2020 examining the role of modernity today
By: Ntsikayezwe Yahya Fakude
Tags: Ethics, 2020, Modernity, Social Justice, Analysis

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Introduction

If a Time traveler approached you on New Years Eve of December 2019 and told you that in the year 2020, Climate change in Australia would become a matter of life or death. There would be protests; riots and petitions worldwide calling for the defunding of the police and that tensions between the already unstable relationship of Donald Trump and Kim Jung Un would escalate. As well as the fact that a virus would emerge from Wuhan in Central China that would not only force people to remain in their homes for three months but drastically force us to reevaluate our basic societal etiquette on the basis of communal gatherings. Would you believe them? Consequently, as a direct result of this I think we can all agree that 2020 has been nothing short of a real life Science fiction novel and as such in this analysis I will be discussing the role of Modernity in today’s global epoch and my beliefs on whether we are better off as a collective species because of it or not.

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What is Modernity?

Modernity or being ‘modern’ is a phrase used to define the present day generation’s advancements in the realm of science and technology, corporal governance within present day nations as well as the use of socioeconomics and basic communal values. Furthermore, as an ongoing process modernity can be closely examined through an analysis of cultural disparity amongst post-modern and pre modern civilizations. In addition to this veracity, although modernization has brought many undisputable benefits to the human race in the form of a lower mortality rate, reduction in deaths evoked by sickness or starvation in addition to threats of climate change in our everyday life nevertheless, it did not come without it’s challenges. Although modernity is characterized through the advancement of a postmodern societies ethical ,social and political facilitations, suffering and inequality are still plaguing the world today. Comparatively, one may even argue that the vulnerability and anguish being experienced by populations across the globe in todays epoch is not only unprecedented but taking place at an alarming rate. Consequently, baring this in mind; would you say our present day generation are amicable in the use of modernity as an ongoing process.

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What is Globalization?

Globalization is a term often used to describe the ever growing not only interdependence of nations but interconnectedness of the world’s economies, cultures, social facilitations, political analytics in addition to populations. This phrase did on the other hand, only gain recognition once it was coined following the end of the Cold War in the late1900’s in an attempt to articulate the current state of the world.

Challenges to Modernity

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Nonetheless, regardless of this actuality perhaps the greatest challenge to modernity today rotates around the loss of belief in religion, faith and the higher powers of Mother Nature. This can be noted through the change in societal ethical beliefs and values regarding not only longstanding human conduct but the earth’s resources from pre-modern societies in comparison to todays. As a direct result of this veracity we are forced to argue the affectivity of our modernization today as the threat of climate change could not be greater, poverty and inequality have never been more prevalent as well as the fact that conflict and violence on the basis of prejudice has never been more prevalent .Nevertheless, pre-modern societies lived in close proximity to nature and as such they venerated the earth and their living environment as one would an ancient deity and as such the earth’s atmospheric conditions and weathering were far superior and conducive than today’s. Comparatively , one may even argue that in today’s global epoch we live in a modern society that ultimately practices these opposite ideals on the basis of greed and overindulgence. This veracity can however be noted as excessive pollution still exists, many animal species are on the border of extinction and that deforestation continues at such a significant rate that certain ecosystems are being exposed to the dimensions of vulnerability.

What’s more, another challenge set on by the process of modernization through globalization rotates around the loss of tradition, heritage and noble values amongst developing nation-states. This veracity can be noted as in certain ‘Third World’ countries modernization through science and technological development have introduced a new set of socialistic goals on the basis of materialism, individualism and hedonic beliefs. In addition to this actuality, as a direct result of the perpetual nature of modernization through globalization, an over emphasis was placed on some these nations to become ‘developed’ and as such in an attempt to achieve this goal in a timely manner many of these nations would place an insufficient investment in national institutional structure in the form of education in addition to personal development. This did however consequently, result in a weak level of literacy skills nationwide in addition to a fragile set of moral values easily swayed by temptation.

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Furthermore, as a direct result of the systematic framework imposed by globalization through modernization our society has become engulfed by the constant clash of varying eroded values that many considered noble in the past. The reality of this quandary can however be noted as, in many countries today the rich legacy of freedom, equality and social justice bequeathed by earlier generations has become overloaded due to the institutional frameworks inability to conduct interstate reconciliation in addition to living life on the premise of ‘just keep life going! ’Consequently, as a result of the states inability to address and tackle these social issues too their entirety many states today baring this title exist in a realm of crisis. The dimensions of this actuality can however be noted through the protests that took place in honor of George Floyd world wide.

Hence Fourth, in conclusion it is my belief that the practice of local wisdom must be integrated amongst the global community in order to counteract the negative effects of modernization through globalization inflicted upon present day societies. Moreover, I also believe in order to escape the dimensions imposed by this quandary as a collective human society we will have to make social awareness and empathy a priority amongst our youth. Furthermore a new form of simplicity and mental fortitude must be not only taught and planned to learners but the wider community as a whole .It is my belief that if we practice these ideals we may be able to negate the unwanted consequences of modernization today.

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References

Fogu, C. (2008). Modernity is Crowd. Modernism/Modernity, 15(4), 813–817. doi: 10.1353/mod.0.0029

Harvey, P. (1999). Landscape, Modernity and Exclusion in Dubrovnik. Anthropology Today, 15(6), 21. doi: 10.2307/2678359

Modernity | culture. (2020). Retrieved 22 December 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/modernity

Mulyono, M. (2017). The Problems of Modernity and Identity in Globalization Era. Journal Of Maritime Studies And National Integration, 1(2), 106–111. doi: 10.14710/jmsni.v1i2.1819

The Challenges of Modernity -. (2020). Retrieved 22 December 2020, from https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/the-challenges-of-modernity/

Thomas, J. (2004). Archaeology’s Place in Modernity. Modernism/Modernity, 11(1), 17–34. doi: 10.1353/mod.2004.0028