Blog

Science is commonly understood as a search for truth. In modern societies, science enjoys a special status because it claims to be objective and empirical. Scientific knowledge is produced through systematic observation, formulation of hypotheses, experimentation, and verification. Conclusions drawn by science are considered reliable, though always provisional and open to revision. Because of this method, science is often seen as neutral, value-free, and universal.

Cell as Basic Unit of Life

Life at the biological level begins with the cell, which is the basic structural and functional unit of life. All living organisms grow, reproduce, repair, and decay through cellular processes. Every human being begins life as a single fertilized cell in the mother’s womb. From this single cell, complex tissues and organs develop. Stem cells further show the regenerative capacity of life. Genes and DNA store biological information and transmit inheritance across generations.

Science Itself is Social Institution

However, life is not only biology. Human life also involves ideas, beliefs, values, power, language, and meaning. Science itself is a social institution. It does not operate in isolation from society. Scientific research depends on hypotheses, and hypotheses are framed within social, cultural, and political contexts. Therefore, science can reflect bias and power relations.

The Science of Race And Gender

Historically, science has been used to justify social hierarchies. Scientific arguments were once used to claim the biological inferiority of women and to support racism and colonialism. Genetic theories were misused to justify eugenics and racial classification, especially during the Nazi period. These examples show how biology can be transformed into ideology.

Thomas Kuhn And The Demystification of Science

Thomas Kuhn, in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, challenged the traditional image of science as a steady accumulation of truth. He argued that science develops through paradigms. A paradigm is a shared framework of theories, methods, assumptions, and values accepted by the scientific community at a given time.

Kuhn explained three stages of scientific development. The pre-paradigm stage is marked by lack of consensus and competing explanations. The paradigm stage, or normal science, begins when one framework becomes dominant. Scientists work within this paradigm and solve problems defined by it. Anomalies are often ignored. The post-paradigm stage emerges when anomalies accumulate and the paradigm fails, leading to crisis and scientific revolution. A new paradigm replaces the old one.

Kuhn’s theory shows that science relies more on paradigms than on absolute truth. Scientific knowledge is historical, contextual, and socially embedded. This insight helps us understand how biological ideas can be used ideologically.

Biology Versus Ideology

The interaction between biology and ideology becomes clearer when we examine how biological theories were applied to society. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution explained biological change through natural selection, variation, and mutation. Later, Herbert Spencer applied these ideas to society, giving rise to Social Darwinism. Concepts like survival of the fittest were used to justify inequality, capitalism, patriarchy, and colonial domination. Thomas Malthus argued that starvation was a natural outcome of population growth. Adam Smith’s invisible hand also reflected competitive logic similar to natural selection.

Power And Ideological State Apparatus ( ISA)

Science can function as what Louis Althusser call an Ideological State Apparatus (ISA). By claiming authority over truth, science shapes how people think, classify themselves, and accept social arrangements. Modern power operates not only through force but through knowledge and discourse. As the saying goes, the real battlefield lies in human minds.
In modern societies, science has partly replaced religion and ethics as the ultimate source of legitimacy. Yet, despite its authority, science remains political and imperfect. Its claims to neutrality often hide power relations.

Biological theories about male and female behavior in animals influenced gender roles in society, reinforcing inequality. Applying biological logic directly to society without ethical reflection causes injustice.

Holistic Views And The Need For Balance

Life can be understood as chemistry plus information, but also as power, truth, and discourse. A purely scientific or purely mystical worldview is insufficient. Balance is essential. Human existence lies between natural forces and social pressures.

In conclusion, the debate between biology and ideology highlights the responsibility of maintaining balance. Science must be guided by ethics, justice, and human values. Biological knowledge should be used to reduce suffering, promote equality, protect the environment, and uphold human dignity. Maintaining balance between science and ideology is essential for the survival of humanity and life itself.

Life is a statement of purpose. Every human being lives with some meaning, even if they do not clearly say it in words. Our actions, choices, and struggles show what we truly believe in. Thinking is the reflection of that purpose. What we think is shaped by how we live, what we experience, and what we value. Life and thinking move together, like two sides of the same coin.

Dictionary of Life

Every person carries their own dictionary of life. This dictionary is made from personal experiences, culture, education, pain, love, and hope. No two people have exactly the same dictionary. Still, many people search for the meaning of life outside themselves. They look to society, leaders, books, or traditions to define their purpose. While guidance is important, true meaning grows from within. When people ignore their inner voice, they often feel confused or empty, even while following others.

Questions With Multiple Answers

Sometimes questions are asked, but answers are not given intentionally. This is not always a weakness; it can be a strength. When answers are not forced upon people, they are encouraged to think, reflect, and reach their own conclusions. Such questioning develops wisdom and maturity. A person who discovers an answer on their own understands it more deeply than someone who only memorizes it

The comfort of having multiple answers creates space for diversity and tolerance. Not every question in life has only one correct answer. Different answers come from different life experiences. When people accept this, they become more patient and open-minded. Diversity of thought enriches society and helps it grow stronger and wiser..

An Act of Mimicry

Copying is an act of mimicry, and mimicry slowly kills originality. When people copy ideas, thoughts, or lifestyles without reflection, they lose their unique identity. Originality is not about being different for the sake of difference; it is about being true to oneself. Societies progress when individuals are encouraged to think freely and create new ideas instead of repeating old ones blindly.

Opinions, Intolerance and Essence of Life

Difference of opinion gives birth to a melting pot in an inclusive society. When people disagree respectfully, new ideas emerge. Dissent is not a threat; it is a sign of a healthy society. Celebrating dissent means allowing people to speak, question, and challenge ideas without fear. This leads to balance and justice.

Intolerance, on the other hand, sows the seeds of exclusion. When people refuse to listen to others, divisions grow deeper. Exclusion becomes an unstoppable force that harms peace and unity. A society that silences voices ultimately weakens itself.

In the end, life finds meaning through purpose, thinking, originality, and acceptance. When diversity is respected and intolerance is rejected, humanity moves toward harmony and progress.

Some desires are artificial. They are planted in us by noise, fear, and comparison. They glitter for a moment and then fade, leaving us emptier than before. True desire is quieter. It grows slowly, like a seed in the dark soil of the heart. It does not shout. It waits.

Existence is Negation

Existence often feels like a negation of oneself. To live is to lose parts of who we thought we were. Dreams break, illusions fall, and identities change. Yet essence is the articulation of this loss. What remains after the breaking is our essence. When everything false is taken away, the truth begins to speak. The secrets of existence cannot remain hidden forever. Time reveals them, gently or harshly, but always surely.

Slave And Their Chains

When slaves begin to love their chains, prison becomes entertainment. Comfort replaces freedom, and habit replaces courage. People decorate their cages and call them homes. They fear the open sky because it demands responsibility. This is how silent suffering becomes normal. This is how injustice survives—when those who suffer stop questioning it.

There are feelings that have no voice. They live in silence. Expression of silent feelings is the hardest form of honesty. These are the caged emotions that knock on the walls of the heart. They want light, but fear exposure. Sometimes even sight has feelings. The eyes remember what the lips cannot say. Attraction then becomes not just desire, but a search for perfection—an image of wholeness we once felt and lost.

The Monopoly of Truth

Evening carries a special truth. When the sun sets, its last light is often the strongest. The sky burns softly, as if reminding us that endings can be beautiful. In that moment, day and night touch each other. Hope and sorrow stand side by side. Life too is like that—most intense when it is about to change.

Truth today lives under monopoly. It is debated, layered, and twisted. Everyone claims it, few serve it. When truth itself becomes controversial, trust collapses. Still, the struggle continues. Struggle till death is a fact of life. But struggle without purpose becomes suffering. Purpose gives pain a direction.

Silence of Intellectuals

The silence of intellectuals is their death. When those with conformist attitude  choose comfort over truth, society loses its conscience. Knowledge without courage is hollow. If you have the power of the pen, then serve humanity. Words are not ornaments; they are responsibilities. A pen can wound, but it can also heal. It can hide truth, or it can set it free.

The candle keeps burning in all circumstances. Wind may shake it, darkness may surround it, but its nature is to give light. It does not ask why the night exists. It simply burns. In life too, resilience is not loud. It is steady. It survives storms by accepting them.

Our Adversaries our Comrades

Often, in life adversaries become comrades. Life teaches us that enemies reveal us more than friends. Keep your friends close, but keep your adversaries closer—not to hate them, but to understand the world of opposing imaginations. Conflict exposes reality. Through resistance, clarity is born.

The world often feels like a playground where toys are sold from morning to evening. Desires are displayed, bought, used, and discarded. People chase shine, forgetting substance. Time watches quietly. Time is both friend and foe. It heals some wounds and conceals others. It teaches patience, but it also demands endurance.

Our Silent War

Within us, a silent war continues. Conscious, unconscious, and subconscious feelings struggle for balance. This inner conflict is part of human purification. We are not born complete. We are shaped by confusion, pain, and reflection. Life is full of complications—cries, tears, and depression. Yet these are not signs of weakness. They are proof that we are alive.

Revolution, resistance, rebellion—these are not just political words; they are states of the soul. They arise when life refuses to accept humiliation. Yet even after victory, remembrance of evil haunts us. Scars remain. History does not forget easily.

We live in a distasteful world filled with uncommon feelings. The garden and its flowers are dying with a smile. This is not just climate change; it is an emotional crisis. Sensitivity is fading. Empathy is shrinking. We witness decay, yet continue as if nothing is wrong.

The Free Humans

Free humans are not pleasure–pain centric. Sometimes they choose poison like Socrates, fire like Ibrahim, the gallows like Mansoor, or exile like Copernicus. They may be in chains, because their minds are free. For them, existence itself is the essence of value, truth, and goodness. Freedom is not comfort; it is commitment.

Crime Against Humanity

Killing humans, pushing them away from their native lands, objecting to their existence—these are crimes against humanity and against meaning itself. A world that displaces people also displaces its own conscience.

Our Quiet Fire

Still, the quiet fire within burns. As long as one candle remains, darkness is incomplete. As long as one voice speaks, silence has not won.

Some nights are heavier than others. They arrive quietly, but they sit on the chest like an unspoken truth. In such nights, loneliness becomes a language of its own. The sky listens. The stars seem to speak back—not in words, but in a silence that understands. When there is no one to talk to, even the heavens feel closer than human beings.

The Honesty of Pian

Pain has a strange honesty. Friends may smile, may speak kindly, may move with diplomacy and careful manners, but pain sees through all that. Diplomatic moves cannot remain hidden for long. Intuition, when wounded, spreads sorrow like smoke in a closed room. It reaches places we did not know existed inside us. Human nature, in its endless struggle for existence, learns early how to hide pain, yet suffers deeply when hiding becomes a habit.

Inside Pain And Outside World

When the pain inside is intense, the outside world loses its color. Happiness may exist all around, but it feels unreachable, almost unreal. Joy becomes a rumor. Laughter sounds distant. When there is no music inside the soul, there can be no true reflection outside. The world mirrors our inner silence. We look at beauty, but we cannot feel it.

Death Equals us All

Love, in such moments, becomes both shelter and wound. A lover cannot bear to see the beloved in tears, yet love itself often causes those tears. This contradiction is the tragedy of human bonds. Death, however, ends all arguments. It makes everyone equal in this world of decay. Power fades, pride dissolves, beauty rests. In decay, there is a strange equality that life refuses to grant.

Beyond Good And Evil

And yet, even in decay, beauty spreads. It spreads quietly, without announcement. Beauty is not always strength. Sometimes it trembles. Sometimes it breaks. Humans are not made only to survive; they are made to cherish something—anything. It may be good or evil, faith or doubt, love or hatred. Even darkness gives people something to hold on to.

Destiny , Distortions And Decay

We complain about destiny as if it were a careless friend. We question loyalty, suspect intentions, and doubt promises. Often, love carries hatred within it. Sometimes hatred is not the opposite of love but a distorted form of it. A lover may act like a heretic, even like a barbarian, in the name of passion. Love pushes people to extremes. Yet escaping love is almost impossible. One may escape a place, a person, even oneself—but love follows quietly, like a shadow that refuses to leave.

From the very beginning, love teaches lessons of destruction. It builds, and then it breaks. It gives meaning, and then it takes it away. Decay is what love finally stands for—whether the love is for a beloved or for God. Faith too decays when questioned too deeply, yet questioning is what makes faith human. Nothing remains pure for long; everything passes through the hands of doubt.

Our Own World View

Every human has its own world and understands these truths from their own vantage point. No two pains are identical. No two loves decay in the same way. Reality and reflection dance together, sometimes without music, sometimes without rhythm. Life does not always provide harmony, yet the dance continues.

Attraction of Beauty

The attraction of beauty is unending. It lies at the core of every periphery. We move outward in search of meaning, but beauty pulls us back to the center. Even in brokenness, beauty survives. It may not heal, but it reminds us that feeling deeply is not a weakness.

Madness And Civilization

Sometimes Madness is civilization or vice versa. Madness, at least, refuses to submit. It does not bow to rules or expectations. In madness, there is honesty. The so-called civilized humans, with all their manners and masks, often remain hidden behind distortions. But those considered uncivilized—raw, emotional, unpolished—stand unmasked. Their pain is visible. Their love is loud. Their hatred is honest.

Sky Still Speaks , Stars Listen

In the end, these painful nights teach us more than peaceful days ever could. They teach us that sorrow is not the absence of beauty, but another form of it. That decay is not the end, but a truth we must face. That love is both creation and ruin. And that even when there is no music inside us, the stars still listen, the sky still understands, and beauty—quietly, stubbornly—continues to spread.

The world we live in is changing before our eyes. The balance of power that once seemed fixed is now moving, slowly but surely. For centuries, the West stood at the centre of global affairs—powerful, confident, and dominant. But the world of the 21st century is no longer a place where only one civilization leads. New voices are rising, old cultures are returning with pride, and the global order is being rewritten in real time.

THE FADING OF THE WEST: POWER, CULTURE, AND A GRADUAL DECLINE

The Western world achieved an extraordinary level of control in the last few centuries. It owned and operated the global banking system, managed most of the world’s hard currencies, and became the primary customer and producer of finished goods. Western nations dominated international capital markets, led scientific research, pioneered modern education, and mastered the aerospace and weapons industries. Their moral influence shaped societies across continents. Their navies-controlled sea lanes, their companies controlled global communication, and their armies could project power anywhere in the world

History Never Stands Still

In recent decades, the rise of Japan, China, and India has quietly but clearly signaled the beginning of a shift. The dominance of the West is not vanishing overnight—it is fading slowly, like a sun setting behind the mountains. There are moments of pause, moments when the West reasserts itself, and moments when it seems to surge again. Yet the overall movement is unmistakable: a steady redistribution of global power.

Joseph Nye once explained the idea of hard power, soft power, and smart power—the clever mix of force and influence that nations use to shape the world. Today, many non-Western societies are learning to use this combination more confidently, more strategically, and more independently than ever before.

The global order built around NATO, the Warsaw Pact, and Western economic might is now confronted by new centers of strength—new economies, new militaries, and new cultural forces.

THE GREAT RETURN: THE INDIGENIZATION OF NON-WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS

Perhaps the most powerful change happening today is not military or economic—it is cultural. Across the world, non-Western civilizations are rediscovering themselves. They are reclaiming their histories, re-centering their values, and shaping modernity on their own terms. In the 1960s, the spread of communist ideology—from Cuba to Vietnam—showed that alternative worldviews could inspire millions. Leaders like Nehru, Mao, Jinnah, Lee Kuan Yew, and Bandaranaike were educated in the finest Western institutions—Oxford, Cambridge, Lincoln’s Inn—yet they returned home to indigenize their societies. They realized that nations cannot survive on borrowed identities. Cultures must grow from their own soil. Today, that spirit has returned with even greater force

A Unique Revivalism is on

Turkey is embracing its Ottoman past, reviving pride through culture, media, and a renewed strategic ambition. Russia is turning back to Orthodox Christianity, reclaiming its old role as the “Third Rome.” Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan are all trying to shape a modern future for Islam—each in different ways, but all rooted in their own historical consciousness.

Israel – Iran And West Asia

Israel has stepped forward openly and confidently as the dominant power in West Asia, asserting itself in ways unseen in previous decades.

Meanwhile, Iran struggles with an existential internal crisis, torn between tradition and modernity. Turkey stands at a crossroads, caught between the legacy of Atatürk’s secularism and the emotional pull of Ottoman grandeur. Everywhere we look, civilizations are redefining themselves.

                                     A NEW GLOBAL STORY

What we are witnessing is not just the rise or fall of nations. It is the rebirth of civilizations. Cultures that were once overshadowed by Western dominance are finding their voice again. They are modernizing—not by imitating the West, but by building on their own heritage. Humanity is entering a new phase of world politics—a phase where identities are strong, where histories matter, and where no single civilization can claim the center stage This shift is not only political or economic. It is emotional. It is about pride, memory, and belonging. It is the story of societies that are standing up and saying: We are here. We have our own past. We will shape our own future. And as this great transformation unfolds, the world is becoming more diverse, more complex, and, in many ways, more beautiful—because civilizations are not fading away; they are awakening.

A central question of our time is whether the world is slowly moving toward a universal civilisation. This idea suggests that as societies modernize, they begin to share certain Common values, habits, and lifestyles. But does modernization automatically mean westernization? And even if countries adopt modern systems, will their cultures also become the same?

Understanding the Idea of a Universal Civilization

A universal civilisation does not mean everyone behaves, speaks, or eats in the same way. It simply means that there are certain values that almost all human beings accept—such as the belief that murder is evil, that innocent people should not suffer, and that fairness is important. These values are not Western or Eastern; they are basic human values and found in all societies from primitive to postmodern.

Yet the modern world is full of contradictions. In many places, young men wear jeans, drink Coke, speak English slang, and listen to rap music—but also deeply follow their religious traditions. Some may even mix modern lifestyles with violent goals. This shows that modern habits do not erase cultural identity.

The Homogenization of the World

Many thinkers argue that the world today is being flooded with Western products and ideas. Many thinkers say the world today is becoming a giant “copy-paste” of Western culture. There are some colourful terms to describe this mimicry like “Coca-colonisation,” “Mc-Donalisation,” or “hot-dog culture”, Pop -Corn Intellect or Capri or Sandwich culture to describe how global life is becoming fast, shallow, and similar everywhere. Today’s young generation even faces what some call a “two-minute Maggi mentality”—a desire for everything quick and easy.

Cities, malls, advertisements, movies, and even celebrations across the world are beginning to look alike. This is the process of homogenisation.

Language and the Global Mind

Language plays an important role in shaping identity. English has become the world’s most common link language. However, English itself has changed. In India, Africa, and the Caribbean, it has developed local flavours. Even within India, debates around language show how deeply people connect identity with speech. Maharashtra’s pride in Marathi or discussions between Hindi and non-Hindi speakers show how strongly local cultures resist uniformity

Western Roots of Modernity

Many of the ideas that define the modern world—like rule of law, individual rights, separation of religion and state, representative institutions, and even scientific thinking—have roots in the Western experience. These ideas spread across the world through trade, education, and technology.

But acceptance of these ideas varies. Some societies welcome them, some modify them, and others resist them strongly.

Different Responses to the West

Societies do not react to Western modernity in one single way. Their responses usually fall into a few categories:

• Rejectionism: Complete refusal of Western influence.
• Kemalism: The approach of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk—embrace both modernization and westernization fully.
• Reformism: Accept modern science and education but preserve cultural identity. Think of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan or Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
• Revivalism: Returning to older traditions as a cultural shield.
• Extremism or terrorism: A violent reaction that comes from identity fears and alienation.

The Crisis of Identity

Modernisation definitely brings benefits—economic growth, political structures, new opportunities, and stronger states. But it also creates stress. People feel more isolated in modern cities. Traditional communities weaken. Many individuals begin to feel lost in a fast-moving, impersonal world.

This produces an identity crisis.
People ask:
Who am I? What is my culture? Where do I belong?

As a result, societies are witnessing a strong religious and cultural resurgence. Modern people, despite being globally connected, are searching for roots, meaning, and belonging.

Conclusion

The world may be modernizing at the same time, but it is not becoming the same. People may carry the same smartphones, eat the same fast food, or use the same social media, but their deeper identities remain different. Perhaps the real truth is this- Modernization is universal, but civilisation is not. Global life may make us look alike, but history, memory, faith, and culture still shape who we are.

Human history is a long and emotional story of how people came together to build something larger than themselves—something we call a civilization. A civilization is not just a group of people living in one place. As Arnold Toynbee said, it is “a culture writ large.” It is a human construction made of shared memories, shared hopes, and shared ways of life. Blood, language, religion, and everyday customs once united the Greeks. But even these can change, because humans can redefine who they are and who they want to become. This ability to evolve gives civilizations their intellectual, diplomatic, and political energy.

River Based Civilizations

Some of the earliest civilizations were born beside great rivers—the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, Indus, Ganga-Yamuna, and the Yellow River. From these ancient waters came writing, trade, cities, and new ways of thinking. Over centuries, they grew into the world’s great civilisational families: Sinic (Chinese and Japanese), Indic (Indian and Hindu), Mesopotamian (Sumerian), Egyptian, Classical Mediterranean, Islamic, Western, and Orthodox Russian. Many scholars also speak of an African civilisation, recognising its deep cultural roots.

Arrested Civilizations

Toynbee even described the Jewish civilization as an “arrested civilization,” meaning it grew out of the older Syriac civilization but evolved differently. His idea reminds us that civilizations do not follow one straight path. Some rise fast, others decline, some pause, and some transform so deeply that they become almost new creations

Orient ( East) Vs Occident( West)

Our language for civilisations is also shaped by where we stand. The terms East and West are widely used, but they are confusing. East of what? West of where? These are not fixed directions like North and South, which have the poles as universal reference points. Using East and West often becomes ethnocentric, because it places one region at the centre and others on the margins replicating the seeds of orientalism vs Occidentalism

History AND Civilizations

Before AD 1500, civilizations interacted through trade, travel, war, stories, and diplomacy. Ideas, religions, and technologies flowed along the Silk Road and across the seas. These encounters shaped the world long before modern borders existed. Later, the rise of the West changed global power. Islam and Byzantium had once dominated vast regions, but Europe’s growth in cities, commerce, and trade brought a new era. History then took a dramatic turn. Regarding the French Revolution of 1789 , historian R. R. Palmer wrote: “The war of kings was over; the war of peoples had begun.” The Russian Revolution of 1917 added another shift. The world now faced conflicts not just between nations, but also between ideologies—fascism, communism, and capitalism

Multicivilizational World system

Today we live in a fully multicivilizational world system. Civilizations interact every second—through media, diplomacy, markets, migration, and culture. Sometimes they cooperate, sometimes they clash. Writers and institutions like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Congressional Record debate whether we live in a Pax Americana, a free-world order, or a world divided into “the West and the rest.” In this muti civilizational world order or disorder , there are core to periphery to semi periphery divisions as per Immanuel Wallerstein

Civilizations And We

Yet one truth remains powerful and simple: civilisations are human constructions. They grow when people choose curiosity over fear, dialogue over silence, and courage over division. They survive when we learn to live with difference, and they flourish when we remember that all civilisations—no matter how ancient or mighty—were built by human hands and human hearts.

We are living in a fragmented society where knowledge is now acting as snickle to control and dominate us with the power of so-called multilayered truth under the new avatar of artificial intelligence. Gone are the days of organic world -we are increasingly being controlled by AI in our day-to-day life from shop to church.

The New Nexus

Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari explores the remarkable journey of human information networks and how they have shaped the world we live in. From the earliest stone tools to the age of artificial intelligence, Harari traces how the collection, control, and interpretation of information have guided societies, influenced power, and connected humanity across time and space. At its heart, the book examines the relationship between information, truth, and power, showing how knowledge can unite, manipulate, and transform human life.

Information and Truth

Harari begins by asking fundamental questions: what is information, and how does it relate to truth? He challenges the simple notion that information automatically equals wisdom. Throughout history, information has often been a tool or a weapon, used to influence individuals and societies. From sacred texts like the Bible, Quran, and Vedas to revolutionary works like the Communist Manifesto and even modern search engines, information has shaped ideologies, institutions, and civilizations

Stories and ‘WE’

The book highlights the human ability to tell stories, create documents, and manage complex systems, showing how these networks of information guide collective understanding. Stories connect people across generations, forming myths, laws, and social norms. Bureaucracy and documentation formalize these networks, balancing the pursuit of truth with the exercise of authority. Harari also examines our recurring struggle with errors, infallibility, and self-correction—from the canonization of religious texts to the evolution of science and law—demonstrating that the pursuit of knowledge is both fragile and ongoin

Democracy, Populism, and Totalitarianism

A central theme of Nexus is the tension between democracy, populism, and totalitarianism. Harari traces the evolution of decision-making, revealing how information can empower citizens or be exploited to control them. Historical and modern examples—from early democratic assemblies to mass media-driven populism—show that technology magnifies both human potential and the risks of deception

Reflection on The Present And Future

Ultimately, Nexus is a reflection on the present and future. As AI emerges as a new form of intelligence, capable of reshaping the flow of information, Harari asks readers to confront urgent ethical and existential questions. Information is neither inherently truth nor inherently dangerous; it reflects human choices. By understanding our history of information networks, we can navigate the AI era wisely, ensuring that knowledge nurtures humanity rather than threatens it.

This is happening to be a very strange world in which we are living today. The understanding of this unique world is not completely ours; rather, we are looking at it through various prisms—one such prism or prison is what Yuval Noah Harari in his book “Nexus” called “The Silicon Curtain.”

Global Empires or Digital Camps

In today’s world, we all live inside a huge digital network. This means that powerful technology companies and powerful countries are shaping how we see the world. They control information, communication, and even our beliefs. The question is simple but serious: Will this create one global empire or will it divide the world into many digital camps?

The Covid-19 pandemic and earlier diseases like AIDS showed how fast information travels. News channels like Al Jazeera in Qatar or American networks in the USA, UK, France, and Germany influence millions of people every minute. At the same time, digital empires—Facebook, Twitter, Google, Alibaba, Baidu—connect billions of users. Platforms like TikTok show how data flows from one continent to another without borders.

Technology competitions, such as the ImageNet Visual Recognition Challenge, pushed companies to build extremely strong AI systems. But with this power came a new problem: Data Colonialism. Today, instead of taking land, big companies take our data. Our clicks, searches, and videos become resources for them.

In many places—from the Eastern Mediterranean to Egypt and Iraq—people now live in both an online world and an offline world. This creates a “web to cocoon” effect. The internet can bring people together, but algorithms can also trap us inside our own beliefs.

There is also a deep cultural struggle. Western digital spheres, especially from America, spread ideas across the world. At the same time, the idea of a “global mind” rises, where billions think together. But this also creates a split between mind and body, a very old philosophical issue found in Greek, Persian, and Manichaean traditions. People begin to live more in their screens than in their physical lives.

Ideas Have Always Changed The World

History reminds us that ideas have always changed the world. Protestants like Martin Luther challenged the sale of indulgences and shook Europe. Today, coding and cyber power may cause similar revolutions. A “code war” could turn into a hot war, with nuclear risks and cyber attacks. Countries are racing to build stronger digital armies.

Still, humans share a global bond. We are all Homo sapiens, shaped by globalism, migration, economics, and culture—from ancient stone-age tribes to great empires like the Ottomans. Wars such as the Second World War or the tensions between Russia and Ukraine show that history never stops moving. The only constant of history is change.

Identities are the questions about once existence. The answer to the questions of identities are never fixed rather are always in the state of flux. This question appeals to both reason and emotion, intuition and intellect

It was on the 21st of September, 2025 Anno Domini (as per the Gregorian Calendar) that I, along with my soul and spirit, visited the home of one of my friends (ideologically more than personally) at Mutti, Jammu.

The said friend had invited us for lunch on the occasion of Deepawali, and we reached his home sharp at 1:15 PM (IST based on GMT). The friend hails from Bhalesa in the Chenab Valley and is now settled in Jammu city — the confluence of various cultures — our melting pot.

The location of his home was akin to Rousseau’s State of Nature — absolutely blissful — giving a feel of our own Chenab villages. The lands adjacent to his home were wide, agrarian, and cultivated with seasonal crops, vegetables, and paddy fields. It was such a blissful place that it could be the best destination for raising consciousness-based thoughts — not just in ceremonial but in substantive ways.

The so-called East, West, North, and South were filled with greenery, and toward the southwest side, I even noticed some proletariats (hired non-local labourers) working in the fields, engaged in digging work called “Buwaayi” (balancing of soil through digging) — a common sight in our homegrown geography.

While leaving, I found that they live in a joint family — as most of us in the Chenab Valley do. Yet, in Jammu, they seemed to have become more Bhalesis. And here arises the central question: Where and why do our identities matter more?

The Identity Question

From my study and experience so far, the answer lies in a simple yet deeply practical thesis:
Whenever we, as humans, find ourselves in alien places — alien in terms of geography, culture, history, or even latitude and longitude — a kind of diasporic mentality emerges. We become more cultural, more rooted, and more protective of our traditions.

We begin to consciously display even those parts of our identity — in dress, language, body movement, or greeting — that we often ignore in our native surroundings. This is true for Asians in Europe, North Indians in South India, Jummunities in other states of our Union, or Chenab Valley dwellers in Jammu.

Why the Masks, Then?

The second question, more relevant than the first, is this: Why are we not as cultural and authentic in our own cultural worlds? What stops us from being local at localised locations?

Where do we wear these masks — of fakeness, artificiality, and pretended modernity — what I metaphorically call the Masks of Non-Enlightening Burgers, Pizzas, and McDonalds?

This reflection reminded me of why Frantz Fanon wrote his seminal works asking similar questions — why the wretched of the earth live in duplicity, ambivalence, and masks over their black skins. The coloured skin is the identity; the mask is its distortion.

Crisis of Identity

This ambivalence leads to a crisis in our identities. From Chenab to California, all of us — in one way or another — ask ourselves two fundamental questions:
“Who are we?” (collectively) and “Who am I?” (individually).

We forget our old, localized traits in our original cultural spheres and are treated as aliens there. Yet, when we cling to our culture in alien lands, we are seen as exotics. Thus, our existence stands at a crossroads — unable to find the blurred line that connects both worlds, even though it is part of the natural order of things.

The Way Out

We must be progressive, not regressive; post-modern, not primitive; updated, not invalidated. Yet, we must celebrate the good in our culture — our intellectual, collective, and social inheritance passed down through generations — in every sphere of life.

We should cultivate originality and not act as carbon copies of time and space. Civilizations that have pursued this balance — from Britain (with its Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Sovereignty) to China (with its language, family values, and Confucian-Maoist heritage) — have not easily faded or vanished into thin air.

A Word of Caution

Our celebration of culture, however, must always remain open — open to diversity, tolerance, accommodation, and above all, the celebration of all human values.