Transculturality – the truth, respect and communication

Cultural diversity is one of the most important features of modern society. Virtually, all cultures are present – to varying degree and extent – in every corner of the world. Historically speaking, it was the white European man who initiated this process of cultural mixing, entering new worlds and destroying the foundations of indigenous communities. This journey continues to this day, producing various social, political, economic, cultural, artistic and other effects.

The concept of transculturality was created by a contemporary German philosopher and art historian Wolfgang Welsch. According to him, concepts, such as “interculturality,” have ceased to describe satisfactorily the contemporary reality, in which cultures mix, permeate and form hybrids. Cultures are no longer homogeneous and separate entities. In such a targeted reality, supported by all modern means of communication, transfer and transport, we – as individuals – transform ourselves into transcultural citizens of the world. Economic freedom, tourism, low-cost airlines, educational exchanges, social media, live broadcasts and many other proposals and solutions prevent us in a way from living in one traditional culture. Even foreign languages are slowly ceasing to be a problem because we can meet up for coffee using a smartphone translator and emojis. During one day, via YouTube and Google, we can learn about the culture and customs of people living in Greenland, Tokyo or Jamaica.

We are happy to be world citizens and we appreciate being free. We are glad that we can travel, study and work freely in different countries. Most likely, in the era of unhampered global communication, it will never again be possible to stop these processes of unrestricted exchange of information and thoughts. We are becoming heterogeneous both as nations and individuals. Modern human being is no longer just a citizen of a country. By learning foreign languages, travelling and making friends with foreigners, we acquire a whole range of behaviours and cultural differences. Satellite antennas can be seen even by the yurt, and you can climb Everest, being a member of an international team. These are wonderful and once unimaginable cognitive and developmental opportunities, from which we can draw knowledge and learn to understand the world in an unlimited way.

But do we understand it? Do we understand the changing world and our place in it? Can we understand ourselves, our experiences, emotions and reactions in light of the changes occurring at an unprecedented pace? And above all, are we able to draw conclusions from them?

I am afraid we have a problem with that – first and foremost, with drawing conclusions. The lifestyle of the modern middle and upper classes can be described as “room service,” guaranteeing access to everything at any time and place. However, against the background of the idyllic contemporary happiness, we are losing the genetic memory of the past threats, cataclysms, destruction and dehumanisation. History brutally has come the full circle again and a human being, lost and unprepared, tries to run away in panic and fear of danger; however, when pushed against the wall, s/he starts attacking or becomes a cog in the machine, releasing themselves from all responsibility.

Well, it is nothing new. Already in 1963, Hannah Arendt wrote about the banality of evil after the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. With the new reality, we are threatened by new totalitarianisms, new fascism and manipulation on an unprecedented scale. Following Arendt’s visionary thought, a mass man, that is one who, while remaining in social relations, obliterates human bonds, forms the basis of modern societies, which are characterised by voluntary alienation. The mass man, i.e. the thoughtless, uncritical and ignorant, is the ideal object of manipulation. The contemporary dimension, social, economic and political effects of this phenomenon can be seen at every step.

To give humanity a chance, it is necessary to return to the three basic values of social life, i.e. the truth, respect and communication. And this is already a major challenge.

The discoveries of scientists over the last few years have confirmed that plants also represent intelligent life; they behave altruistically and “think.” Of course, a plant does not have a brain, as Professor Stanisław Karpiński says, but the whole is a network of intelligent connections and as such can be an analogue of the brain. Plants, for example, warn against an imminent fire or other dangers.

In the world of animals and plants and in their communication systems, there is only truth. In the human world, on the other hand, everything is the other way round. It seems that the more developed the level of communication, the less truth there is, but more and more manipulation. Only children – and up to a certain year of age – are “true.” A child does not understand why he or she should speak or behave in a false way. We are born immaculate, trusting and not falsely, and then we are subjected to social processes that teach us one simple mechanism: to avoid pain (unpleasantness, disappointment, or suffering) and to experience pleasure (security, sense of value, or satiety) at all costs. All life is played out between the two states, regardless of the consequences and the truth. 

Truth is generally unpleasant because we find out about ourselves nasty things, which cause us various kinds of pain, from existential to physical. In our culture, truthfulness is considered a virtue, but it takes a lot of courage to tell the truth to yourself and others. Nevertheless, if we are unable to admit the truth before us, we will never need to improve our own weaknesses and gain respect for ourselves and others, and this in turn will prevent us from gaining respect in the eyes of others.

The transculturality of the 20th century is a fact. As transcultural societies, we have to learn a new existence, getting rid of prejudices, unjustified beliefs and distrust. We must redefine the notion of respect and its values, and we must come to terms with fundamental truths so that inclusive social and intercultural communication can function effectively on this ground.

We must also redefine the concept of authority because without authority we will not be able to educate, equip and prepare future generations for symbiotic social life. As today’s authorities are celebrities and the real human values are identified with financial success, only humanities, sciences, art and culture are able to bring the notion of respect back to life.

Now, we experience an unprecedented crisis in the life of our planet. This is the last call to take action that will have a real impact on a change and contribute to a secure future for future generations.