Marco Vukovic, Germany, PtC-Europe: Head of central-department IT-technology – scientist futurology Spiritual Culture – elementary Requirement for a modern, progressive Civilization Interpretation of „SPIRITUAL CULTURE“ Nowadays the global problems like continuous military conflicts, environmental destruction and also diverse existential crises do not only concern particular nations and individuals on a more or less large scale, but rather mankind on the whole. We notice that political, economical and social systems as well as denominational programs fail in confronting the current abstruse situation. „SPIRITUAL CULTURE” must permeate the civilization systems and in consequence point to a new direction for the ship of mankind in order to be able to escape from existing and threatening crises and disasters.
Therefore SPIRITUAL CULTURE is to be understood in a broader sense comprising all influential factors which are able to point the path of mankind into a better future. In principle, the spiritual and cultural conditions and parameters to be implemented for this target can only be based on the human conception of the world and his self-conception. Therefore the following definition shall serve as idea of how the human being must recognize himself in order to understand himself as part of a SPIRITUAL CULTURE and to be able to contribute to the common wealth of the global human community. Conclusively I would like to draft the idea how the global structures in terms of civilization should be implemented, enabling the development towards a SPIRITUAL CULTURE.
The Conception of the World and the Laws
The conception of the world or IDEOLOGY is the view of the world through the human being, it is the way of looking at the processes within our world reflected in our consciousness and which enable a certain conception of the structure of the COSMOS and about the purpose of our existence. The conception of the world is not anything static or fixed, but is subject to a constant progress. Within the scope of the natural sciences the conception of the world is reflected through the recognition of regularities and laws. Development and evolution are confirmed facts, already recognized things are deepened and new findings are formulated.
Metaphysical assumptions, which are also appearing in the field of the humanities in form of theses, are entering the scope of our consciousness and are becoming subsequently confirmed by natural sciences. ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT (1769-1859) expressed this by predicating that there is always a further, higher and unknown law hidden behind each recognized law. The separation of sciences into natural sciences and the humanities (the “spiritual sciences”) was not known in earlier times and epochs. This artificial separation is primarily responsible for the fact that the spiritual-scientific and the denominational as well as the religious conception of the world have almost not developed further, while natural sciences have progressed and are overcoming this separation nowadays to some extent, opening the gates to spiritual-scientific progress. Examples are the “Quantum Physics”, “Global Scaling” and research into biophotons.
The laws reflect from the structure of the COSMOS – everything is, on a highest and formless level, interconnected and meshed with everything else. Modern physics, e.g. quantum physics, supplies many proofs for this thesis. Even if we are not yet able to penetrate into and to understand the most elementary structure of the microcosmic reality surrounding us, it is nevertheless an important step to the acknowledgement of a reality, which exists behind the veil of our known world.
In the long run we must question each conceivable, static and limited concept of the world. We neither can limit space nor time, neither find a beginning nor an end. All life means infinite movement and therefore there is neither static nor standstill. A DYNAMIC CONCEPTION OF THE WORLD introduces the idea of a continuous and progressive development or eternal transformation. In this sense there is no stagnancy and never was; although, at a certain point, existing forms are no longer able to develop and therefore subject to decay or destruction. Also cultures and civilization are crumbling and even this occurrence is a symptom of the dynamics of life, meaning a process of change. The UNIVERSE exists eternally, it never began and never ends, only its manifestations are subject to a constant change.
The human conceptions of God and the basic principles of the UNIVERSE are nowhere near the end of their development and are, therefore, at the present moment only relatively perfect and never absolute. The actual conceptions of the world as well as the forms of religion will also come to a point where they can't develop any further and become obsolete, although much slower than the scientific assumptions in natural sciences. They, too, become out-of-date and unfashionable after thousands of years and must be renewed and improved.
The Human Evolution is determined by Laws
The human development can only move and rise within the framework of the given laws, which means along predetermined paths of cosmic (or you could say “astrophysical”) nature.
If we regard the body of the macrocosm visible for us, we see that in the galaxies all suns move in a collective, interconnected and compound system; if we then regard planets, moons and other heavenly bodies, this pattern continues. Not a single body can break out of this system; each body is forced into its course. This fundamental assembly loses its validity neither on the human nor on the micro-cosmic level: everything unfolds and develops in the scope of the given local possibilities; individually and also as an overall system, everything evolves alongside given courses and structures of order in a determined direction.
Advanced cultures result from the maximum harmonization and convergence towards the highest possible growth and development within a given time frame (cycle) in relation to the entire planetary development; the cycle determines the zenith or peak as well as the decay of the respective advanced culture. The extent of the culmination of a civilization into an advanced culture is directly dependent on the extent of the cultural efforts of its people.
Man is a Community Being
Humans require humans, no individual stands outside of the development of the surrounding people; everyone is an integral component of the community: family, clan or tribe, folk and League of Nations – each community strives for peace and improvement of life.
Beauty in the arts, beauty in all human interactions within smaller and larger communities, which is expressed by ethical behaviour and attitude (ETHICS), non-destructive technologies and living a positive mutual exchange with the environment (that is with animals, plants, minerals and elements) and the realization of the own emplacement, which reflects in the human responsibility for the generations to follow and for „succeeding“ creation – they all are signs of culture. Therefore, beauty must also be an element of and a measure for all sciences.
The modern human being is looking for the path of mental and spiritual freedom, the path of self-responsibility and self-conviction; if there is no essential humanistic and ethical attitude nor an understanding for the human involvement within the natural system of order, there will be no SPIRITUAL CULTURE within a community or within a larger system which is politically regulated in terms of civilization, technology and economy. The free will leaves the choice to the human to act against the laws of nature within a limited scope – although completely unconsciously – the outcome, however, subsequently falls back on him and on the surrounding people and sooner or later he is forced to adapt again to the natural system of order, which often has to be accepted in a painful way. In a strict sense there is no action or movement of an individual being outside the laws of nature, however there always exists a certain space for free action which can even disturb the natural and harmonic structure surrounding us; this option, however, only serves to learn from a negative development as a last consequence in order to make better decisions in the future.
Spiritual Culture – Mankind’s Future
An absolute precondition for an advanced culture is the cosmic and scientific-cultural self-conception of the human being living in the community. Everyone must see himself as part of the community and must be anxious to contribute to the success of the collectivity. Nowadays, when faced with international and global problems, the term of the “community” must also gain attention and implementation on a global level so that the general framework can be established, needed by mankind to unfold in a spiritual-cultural sense after all. Despite the existing diversity mankind is increasingly growing together – more and more humans understand themselves as citizens of the world (COSMOPOLITANS) without giving up their ethnic, religious or national identity.
It is necessary to establish a strong global system to be able to prevent nations or communities of states from derailment. It is time to create a just system, acceptable by all nations, so that tensions between nations or communities of states cannot lead to war anymore. It is mandatory to implement global structures of civilization based on cultural values regarding economy, politics as well as society; established systems must be evaluated using highly developed criteria so that better ways and solutions can be found.
For thousands of years the sad history of mankind explicitly proves by tens of millions of senseless war victims that without an equitable, global and functioning system there will only be more injustice among human beings. Therefore, there is no alternative to a global system!
The only path leading to true WORLD PEACE exists in the immediate establishment of a new geopolitical system, which is in principle designed as a federal and global community of states – the WORLD FEDERATION – and is subsequently leading to a WORLD PARLIAMENT, a WORLD COURT, a WORLD BANK, a WORLD GOVERNMENT and so on.
An INTERCULTURAL ETHICAL WORLD COUNCIL is desperately needed to improve the global social environment. This world-cultural and world-political institution of balance, which must be implemented as the highest authority, must consist of representatives of all cultures that are highly qualified from an ethical point of view. This WORLD COUNCIL must evaluate the degree of objectivity regarding the supranational social structures, which have to be implemented as well, and therefore this WORLD COUNCIL will have the power to grant resolutions as the highest authority.