Over 1,400 girls were raped in Rotherham, UK by gangs of Pakistani pedophiles. Similar horrors have been taking place in Rothdale, Derby, Oxford and Telford. I’ve read some articles about these crimes but every single source I’ve seen so far is disappointingly stupid.
The most painful and dangerous issue facing humanity today is the unequal entrance into modernity. Some societies, cultures and groups are handling the inevitable advent of modernity better than others. The ones who are not handling it well (e. g. ISIS) are erupting in rage against those who are managing it better (e. g. USA).
What is modernity? It is the era of human existence where human beings started losing their terror of the unknowable universe and realized that human reason can learn to understand and even change the world. This intellectual and philosophical revolution took place in the XVIIITH-century Europe and culminated in the realization that it was not only possible but also necessary to improve the lives of individuals and the structure of societies.
This led to a rethinking of the concept of individuals. It soon became clear that considering women – half of the population of the planet – subhuman was neither reasonable nor productive. It also became clear that treating children as small-statured adults was also neither reasonable nor productive. Of course, these things became clear only to a tiny highly educated minority. The rest of the population preferred grasping onto its stupidity and terror of life.
Little by little, the tiny minority of these enlightened thinkers managed to attract more people to their ranks. They also developed brilliant means if propaganda to disseminate their ideas. The struggle between civilization and barbarity is still ongoing. Dragging the entire humankind out of the quagmire of fear, stupidity and impotent rage at life isn’t easy.
[To be continued…]
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