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
