ReDmpTiON spEaKs ...

It has been very rightly written by Sir edward tyler , that "culture or civilization , taken in its wide ethnographic sense , is that complex whole , which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law , customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society ." this is a very practical definition of culture as we know it because of two phrases that are woven into it . "wide ethnographic sense" - because culture cannot be defined for an individual it has to take into consideration whole communities, whole countries and races , and "man as a member of society" - because by this phrase we accept that man is a part of and hence , defines society .The importance of these two sentences will be revealed as we try to understand why culture is so essential to humankind .

Long back when man discovered fire , he didn't know it would be used to spread wide spread destruction , when man found the importance of metals he didn't realize its subsequent change into weapons and so on for the various landmarks of discoveries and inventions . What really is a proof of our evolution into civilized creatures are our various cultures. It is because that we realized the importance of culture, tradition and the value of passing down our perceptions is what led to our evolution.

But as cultures developed so did disparity. People adapted differently to different environments and so different cultures were formed native to those communities and races. Then came the borders. The borders were imaginary lines defining ones region of power. Kings extended their borders in order to make other cultures succumb to their superior race and that's what led to the dark ages where mankind descended to the level of common beasts. But finally the dark gave way to light and peace reigned . We learnt the importance of art, of music, of knowledge, of a sense of order in our lives and the need of a governing law . Finally we knew our culture; but as was before, different regions developed their own distinct sense of culture and attempts to prove their superiority reigned again.

Even today some of the effects still linger. Works of art, masterpieces, books, sculptures were destroyed and are still being destroyed. Be it in retaliation to a strong statement by a "Enemy" country or by propagandists. What we don't realize is that the ultimate sufferers are us and the generation to come , who won't be able to enjoy the past .Destruction is not always physical , we for example are witness to history changing in the minds of the generation to come . History books are being tampered with to elevate one race or culture and to degrade another.

If this continues, some time from now democracy and secularism will slowly give way to total anarchy . Fascist leaders will be at helm, and countries will be known not by the brilliant scientists and hard working engineers it has produced by the number of religious fanatics it contains and the number of "fatwas" it issues.

Do we dream of such a world?

Do we want a world described to us in George Orwell's "1984". A world where an unseen force controls our life , where every action is under prying eyes , every breath counted. Where history is modified to reflect the change in the governments stand and while the officials live a life of luxury the common masses are left to rot .

I guess not .

Culture, so far shown to be the evil harbinger, has the potential to be the hero, the savior. When cultures are allowed to merge it leads to the birth of a new culture , a unified culture which extracts the best from both while still retaining its own separate identity .That's the medicine our ailment require . The path to our deliverance...