19/05/2020
Turning to The Traditional Ways of Knowing
/ From the crisis of perception to the rise of a post-contemporary paradigm . .
New Vision of Reality
The world has reached a ‘turning point’. It seems we’re amidst a series of crisis – environmental, social, political, and economical. The gravity and global extent of these crisis indicate that the current changes are likely to result in a transformation of unprecedented dimensions, a turning point for the planet as a whole. But we can not isolate these issues; they are systemic, interconnected and interdependent. Truth is, they are all different facets of the same crisis – what scientist Fritjof Capra calls a ‘crisis of perception’.
Humanity has been long blinded by the distorted values of the modern Western society: capitalism, colonialism and patriarchy. We were taught to see the universe as a mechanical system; the human body as machine; the economy as a means to accumulate material possessions; and life itself as nothing but a competitive struggle. We became captives of the same outdated perceptions that caused this global crisis. And now, as Capra puts it: “what we need, then, is a new ‘paradigm’ – a new vision of reality; a fundamental change in our thoughts, perceptions, and values.” . .
Post-Contemporary Paradigm
The time calls not only for a sense of urgency, but also for a deep and profound civilizational transformation. For that, alternatives are not lacking in the world - what is indeed missing is an alternative thinking of alternatives. The scientific knowledge that brought us here will not be able to get us out of here; we need other knowledges, other conceptions of time and space; other conceptions of productivity; it’s necessary to systemically integrate different ways of knowing. In the words of sociologist Boaventura de Sousa Santos, “a crucial epistemological transformation is required in order to reinvent social emancipation on a global scale”.
We need to understand and acknowledge that the world is much broader than the Western understanding of life, and that these transformation waves can’t be foreseen or explained by Western thinking alone. The post-contemporary paradigm proposes a shift from the current pathological assumptions towards and integrative understanding, capable of serving as a foundation for a truly sustainable civilization. And the draft for this paradigm requires theories capable of reframing and retooling our whole cultural systems – and so, we need to value other types of knowledge, those that carry such new possibilities. . .
Embracing the Traditional Ways
It’s time we turn to the wisdom of traditional cultures. Indigenous and other traditional communities from all over the world still detain these knowledges. And with humility and all respect they deserve, we now ought to seek for their guidance. For so long violently repressed and discriminated against, they still have so much they can teach us. Truth be told, it’s nothing but our responsibility to make amends with these peoples; preserving their lands and allowing these cultures to regenerate. Indigenous rights institutions and civil movements, as the one recently started by Sebastian Salgado to protect the people in the Amazon against exploitation and the coronavirus pandemic, have today unparalleled importance. . .
Symbols of Transition
In order to the post-contemporary paradigm to emerge, it is necessary to manifest its vision as a possible and desirable future. We need to symbolically amplify the existence of alternatives, of different ways of understanding and transforming society. If this transition needs symbols, it might as well be the faces of indigenous children – they represent life flowing in its most natural way, following the most favorable path. . .
Pictured above, a ‘curumim’ from the Puyanawa people (Acre – Brasil, 2019).
