Summary
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As “atom” which in Greek means indivisible, the word mankind or rather humankind is only meant to represent one indivisible whole, a collective noun, a unifying rather than differentiating notion. In reality, however, it is the idea of all kinds of men that predominates the modern world. Racial, cultural, religious differences are often pre-exposed and make us feel really different. While at the same time terms such as mankind and humankind remain abstract, elevated, and completely out of daily use.
No matter how hard the modern society strives to impose equality, desegregation, and democracy, it seems that this cause is forsaken because we are prone to seek differences and track them out. As much as we cherish diversity, as hard it is to pass unnoticed some “obvious” differences.
In my opinion, the greatest crimes of humanity are the crimes against itself and most of them are based on the perception of the other. The chivalric quests, the extermination of Jews during the Second World War, the slavery period for the Afro-Americans, the world wide colonization, all of them have been based on the notion of the “dominant” versus the “inferior” culture. As long as human beings differ in something so superficial as the color of their skin or about something so “fundamental” as the name of their God, there will always exist stereotypes and prejudices. Although the so-called traditional racism has remained in the past, the new “symbolic” racism that strengthens the cultural differences is even more subtle and pernicious.
Therefore, in the utopian world I want to live in, the hothouse effect, and the increased levels of radiation will lead to over-production of melanin in the cells of our skin, and many people will artificially opt for darkening in order to protect themselves from the sun’s bombardment. Color will no longer be the predominant distinctive feature, and for the first time we will be held worthy because of our achievements. Our appearance will even lose its judgmental stance. What is more, the discovery of other intelligent beings will allow us to consider ourselves from another perspective and to understand fully the meaning of “humanity”.
In this respect, the guiding principle for the human beings in the utopian world of my dreams will be: “We won’t make so many mistakes if only we realise that we are not so different”.
