Did you know that we have been experiencing a significant civilizational process in the world in general and in the West in particular? This is because we have achieved great advances in rights and freedoms, especially since the dissemination of Enlightenment values in the 18th century.
Consider that in ancient Egypt and China, servants were buried alive with their kings. In civilizations such as Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Roman, and Ottoman, extremely painful executions were common, such as impaling or crucifixions. In the latter, the condemned were exposed on a cross for days, so what truly killed them were the scavenging birds that pecked at them.
In contrast, European Christian civilization was more prone to other cruel torments, such as burning at the stake or the breaking wheel, which involved placing the condemned on a flat cartwheel and breaking their bones with a club. They were then left exposed, leading to a slow and painful death. This practice lasted from the Middle Ages until 1841.
Fortunately, however, since the Enlightenment, these barbaric acts have been suppressed, one after another.
Further milestones in this civilizational process include the abolition of serfdom, the independence of the United States with a democratic constitution, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen during the French Revolution. Also, the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, the introduction of liberal democracies during the 19th and 20th centuries, the abolition of slavery, and the recognition of women’s rights.
But that was not all, as other turning points included the suppression of the right of conquest and colonialism, LGBTQI+ rights, and the consideration of animals as sentient beings instead of mere objects. And also the Industrial Revolution, the enormous increase in economic and cultural standards, and medical and pharmaceutical advances to eliminate or reduce pain and discomfort.
However, are we going to stop here? Or should we continue with the civilizational process, as our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents did?
This does not happen on its own, but thanks to individuals who drive this progress. If we have reached the levels of evolution we enjoy in many countries, it is because certain people have worked hard for it. Some have even paid a very high price, being imprisoned, tortured, murdered, or persecuted.
In their honor, and for the good of humanity and all sentient beings, let us take up the mantle and do our part to advance this path towards excellence. Now it is our turn to push the cart, because there are still many injustices and imperfections to eradicate.
Some believe that great evils are a thing of the past, that in the West we have become civilized. But in reality, this is not entirely true, as there are still many abuses, especially towards animals. It is true that we have changed, but not that much.
The number of human victims and abused groups has drastically decreased in recent decades. However, the number of victims among non-human sentient beings has skyrocketed due to the emergence of industrial livestock farming, animal experimentation, and the large growth of the population, most of whom base part of their consumption on animal exploitation.
We treat the BILLIONS of non-human animals destined for our use and abuse as the Nazis treated the Jews, as this allows access to the products we desire and medical treatments, all at the cheapest possible price. In fact, the current level of victimization is on a much larger scale than in the times of all our ancestors. Because today, every year we sacrifice many more sentient beings than the sum of all humans who have ever existed throughout history.
Apart from this, there are still many more types of abuses and dishonesties, both towards human and non-human beings, as you can see here. And to this must be added the multiple types of physical and emotional discomforts and pains inherent to our organism, as explained here.
ARE WE GOING TO SETTLE FOR ALL THAT FILTH? OR ARE WE GOING TO REBEL AND SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH?
On the other hand, let us not lower our guard, thinking that the progress we have achieved is guaranteed to last forever. Because we still have the same genetics as our ancestors who committed so many abuses, so the possibility of other large-scale atrocities is always lurking, waiting for the opportune moment.
It also seemed that Germany had become civilized with the Weimar Republic, and a few years later, the catastrophes brought by Nazism occurred. Afghanistan was Buddhist and is now Taliban. Other countries had peaceful democracies only to later become very oppressive dictatorships. Nothing can be taken for granted, immutable, and eternal, as history has quite often been cyclical, with changes occurring especially when things go wrong, such as economic, demographic, climatic, or political crises that cause poverty and discontent.
LET’S NOT TAKE A SINGLE STEP BACK! INSTEAD, LET’S ALWAYS MOVE FORWARD!
For this, it is necessary that we not only think about what we can do for ourselves and our loved ones, but for all sentient beings as a whole. Let us replace our toxic selfishness with a healthy one.
It is also essential to shake off that conservatism stubbornly clinging to the current unjust and mediocre status quo. And also that self-complacency consisting of thinking that everything is already quite good as it is and that we are already good enough as we are.
Let us not be limited by the education we have received either, and let us go beyond it, just as our parents and grandparents evolved beyond the indoctrination that shaped their minds.
The advances to be promoted are of all kinds, such as economic, technological, scientific, educational, ecological, political, etc. It is advisable to work on all of them at the same time, but there are 3 priorities that have a great impact on the world:
1. De-abuse our societies. Let’s do it as well as Germany de-Nazified the country. This involves gradually eradicating the culture of victimization towards any type of sentient being.
Instead of sweeping the dust under the rug, let’s leave everything clean. Because if we don’t reform, we all pay the price. When the ethic of not harming anyone except in legitimate self-defense is not deeply rooted at the social level, we all end up being victims of small, medium, or large abuses. And these cause small, medium, or large suffering. Also to our descendants.
They even end up being large-scale, as history has shown time and again that sooner or later wars in which millions die, genocides, and other human-caused tragedies erupt.
2. Reduce suffering to the bare minimum. The Bible defined the world as a valley of tears. That valley has become less harsh thanks to science. And in the future it can be much less so if we invest enough in nervous system research… read more.
3. Increase the level of well-being, through a society, politics, economy, education, etc., oriented towards happiness… read more.
We can achieve all this if we set our minds to it. But for that, it is necessary to convince a good part of the more than 8 billion human inhabitants of this planet. And for that, it is necessary to spread these ideas. A first step can be to share this article.
Thank you,
Xavier Paya
Living Without Harm initiative
LET US NOT HARM ANYONE, except in legitimate self-defence against the agressor.
With the Living Without Harm initiative, we strive to prevent any kind of suffering or harm from being caused to you, your loved ones, and others.
1 Mission: A happier world
3 Goals:
1. Share scientific knowledge about wellbeing.
2. Encourage people not to cause harm.
3. Promote scientific research on quality of life.
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