There are lots of explanations for societies, civilizations and anthropological evolution, but something else that really matters are ideas.
What are the ideas of a people or society?
Usually, it is said that everyone has ideas – true, because with cognition, comes ability to have a different approach.
But approach to what?
To make food, have clothes, clean the environment, discover paths and do much, common across people and times, require base ideas – for the most part.
Base ideas can said to be what others would generally think, or try or do, placed in same or similar situations.
Base ideas can do a lot for a people or society – in how they survive, thrive, and grow, but much more than those are needed for predominance.
There were societies that were easily overrun by others – in conflict. There were also many, whose ability to shield from plagues was weak that it ran though beyond how it should have been. There were many who refused to observe or notice harsh seasons, or keep in mind possibility for natural disasters, and ruined much.
There are lots of absent prescience, tactics for collaboration against external forces that could have come through great ideas, but many societies lingered in base ideas.
It is often said that ideas are a dime a dozen, NO, maybe base ideas, or maybe something to suggest when asked, but real ideas can be the greatest and in that case – hard access.
Human cognitive capability is limited, so is the ability to have or generate really great ideas – for any one person, but there are people and society that ensure to grow their great ideas, for larger dominance, staying ahead of all.
It is possible to explain development and underdevelopment by great ideas.
In many developing countries or societies, one thing to look at is their ideas.
Grading them from base to great, and seeing what they’re pursing – individually and collectively.
Many underdeveloped places feel most responsibility is government: thinking lower than a base idea.
There are many institutions and organizations in many developing countries that are comfortable enough to pursue growth paths in some aspects – without risking their income, but just lack great ideas.
Though ideas – bad, base, average, good and great, come with their own energy, the magnitude of great ideas can accelerate any people or society faster than most base ideas talked about from conference to summits to meetings.
In developing countries, there are diverse people of different sectors and business stage, holding some kind of decisive power, but hard to find any great ideas, on the side, or the ability to spot some.
There are rush driven moves to capitalize on some new stuff, but they aren’t great ideas that can make their society accelerate.
Some people that blame all government for rot in their society cannot see their own contribution to the backwardness of the place.
There are people who died many years back, but did great things of courage still useful to the present, but in some places now, their leading ideas are status, survival, unfairness, etc.
Maybe there are no great ideas in many places, maybe many know less than base ideas so complain about base ideas or to just find advantage for their folks because somehow it is thought that for their own people to be doing well means life’s good.
So many so-called new things and new approaches are way away from the problems obvious in many of the countries.
Many things that seem exciting are just really base ideas that work fine, but no difference in outcomes for the people from a decade past.
Who can tell when or how this would change and how it can lead to development?
It is just so unfortunate with so much unemployment, poverty, hunger, energy crisis, conflicts, street hawking, violence, drug abuse, poor roads, bad public health, low income, illiteracy, corruption, scams, migration, nepotism, inequality, cronyism, etc. affecting and keeping many on the edge.
Yes, there are problems around the world – and great ideas are generally hard, since there are so many unknowns, incurables, unsolvable, inconclusive, etc.
But the measure of adaptiveness by parts of the society for great ideas matters so much.
The Savior of this world, JESUS, has ideas, kept moving and doing.
CHRIST also showed an example to all, not just to make Heaven, but to do as much as possible for a better earth.
[Luke 8:22, Now it came to pass on a certain day, that HE went into a ship with HIS disciples: and HE said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And They launched forth.]
*** Written by Nneka Okumazie.
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