Pride Goes Before Destruction: The Growing Global Fires Threatening Our Civilization

By Mr. Fawaz Ateem, Chairman of the Malak Foundation

In our fast-changing world, the fires of political and financial crises are spreading, casting a shadow of uncertainty over our global society. We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in history, where our collective decisions will define the path of modern civilizations.

Arnold Toynbee, the British historian, once wisely proclaimed, "Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder." Today, as small fires of conflict, financial instability, and environmental change rage on, we face the looming spectre of a global conflagration that could reshape our ever-so-connected world. Arnold Toynbee, between 1934 and 1961, penned "A Study of History," delving into the rise and fall of 23 civilizations.

His central argument challenged the notion that civilizations are predestined; instead, they evolve in response to the challenges they confront. The rich tapestry of our world bears the marks of numerous civilizations, from the Chinese and Indian to the Mayan, Islamic, Sumerian, and Orthodox civilizations, among others.

At the heart of Toynbee's work lies the concept of challenge and response. Civilizations, he argued, flourish when they creatively address challenges that are neither stifling nor too lenient. This creative response often emanates from a spiritual dimension, and the creative minority, typically mystically inspired, plays a pivotal role in guiding the majority.

However, the tale of civilizations often includes periods of rise and fall. Decline sets in when moral decay creeps in, when the cultural elite exploits the masses, fostering internal and external disparities. This moral erosion manifests as hubris, nationalism, militarism, and the dominance of a minority elite. The once-creative minority transforms into a "dominant minority," inviting retributive justice, or nemesis, as a consequence.

Toynbee's perspective, however, does not doom us to a predetermined fate. He champions the idea that civilizations, like individuals, possess the power of choice. It is our responsibility to respond creatively to the challenges of our era; divine intervention does not shape history.

Yet, the world today seems ablaze with a multitude of small fires—political, financial, and environmental. These fires have the potential to unite and set off a global conflagration. From conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine to government coup d'etats in Africa, the financial instability linked to soaring national debts in America and elsewhere, plus the global migration crises, coupled with the growing inequality between nations, these challenges are interconnected and influenced by the winds of global climate change trends and disasters.

Political crises are proliferating in most regions of the world with toothless global and domestic organizations that are confronted with the dichotomy of saving lives and preserving peace, at the risk of defying the dominant minority, and they test the resilience of nations. The solutions to these challenges must be rooted in moral values and creative responses.

Financial instability presents another fire spot. Soaring national debts, a global issue, has consequences that threaten economic stability. The financial fragility of the world demands creative strategies to avert an economic collapse to the likes we have never seen before.

The skilled migration crises in America, Europe and Australia from third-world economies constitute yet another flame in this global conflagration. These crises have revealed societal fault lines, sparking debates on identity, inclusion, and security. Toynbee's wisdom underscores the importance of responding to these challenges creatively and with moral integrity.

The overarching concern is that these small fires may combine into a global firestorm, driven by climate change. That is no longer a distant threat; it is a present reality. Toynbee's concept of challenges not being too favourable to inhibit creativity is now challenged by the severity of environmental threats. The survival of civilizations depends on our response to this existential challenge.

We face a clear choice. These spot fires, if not addressed creatively, have the potential to coalesce into a global firestorm, consuming everything we know today.

Toynbee's words resonate even in our current context: "We are not doomed to make history repeat itself; it is open to us, through our efforts, to give history, in our case, some new and unprecedented turn." As architects of our future, we must embrace creative responses to the challenges before us.

In conclusion, our world stands at a crossroads, and the fires on the horizon could merge into an unprecedented inferno. The choices we make today, individually and collectively, will determine whether these fires are extinguished or left to consume the world as we know it. Toynbee's words remain a call to action, a reminder that the fate of our civilization rests in our hands. The challenges we face are daunting, but they are not insurmountable if we choose to respond with creativity, wisdom, and moral resolve.