During these times when information travels faster than ever and entire
libraries are available on the Internet, the major trend of our era is toward a
cultural decline.
The role models promoted everywhere are the lowest-quality individuals — people
whose mouths are so very often full of foul language and rude comments, and who
live a degrading lifestyle.
Of course, fast communication and easy access to information can be very
beneficial! However, the information circulating can also be used improperly to
encourage the homogenization of the world, indifference, the spread of rumours
and superficiality.
At a lecture given in Madrid in 1984, philosopher Jorge Angel Livraga explained
that it is relatively easy to define things that belong to the material world,
such as a chair or a table. But for anything that is metaphysical, such as life
and love, we need much greater subtlety in our expression.
The same is true for culture, which Mr. Livraga defined as an ensemble of
knowledge and abilities that people have to grow and develop in the face of life
and themselves.
Reading between the lines, we can understand from this philosophical lecture
that it is all the more possible to define culture when we live it. We must
launch a sort of virtuous cycle that expands within us as each new cycle begins.
Therefore, true culture is neither simple entertainment to pass the time, nor is
it a sort of psychological or mental excitation. It is the reflection of the
Being made visible in all that we do. Culture is not a question of quantity… we
cannot “consume” culture. We can, however, live it — or be indifferent to it,
which is the death of the soul.
When Culture takes shape and becomes the fabric of society, we can speak of
Civilization. A return to a global culture is thus essential if we want to
change the world into something new and better.
