Man is a social animal. Biologists, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and archeologists all affirm that human beings are inherently social creatures and don’t live well when socially isolated. Solitary confinement is rightly considered a form of torture because it destabilizes human psychology. And yet, some people do choose to live alone, and most choose, in one way or another, to minimize their interaction with others. So, it seems there’s a limit to our need for social assimilation.

The physical need is obvious. The family and tribal unit have been essential to the survival of our species. Larger social units have evolved, partly as a defense against the hostilities of life and a way of making life better. Protection lies in numbers, but so does the possibility of an improved quality of life through the division of labor and responsibilities. When life hung perilously by a thread in primitive times, no one spoke of, ‘human rights.’ Even the right to life was simply not a ‘right.’

Civil Rights, Human Rights, and the very idea of justice are part of the evolution of what it means to be a human being, all made possible by successfully living in a harmonious relationship of  ‘citizenship’ with each other. ‘Citizenship’ implies a cooperative relationship with your fellow man. Civilization, not to mention rights, has been born out of conflict, hardship, and suffering. Civilization is the result of human beings learning. Learning what? Many things, but none more important than how to live and interact with each other through a social contract. In the past, this contract was unwritten and unspoken and, therefore, subject to abuse and arbitrary alteration.

In recent centuries, we’ve attempted to codify the social contract. This has been a necessity because the formation of the nation-state required the assimilation of multiple ethnic and religious groups. This expansion of the human polity has been a result of technological innovation, and it requires a corresponding evolution of human consciousness. Human beings are making progress in the art and science of living in harmony with each other, but that progress has been halting. There is always retrogressive pressure from resisting sections of the population who want to ‘push back the clock’ in the hope of returning to an idealized and fanciful past.

This evolutionary skill of living in harmony with each other, a skill I call ‘citizenship,’ is under threat in today’s world primarily because much of the world has been destabilized by wars and demagoguery. Where once rivers and streams were polluted by negligence and indifference, now the oceans themselves are under duress. This cannot be blamed entirely on bad leaders. Bad leaders do not arise where there is a developed culture of citizenship and a strong sense of public responsibility—bad citizenship results in bad leadership.

It is incumbent on those who have to share what they have with those who do not. This isn’t Pollyannish idealism; it’s a common-sense understanding that the welfare of the individual depends upon the welfare of the whole. Those who have skills must teach those who do not.

The citizens of the First World who decry the instability of the Third World and the migration of Third World peoples must understand the role the First World has played in creating the crisis. Rather than building walls and denouncing immigrants, they should demonstrate some skill at citizenship and support leaders who are trying to solve the problem humanely and wisely.

Given the proliferation of weapons and war and the extreme poverty and persecution we see across the globe, how could there not be mass immigration? Who can blame any man or woman for leaving a land where life is tenuous for a place on this Earth where it is at least possible? The pioneers Americans love to praise migrated westward under far less duress than most immigrants face today. The first human right must be the right to live. The second must be the right to move out of harm’s way.

And yet, the greatest pressure endangering the social contract in America is the differing attitudes Americans have about race and, therefore, immigration. I would argue that the real fight isn’t over immigration at all. I’ve heard no complaints about Northern Europeans coming into the country. It’s all about race. Race remains the demon that hovers over the American soul, seducing even those (and perhaps especially those) who think of themselves as ‘patriots.’  Indeed, in today’s usage, there is a distinct blurring of definitions. ‘Patriot’ has become almost synonymous with ‘racist’ the way many people use it. Religious extremism and bigotry have joined hands with racism to become the greatest threat Americans face—the greatest threat all Americans face, regardless of color or creed.

Every generation has its great challenge that defines that generation in history. Ours is a many-headed challenge. Can we finally bring the Civil War to an end? Can we take a nation divided and make it into one nation again? We must become a new generation of Founding Fathers assembled, not against a foreign enemy, but a domestic enemy within—our stubborn refusal to accept that the world has changed, that our survival requires us to change and become better within ourselves and better citizens in relation to our fellow man. We shall have to become better citizens than our parents and grandparents if our civilization isn’t to collapse and fall far below what they enjoyed. In evolution, if you aren’t going forward, you’re going backward. The ‘dear’ old racial and religious bigotries stored in the attic will have to be tossed in the trash once and for all and not repurposed for yet another corrupt use. The lazy and cowardly citizenship of negligence, to which we have become accustomed, will have to be cast aside. These are no longer indulgences we can afford but poisons that now threaten our very existence.

We have resisted and delayed our transformation too long and now find ourselves standing at the crumbling edge of human history, of civilization itself. We stare out into the dark void at our own extinction. Yet, all is not lost. We have the capacity not only to survive but to leap forward across centuries of past neglect to rekindle the hope that lies still flickering in every human heart. We must build bridges in every direction, bridges of mind and body, of spirit and intent, as well as of concrete and steel, to reconnect each person with the whole of the human family. Those who possess the skill of citizenship must elevate that skill from a national to a global basis. They must be willing to patiently teach those without the skill, including those who don’t yet feel the necessity for change.

Each generation faces its unique challenge. Ours is to finally face these challenges with maturity and a more perfectly evolved citizenship, trusting in our humanity more than ever before, not less. Present technology requires us to finally decide whether to elevate our humanity or surrender it and perish.

Astika

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Astika is the owner of Consciousness-Light website. He has been a spiritual seeker for more than a half century. Despite the nation's many serious failings, he remains an ardent believer in the American vision of equal justice for all. He is the author of a collection of short stories (A Dream Immortal) and currently teaches a meditation class in San Diego.