Theory, the birth control pill, homo steps on the moon. The 1960s. Charles Manson; Seveso; Love Canal; Bhopal; Chornobyl; Exxon Valdez; Asbestos in Libby; crude oil spill in the Gulf War; 9/11, the Jillin explosion, Camp Fire, in California. The 1970s to 2018. And then, in 2019, comes COVID. Incompetence, irresponsibility, lack of ethics, corruption. Nothing new in music, in the arts. No new David Gilmour or Mick Jagger. Nor the Santuzza of Montserrat Caballé, chilling our souls, with its: NO!

The challenge we couldn't win? Humans are the only beings on Earth to produce garbage.

Important: the seed of a new civilization germinates in the ashes of the old one. Epiconomy. When the human being reaches the condition of ZerO2Nature.

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