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The Next Millenium (r)

(written by iearn@iearn.org, 03/22/1996)

/* Written 10:59 AM  Dec  2, 1995 by coldspring in igc:iearn.tc */
66

Message 66 (57 lines)
From hhtts  Sat Dec  2 00:43:10 1995
From: Haidian Teachers Training School 
To: coldspring
Subject: from XiaoNan
Cc: ed1, pcopen

}Ruden,
Thanks  very much for your vivid response to  my  proposal.I
hope  that you can share with Dan on the basic direction I  think
the world seems doomed to walk in.Human civilization WILL upgrade
in stages no matter what kind of tribulation it may concur in the
process.In  this  view,floods and animals were once  the  biggest
threatenings to the survival of the indigenuous people and so  we
can  conclude that nuclear weapons and  AIDS may seem as  tempory
menace to human existence when people several millenia away  look
back to the"past" which is "now".
But our heads needs more realistic thinkings than just  long
term  or theoratical tendancy expectations.So your concerns  over
envioramental problems and technological automation is very sever
in  face  of the increazing awareness of the side-effect  the  so
called "material world" brings.I think I generally hold two basic
altitudes  towards  such  worries:1.the  macro-direction  of  the
civilization is guided under an auto-balacing system of nature.If
in   anyway  the  earth  is  no  longer  accomdative  for   human
existence,then  human  simply die.To  avoid  such  disaster,human
sooner  or later will do unaminously to preclude it from  happen
ing.The International Conference of Enviorament and  Deverlopment
in  1993  showed the first  significant  step.Specficly,the  most
recent  development  of  technology are guided in  line  of  both
efficiency and enviorament-protection.Nuclear electric plant will
play  greater  part in energy supply;high  tech  of  bio-chemical
products reduce sinificantly the traditional waste in amount  and
degrees;space  technology  make it a possibily to move  our  most
polluting  industries  to universe...this is where  our  optimism
lies  in.2.STOP the dehumanization of modern society.Make  people
closer to each other,make the liaison between members of  society
warmer  and  sincerer so as to form concord of  belief  that  the
beauty  of this world worth maintaining,so as to establish  ideal
that everyone is burdened to contribute to the perfection of  the
human  soul that should last over time and space.So we   need  to
work  out such feasible ways or theories which help mankind  sur
vive the "technology disaster".So even if we have machine legs or
plastic lungs or artificial blood,and still we are human but  not
insensible creatures if we can feel the love and the fun of human
mental exchanges.
All of the above is only one piece of all can be thought and
discussed,and  I feel that it is worthwhile we have  more  people
involved to face our identical future.
I'm looking forward to receive your response!
sincerely yours
Xiao Nan


Mail? 67

Message 67 (57 lines)
From hhtts  Sat Dec  2 00:47:34 1995
From: Haidian Teachers Training School 
To: coldspring
Subject: from Xiao
Cc: c21, ed1, pcopen

}Dear Ruben,
I  am very glad to see you show your points.I can feel  that
you  view  the  problem with methodology of  Darwin's  theory  of
evolution  and raise the concerns if the natural selections  were
rudely interfered by human artificial force which tend to  divert
the  direction  it runs in for millions of years,the  human  will
suffer the unpredictable retaliation.Technology plays great  role
in contributing to all of the potential threatens:it exhausts the
natural  resources  and nature returns with the unsafety  if  new
resource has to be developed;it is detrimental to environment and
nature  threatens with vivid signs that all living things  die;it
promotes  sharply  the  material side of human  life  while  that
natural  side  of human mind is suffering pain of  emptiness  and
moral-and-ideal  defunct;it  becomes more  efficiency  in  making
space  to accommodate more people but it hardly does anything  to
reduce  reproduction.We  see that human are in a  rigorous  fight
with  nature  although it has always been friendly to  human  and
technology   is   our  weapon  although  is   occasionally   harm
ourselves.We  seem lost in choices:who is the owner?What  we  are
fighting  for?This  is one controversial philosophical  topic  of
Subject and Object and it leaves too much to talk about.However I
tend  to think that the relationship between human and nature  is
kind of unified in the sense that we have to coexist or we simply
decease   with  the  object world.The  most  fundamental  ancient
Chinese  philosophy belief is that "human and the cosmos is  uni
fied"  and  under  no circumstances should we  split  this  basic
relationship into two confronted blocs:human and nature.
So  we  shouldn't always end up with endless  discussion  of
details of the side-effect the technology brings and we hold firm
in   belief:human  have  to  and  will  learn  to  coexist   with
nature,that  is to take from it and return it  with  more.Western
society is faced with unquenchable need to set up right  altitude
towards  our  duty  to nature which include how  to  utilize  the
modern  technology  on the bases it brings no  disaster  both  to
object environment and human mental health.
Let's  share  with each other's point of  view  in  greater
background.Can  you  tell me anything you keenly sensed  in  your
society  about the impulse of the nature to human  mental  struc
ture?And  what are most of their inner feeling to technology  and
nature?
Looking forward to hear from you!


sincerely yours
Xiao Nan.


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