The bedrock of modernism, as mentioned subtly in the previous post, lies within you. Lies within me. Lies within every thinker.
Every philosopher, from socrates to vivekananda, has thought about modernism. But none of them have ever been able to conclude firmly on the true nature of modernism. Modernism means progress, and this is a fact. But, despite intellectual probing, how many of us can accept such a statement ? There are many of us today who refuse to think that modernism means progress. Because when I talk about modernism, the only thing that comes to their mind is human rights abuse in Darfur, world hunger, child trafficking and slave trade. What I talk about, and what they refuse to accept, is rising economy, super scientific gadgets, the possibility of life on mars, new age computers, and the prospect of world peace.
Introspect.
Modernism is progress.
A progress that does not intoxicate you with success ALONE. Modernism is real, healthy progress. A step ahead does not mean a step in the right direction. The next time you think that you have taken the next step ahead, ask yourself THREE questions :
1. Have I enlightened someone today?
2. Have I introduced something new to the world today ?
3. Do I have the gift of increased knowledge today ?
If the answer to all three questions is YES, then you have ushered modernism into the world around you, and have simultaneously instigated progress. A progress, that does not die down with one victory in one battle, but a progress that lays out the road ahead, that teaches you how to handle the next set of challenges life will throw to you.
To conclude, modernism is progress indeed because it ushers in success and challenge at the same time. Anything that changes the world is modernism.
Modernism is progress. Progress is Modernism.
About Me
- Viv Shivram
- One of the many thinkers of this world. Someone who aspires to tangibly embrace modernism. Someone who can do a variety of feats : from polishing off 10 gulab jamuns at the same time to finishing 3 sidney sheldon novels in 9 hours back to back!
2 comments:
i dont really think so da... true, modernism is contemporary but i dont think you can call it "progress". It could have resulted in progress but it is not progress itself. modernism or whatever philosophical ideology only drives you to do something, the result of which may be progress or otherwise. for instance, the atom bomb only causes more problems though it is "modern". i think modernism cannot be called progress as such. and progress need not be modernism. for instance, take the indian freedom struggle. the whole swadeshi movement was made to get back to the roots of our culture and forgo the then "modern" British lifestyle that was influencing India and Indian Thinking.
so to me, modernism does not by itself mean progress and progress does not always come out of modernism!
modernism is only a way of thinking and a philosophical idealogy, nothing more to it. Maximum you could say is , it is "contemporary"
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