A philosophical view of the world’s civilizations

The western civilization that was born in Europe has been dominant over the last centuries all around the world. A new era where China and the eastern philosophy arises and soon we will have to understand this culture that will be constantly gaining ground and become popular. To understand our differences we have to move backward and see how ideas have been shaped and how the world has been shaped around us.

1. Colors and the science behind them
   Red is the color of fire and it represents the action and the energetic mood. It is also the color of the blood. In paintings when revolutions are depicted the red color often dominates since during revolutions and wars death is an often phenomenon. Blue, on the other hand, is linked to calmness and less warm feelings. It is the color of the sea that reflects the color of the sky.

   The human eye can capture a specific number of colors and sounds. Both colors and sounds travel through space by waves. There is a particular length of frequencies that our body structure allows us to perceive. The blue and the red color are both on the edges of this spectrum that we can see with our human eyes. They could be considered to be two opposites.

2. Newton had a whole proposition
   A philosophical view could see these opposites as the two different forces in nature. Isaac Newton the famous physicist established the three laws of Newton. His laws are a comment on the movement. How things move is of great importance. According to Newton balance is a state where objects not only stay still but can also move as long as their velocity is stable. This statement hides a huge philosophical issue. Even though movement takes place when an object is moving slowly Newton considers we still talk about a condition of balance. What is the factor that differentiates balance from a no-balance state?

   The answer is given by the concept of change. Only objects that change their velocity are considered to be in a non-balance state. The change of velocity destroys the balance. In other words, change is what brings things to a condition where balance is disturbed. The way Newton established the laws shows the way people used to think back then and we could say that a similar mindset accompanies us up to now.

   We could say movement and stillness are the two opposites but the criterion of balance comes in the way and provides a further perspective that complicates things and allows us to introduce the concept of change and balance. Linking our assumptions to what our senses can perceive we could say that red is the change and blue is the balance.

3. Transferring the lessons to bridge the gap
   Western civilization seems to encourage people to be energetic and change the conditions around them. It is a compliment to say that someone is ambitious and that they are brave enough to oppose things they dislike. People in Asia focus on how someone will find inner peace and will be friends with the surrounding environment, whether this is people or nature. Being too loud can be translated to rudeness and lack of manners.

   It is a known fact and quite obvious now that we learn more and more stuff about the eastern civilization that accepting things as they are is a part of their culture. Yoga that is now so popular is a way to show people this perspective.

   There is no wrong and right. We could say that the philosophy of Asians has kept them in the dark for years and it made them less flexible because they did not communicate their feelings and thoughts. At the same time though, the history of Europe is full of wars and tragedies that could have been avoided if their culture encouraged them to be more peaceful and calm.

   Every coin has two sides and they both have pros and cons but the important thing is to understand what finally separates us and how we can make this a reason to come closer and avoid being afraid of things that are different.