Proper development requires a proper picture of the civilizational future

How to develop the homeland? This is a question that all nations and societies seek to answer; Each to its own logic and pattern. The importance of a proper development plan is in its welfare and its preparation for the favorable futures of society and the homeland. The second case, laying the groundwork for achieving the desired futures, is a part that is even more important than the first case.

In fact, sometimes it is not possible to achieve welfare quickly during development programs, but it is necessary to be sure that with the chosen program, the desired welfare can be achieved and the society based on that program can respond to its problems and meet its needs in time. But good welfare, good development, and good plans all depend on how good our image is for the future of our community, our city, and our country.

In other words, what would we like the future of our homeland and cities to be like? How this image is or how it can depend on knowing who we are, how we look and behave, and based on "who we are" and our behavior and our attitude, what we want to become and where we want to go.

For example, is Paris or New York or London or Tokyo, all four of which belong to developed communities, our preferred city? Do we want the future and the culture and human relations of the people of our city to be like the city and the people of London, or do we just like a few of its strengths and avoid the rest of its challenges and weaknesses?

Do we tend to live an individualistic life and want to have a society with a high degree of freedom for the individual, or do we instead want a high level of solidarity between members of society and the strengthening of an institution such as the family?

What should be the architecture of the city, the style of the houses, the interaction of the citizens with each other, etc. The answer to these and similar cases will make our image of the city and the society that we seek through development. To be more precise and comprehensive, if we want to say, we must build and select the desired civilizational picture.

Why the desired image should be civilizational, or why we call such an image civilizational, depends on the comprehensiveness and impediment of the concept of civilization. Civilization encompasses and reflects our history, culture, identity, lifestyle, attitude and action. Therefore, paying attention to it and trying to correct it includes all the necessary dimensions of life and also prevents us from deviation or short-sightedness. Knowing who we are in relation to civilization helps us to have a more accurate picture.

If we are a Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or agnostic community, there will naturally be huge differences in our view of the ideal city. Also, the type of our culture will change our behavior, ethics and aesthetics, and we will draw a different city in our minds accordingly.

All this means that it is important to be fully aware of the identity and the main features of our culture in order to create a more favorable image of our future and our new civilization. Once we have created the desired image of civilization for ourselves, we need to move towards it. The stages of movement and the quality of our movement depend on the civilizational program and the quality of our culture.

As the image of civilization should be drawn desirable and well-made. The individual and social culture of the current society should also be well considered in order to eliminate its shortcomings, weaknesses, and diseases, and to improve the quality of movement based on it.

* Ph.D. in Civilization Studies from Tehran University, Researcher in Future Studies of Civilization (DAA)