The theory of progress
Why certain
societies progressed and others regressed?
Is it race, or religion that set the pace?
Has environment a critical role to play?
The whites are obviously more developed then the black or the colored. But achievement is not their monopoly.
Well, let us analyze the societies that have developed.
Northern America , Northern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Korea are all advanced. The rest are either developing or poor.
What common thread can we discern in these societies that have triggered the engine of progress?
Most of them lie in the
temperate region—except of course USA and Australia. But then the original inhabitants of these nations came from temperate zones. Japan and Korea enjoy cooler climates.
Another common denominator is the harsh
nature of the geographical setting. Japan, for instance, lacks natural resources. So is Northern Europe. Further, the former is haunted by natural calamities like earthquakes and volcanoes.
Food was not easily available and more effort was required to sustain life. This fighting nature enabled to overcome difficulties and advance.
Extensive sea shores and chances for easy contact with other societies is a factor to be reckoned with too.
All the non-developed regions—Africa, Greenland, Southern Asia, the
South Pacific islands, and Latin America have extreme climates. When the ambient temperatures is high the human body tends to rest. Work will increase body heat. This tendency, in the course of centuries, make the people lazy and less enterprising. Water and food was relatively more aplenty like in Africa. As the soil was very fertile like in South Asia, the production of food was a less difficult task. Both of these augmented the evolution of an indolent nature . (It is another matter that later population exploded in most of these areas and food and other amenities became scarce.)
Even their thinking was affected. A very passive philosophy
evolved in these regions. The theory of Non-violence, Ahimsa, Nirvana, rebirth and Karma took root in the course of millions of years. They became more inward-looking and sought inner contentment and total detachment
As people moved from the comparatively cozy climate of the south and settled in the harsher and cooler regions of the Northern Europe they had to ward off the ambient cool and work hard to produce the essential necessities of life. There was no ready food as in the African jungles and the ground was not fertile. They had to fight with all their might to survive. An enterprising nature evolved and this ultimately led them to scientific and technological advancement. More positive thought patterns evolved too. People cared more for the present life and tried to increase their comforts.
They conquered the seas, and established colonies. When there was overcrowding, many of them dared to cross the mighty Atlantic in whatever crude crafts they could lay hands on to reach America. A host of them perished in that hazardous journey. Those who managed to reach the new lands toiled from sunrise to sunset to proper. Naturally USA developed fast.
Although it is not in the temperate region, the original inhabitants come from temperate zones. And their enterprising nature has been passed on to the posterity.
So is the case with Australia and New Zealand.
As mentioned already the Japanese had to face harsher realities like frequent earthquakes and volcanoes but they fought back, worked hard and progressed.
Those who settled say, in Africa were shut off from the rest. With plenty of food and water they lived in the ‘cozy jungles’ without any development whatsoever. In the 19th century itself the Europeans showed them the light of human progress. But they remain even today apoor region. Their negative conditioning is dragging them down.
Similarly, with all the efforts made by the South Asian nations the people by far are still poor and backward. The lurking negative programming seems to have a decisive influence.
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