Towards a New Civilization
Dr. Carmo D’Souza (Reader in Law)

Every civilization has had positive as well as negative attributes. That’s History. Great Civilization like the Greek, Roman, Indian, have shown their feet of clay in random areas, with barbaric and inhuman practices prevailing even among finest of intellectuals in that society.   For instance killing of disabled among Spartans, Sati in India, inhuman sports in Rome, slavery in many countries of the world, etc. 

Towards a New Civilization does not mean discarding all the civilizations so far formed or ignoring them.  It means acceptance of Good Values in every civilisation and discarding of values in any civilisation that are counter to the principles of Oneness of Human Race and its survival as a whole.

How is this to be achieved? It is to be noted that civilizations depend on concepts prevalent in that society. Many of the concepts have contributed to the building of human civilisation. But some concepts due to certain historical accidents have grown in a society, which may be damaging to human kind as a whole especially in the twenty first century.  So there is a need for each and every society to audit its past concepts and discard those that are harmful. It is in this sense that a New Civilisation will emerge out preserving the variety within it and yet in conformance with the Basic Human Tenements of Protection to Human Life and its quality.

Towards a New Civilisation needs in-depth planning, reform in education, building mass movement and so on. It is a process, which has started throughout the world in the form of small ripples of variety of hues and colours.  However there is a need to stream line the movement into one big flow that will irrigate the virgin fields of the whole New World. Perhaps it can grow under the wings of City Montessori School.

One area on which there is arrogant rigidity is law. The legal field as part of historical development has been trapped into concepts like rigid sovereignty, fanatic nationhood etc.  Sovereignty and Nationhood by themselves are not negative, provided they do not violate the Principles of Humanity.  Hence there is a need for a reform in the field of law for a movement Towards a New Civilization.  One such possible brand which may be palatable for the present generation is Constitutionalism. Constitutionalism has done wonders for India, US, U.K., Europe and so on.  It is possible to create a new similar brand, in the age of ‘ brand creation’ called World Constitutionalism in the area of law.  That will also elevate the movement Towards a New Civilisation, as acquisition of legal status is one priority in Human dealings.  However achieving the status of law is not the solution. The movement has to go much beyond law. Unless the values are deeply entrenched in the heath and hurt of every human society Towards a New Civillisation will remain an Utopian Dream. (See for World Constitutionalism, www.ismilda.org)

 As a vivid illustration of past and present concepts that need an audit please read Jose’s Dreams on  www.ismilda.org  . The read is free for the year 2006.