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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1999)
of progression reed has shown humanity’sneedfor change More than 100,000 years ago, Homo Sapiens (human beings like you and I) began to put on a show!" — We gathered plants and hunted ani mals; we lived in the forests and savan nas of Africa, but we weren’t cannibals. We lived a simple life, barely more complicated than the rest of God’s crea tures, all restricted by the same carnal limitations, but we were developing different behavioral features. Forty thousand years ago, these same human ancestors developed cul tural adaptations, ways of living that allowed our populations to expand in number and geography without prog nostications. Slowly we were greatly distinguish ing ourselves from other animals. We learned how to live in the icy arctic, mountain terrain, lush river valleys and the coastal shores - unlike other mam mals. As we moved into new areas, we developed unique and distinct lan guages and cultures. But because of our comparative remoteness, we main tained cultural singularity, and we did i without today’s need for soldiers. A lack of plurality, homogeneity, insured our separate identities. We had not yet developed complicated politica systems and therefore had thousands o homogeneous social entities. Innovations spread. By 8,000 years ago, we learned to communicate in complicated languages and how to store the knowledge we were accumu lating in writing. We cultivated food, which led to permanent occupations —and eventually cities; this is general knowledge, there is no need for citing. Although each society was com pletely different from the next, we wen all relatively egalitarian; without hierai cby. Soon we would determine who is who, and learn to value the absolute monarchy. Each generation expounded upon what was inherited from the previous one in what were considered “advance ments.” The invention of civilization, governments, economies and democra cy; we marveled at and hanked the Greeks for our enhancements. As communication increased, so did the spread of technology. We learned how to master the Earth with machines and science, and we devel oped phenomenology. We ushered in the era of rapid “progress.” By 1800 humankind had defeated its eternal arch-nemesis nature, and we thought, “who needs to digress?” New wars were waged. We fought t spirituality with reason and developed meaning through psychology and die social sciences. The battles became personal as we separated ourselves l from our heritage, dissolving ancient f communal alliances. We quickly shed our anachronistic communal heritage and created our own realities, one by one, hanging our own laws above our own heads, each on die highest ridge in our individual ized localities. We developed the ideas of “ego” and the “I”; “I exist!” and “I can improve myself and my condition!” We didn’t ask,“Why am I doing this?” or, : “Could this lead to negative premoni - don?” We determined that if things can be observed and analyzed by humans, they will be; there is no need for belief in unproven myths, we’re more advanced than weak-minded supersti tions, can’t you see? “Progress” was at its peak. Each - generation was certain of its own nobil ity, and that the generation after it would only continue this edified process, certain of its feasibility. By the 20th century, humans had truly defied their maker; we had defeat ed God (perhaps killed God), now we are the Earth shaker! With each of our “accomplish ments,” our ego and arrogance had exponentially increased, we split the atom and waged epic wars, and soon many were deceased. Look at us now, walking on the moon, and soon Mars, perhaps colo nized with microwave dinners and fast food. Food tastes good, and our habitu al eating of it occupies our day without meaning, despite how crude. Automobiles and gene-splicing, million-dollar plastic surgeries; look who’s doing the slicing! Ah, the plea sures we’ve created for ourselves, so enticing. And while we sit and marvel at our greatness, getting fat, learning new ways of exercising our laziness, our era of “progress” is coming to an abrupt halt. “Ah, shut up, you muckracker,” I always hear, “We have no time for your liberal salt. You want to be helpful, smarty-pants, then help me lose weight by developing a fatless malt!” And a magic fat pill you can take to “melt away the pounds”; in this era of progress, we’ve developed an artificial chemical cure-all, which sells only as good as it sounds. After our cultural revolution, we each learned to think as an individual. We eliminated physical hardship and learned to focus on what’s really impor tant; the now and the sensual. Our shortsightedness will probably end our existence a score or two after the millennium. That’s OK, we’ll just create a virtual world; but we’ll need a faster Pentium. From a simple communal exis tence, which began 100,000 years ago, we’ve now fractionalized, factionalized and fictionalized our lives with person al over-indulgence; so quickly we’re sinking so low. As Americans, we spend $8i>illion a year on cosmetics, which is $2 billion more than the estimated total need to provide basic education for everyone in the world, with enough left over to buy a prosthetic for a few poor and limbless lepers whose toes and fingers have all but curled. Things could be easily solved if we could perform an exorcism on greed. This contagious social pathology pro duced from “progress,” which has brain-washed us into believing every luxurious want is a must-have need. If you would like an example to show how greed has infected the human soul, look no further than the European ice cream market, $11 billion in all. One billion more, might I add, than tiie total debt of Ethiopia, the land in which our ancestors began their sprawl. Or consider the three richest men in the world, whose total assets are equal to the poorest 48 countries’ total worth. How can people justify this in the face of such suffering; did a human give them birth? Progress is indeed a dubious idea. With it has come unrestricted global competition and capitalism, individual ism, infinite self-indulgence and a mockery of the baptism. I ask for a new cultural revolution for “progress,” to redefine this ill-con ceived idea. However I won’t be here if the bomb drops in 30 days. I’ll help start the revolution after that. See ya! uavia Bauer is a senior African actuates, antnropoiogy ana sociology major ana a uaiiy i\e or as nan columnist. Breaking away Changes to UNL schedule would make year better for all involved My alarm doesn’t go off, and I’m an hour-late for class. I show up unshaven and tired, wearing an ironi cally festive Hawaiian shirt. Being in class makes me sick. I shouldn’t be here. And neither should youT — ~ I’m not talking about college in general -1 approve of higher educa tion in every regard. But not now. Not during this sickening three-week pur gatory before we achieve freedom from academia for die winter holi days. Don’t try to tell me you actually like this time. It’s like having a fake calm before the storm. We go away for Thanksgiving, thinking we’re going to have this nice break. But the whole time, in the back of our minds, we know what’s coming. A week full of papers and projects due, another of preparation and cramming so pre cious it’s described as “dead” and yet another of evil beasts known as cumulative finals. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas break is a waste. Nobody wants to be here nor should they. I propose that we move up the fall semester to the beginning ofAugust - Snd end it the day before Thanksgiving. I know, less time to sunbathe on the shores of Lake ' McConaughy. But let’s take a look at all of the pluses. Forget About It We’ll actually be able to relax. I alluded earlier to the dreaded final projects and tests. Let me add that some people get ulcers over these tests and fry their brains getting ready J.J.I for them. If we were done at Thanksgiving, we could fill up on turkey without thinking of those awful finals. No Devilish Assignments No more “Thanksgiving Assignments.” Granted, some of these are actually “Labor Day Assignments” that we just put off. But many are short papers or research projects that professors know we can work on because we’ll have time off. Those teachers who give homework over the break won’t get the pleasure of ruining our holiday. They’ll have to put down their burning pitchforks and go back to the lake of fire. Shortened Finals Week Our finals would last only three days. Since we’d start the first week of August, we’d have to fit the finals into the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Most people don’t have more than three finals during finds week any how, so we’re just speeding up the process. And it’s not like you actudly get any studying done when you have a find on Monday and then on Friday. The three days in between are spent, not with your history book and the science lab, but rather with your friends, your PlayStation and at Amigo’s. Give Thanks Students who have to travel will be able to spend Thanksgiving with their families. Believe it or not, some students come to Nebraska from the U.S. coasts and other countries. Many of these students, especially international ones, cannot afford to book a flight to be at home for five days if they’re flying again three weeks later. And even if they don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, students would enjoy being able to go homp for awhile. (Or they could go to Europe, because winter has die larder is a senior political scit cheapest tickets abroad.) Christmas Jobs We’d be able to get holiday jobs. Many businesses in Lincoln hire extra workers for the Christmas season, and if we’re worrying about finals and flying home a week and a half before the big day, that means less work for the businesses and less money for us. People who have to pay for their own college edu cation can understand how nice it would be to work 40 hours a week for a month - we could save up for spring tuition. And kids that don’t, well, most of us buy Christmas presents and wouldn’t mind a little extra cash. D-term But some of you hard-core students school. So for you, we’ll offer a three-week session of select classes, just as in the summer. Sure, that’s a whole lot of class, but for you kids trying tc graduate in May, it would be a nice way to pick up that three-hour sociol ogy class you need without taking 21 hours in the spring. Some schools have J-terms, we’d have the D-term. May Flowers We’d be out of school in April. I know some of you are still crying about starting the fall term in August so here’s your pacifier. With an earlier winter break, we mce and broadcasting majt US the year. could start in January Don’t worry, we’d still have right after the new year, a three months of a summer break week earlier than we usu- for sitting by the Fountain Glen ally start. We’d appropri- pool getting skin cancer. Or the same ately have finals during amount of time for school, working those gloomy April showers but or internships, just like we have now. , have more time for the May flowers. And the football team would have And as you nature-lovers are aware, extra time to prepare for the Big 12 May is one of the prettiest months of Championship and the bowl game. r and a Daily Nebraskan columnist