THE GREAT CULTURAL CHURN

THE GREAT CULTURAL CHURN

As the world transits en masse from medievalism to modernity, a great cultural churn is on which is visible on many fronts as conflict. Western neocolonialism is being resisted, especially American militarism. There are multiple dominant world cultures which are fighting it out for sustaining their influence on human society and advancing their ends. One such is Islam. Christianity has lost its war at home itself during the Age of Enlightenment but is still a force to reckon with in so far as its ability to confront Islam is concerned, being backed up by Euro-American nations which still use it to serve their neocolonial ends. Islam, struggling with its medieval past, is sluggish but is nonetheless putting up a brave fight against Western onslaught on its civilisational values. It is for both good and bad today representative of medieval orthodoxy against the modern heteredoxy of the West. Where lies Hinduism in this conflict zone? What role has it to play to harmonise the conflicting forces of the world? Much of grandiloquent talk we hear of. But how sincere are we to contribute our mite to at once ourselves survive as a civilisation and to contribute to the survival of warring humanity?

Written by Sugata Bose