ON THE THRESHOLD OF PARADISE

The history of civilization shows that it has passed through three major phases, and now all the indications suggest that it is in the fourth and final stage of its journey. The three major phases of civilization are: The Stone Age; The Agricultural Age; The Industrial Age. It is a matter of common knowledge that these phases of civilization have already taken place. Alvin Toffler, author of the bestseller,”Future Shock” published in 1970, says in his book that the fourth phase or probably the last period of civilization will take place in the near future. The author calls this fourth phase the Super-Industrial Age, which, when compared to the previous phases will be much more advanced. Therefore, in religious terms, it would be appropriate to consider this fourth phase as a spiritual civilization. Let us briefly study the different periods of civilization. It was a time when man could only use whatever material was present on the earth in its original form. Of all the materials, stone was the most readily available as well as the most useful. Although many other things existed on earth, this material took pride of place as it was the most widely used so this phase came to be called the Stone Age. As far as early Stone Age Homo sapiens were concerned, they possessed the same natural qualities as the people of the present day. Research has shown that the human brain during the Stone Age civilization was no different from the human brain today. It was only because of a lack of knowledge that man at that time could not utilize his hidden potential. Then came the Agricultural period, during which man discovered more and more ways of harnessing nature. This age saw the development of irrigation, ploughing, the rearing and breeding of animals, and the use of iron and carts with wheels. In this way it was possible to lead a better life as compared to that of the previous age. The Industrial Age began at the point when man moved ahead from animal power and invented mechanical power. Now man converted water into steam power and developed the steam engine. There was Research has shown that the human brain during the Stone Age civilization was no different from the human brain today.