On Being CivilizedWhat does it mean to be civilized and more importantly, who sets the standard? Being civilized has a multitude of meanings, which can be confusing and ambiguous at times. In the most literal sense, being civilized refers to having a highly developed society that shows evidence of moral and intellectual advancement. Agriculture and irrigation schemes, a writing system and a religion are a few examples of similarities that these societies share.
More extensively, being civilized relates to the cultural identity of a society; a specific set of customs, which make that society unique such as literature, science, art, architecture, religion and history. As people consider themselves an extension of their nation, these ideals are often equated with general rules of conduct, especially when living abroad. This was particularly true during colonial history in Europe. For the powerful nations at that time, civilized behavior denoted sophistication and refinement, and was marked by elegant taste and good, agreeable manners. Someone who was cultured and polished was considered a civilized human being, but did these powerful nations really set the standard for being civilized across the lands that they seized? Who is to say their standard was best for all people?
This is where it gets cryptic. Within its ambiguity, civilized also has a dark and negative connotation. As the notion of being civilized has often been equated with wealth and class, it has had racist and discriminatory overtones. Its multifaceted meanings have historically been mixed and morphed into a twisted sense of superiority and entitlement. The more advanced a society becomes, the more its people are likely to believe other less developed societies and people, are beneath them. Furthermore, this arrogant belief has prompted so-called civilized people to believe its their duty to bring civilization to so-called primitive societies by introducing their political structure, agricultural techniques, and writing systems, but especially by instituting their religion.
The idea of being civilized has long led man to wage war and colonize in the name of religion. Religion has been forcefully spread onto so-called primitive societies to justify racist claims of superiority. So-called civilized people believed that so-called primitive societies were savages and needed to accept the new religion for their own good. Isn’t it ironic these same so-called civilized people are the ones who behave like barbarians? Why is it not possible for a less developed society to be appreciated for its uniqueness without having a foreign ideology forced upon it? It is because of the dark underlying racist connotation the term is not used in this context as much today as it has been in the past.
