Culture Versus Death by Antoine Gigal

This post is also available in: French

The Culture versus Death is the Common Heritage of Mankind it is incomparably rich in monumental remains, rich in useful informations to us, in know-how, in different lifestyles, cultures. And today, arts and knowledges are constantly feed with it.

But the precious teachings of our ancestors to all, are less and less protected, spread, used or even understood, while most of the time their knowledge are of a great ingeniousness with a high inherent beauty and with a very substantial respect for nature. I speak a lot about it in my public lectures, when I explain the incredible hydraulic systems of the Fayum oasis in Egypt, dating back 3000 years BC and still working, in total harmony with nature, helping still now the people: an amazing perfection to the point where a King alike Louis XIV (1638 -1715) of France (and many others) while enamored with modernity in his time, sent experts to see, trying to copy it.

Antoine Gigal with an egyptian child in the desert Photo:Antoine Gigal 2016

However, the culture and knowledge of the past integrated into our present are essential to keep away the ignorance so devastating and inhuman today. Obscurantism, prejudices, are war machines, organized manipulations to try to destroy our impulses, our enthusiasm for freedom, to denature our arts and to silence the millennial culture of each people that makes all the beauty.

I was in Egypt during the foreign threats to the heritage of humanity, and, the so ancient Egyptian culture still very alive in its population was of great value, and a great protection against the evil. My Egyptians friends were organized night and day for culture against the death of it, not to mention their efforts. They were strongly assuming again their culture, merely the life. I witnessed touching scenes, people very involved in the defense of their heritage which have left no chance to the demons.

When we leave Culture it is like we become orphans, without deep roots, and we sail led by people seeing only their own individual interests. We let to soulless administrative decisions and political events that are going beyond us by their malignancy, our human destiny, we have renounced to the simple common sense which is our only treasure of goodwill. Common sense makes us benevolent because it protects us, in all circumstances, it removes the forces of chaos.

In fact we are dying slowly: everything becomes dark, and as many have decided for us that we are no longer able to fight against ignorance, many people prefer not to think. They believe that by not thinking more, they can still be happy and they are looking to only poor entertainment, without future, where no effort is needed, teaching them nothing: beautiful soap bubbles bursting, as soon as they are completed.
And life becomes sad with the blind credulity of some people, the ignorance erected as a principle and the many fears coming from aggravated conflicts, with the misunderstanding that generates anger.

Yet everyone has an opinion and all want to impose it without calming the situation. As Samuel Butler wrote: “the most real characteristics of ignorance are vanity, pride, and arrogance.” And coincidentally, it is especially ignorant people who are wishing to impose their views and who are doing so, violently in addition.
Everyone has forgotten our Socrates who has spent his life to explain to us the difference between opinion or belief and knowledge, the so different and immortal knowledge, our defensive wall against all the perversities of history and of our little lives. Because many have renounced or ignores completely (because nobody explained to them) the famous precept on the pediment of the temple of Delphi: “know yourself”.

Yes, because everything begins there: a deep work on oneself: what we are, our aspirations, who are our ancestors, how they lived and why. I have not escaped to it because of my curiosity. This plunges us into a humble quest in our own culture and we start to understand many things, we find models of life, we start to immerse ourselves in what we will be able to accomplish in our turn: we are building our aspirations, we are improving to achieve our dreams. We create our own culture and at the same time we are linking ourselves to the broader culture.
Culture must be for everyone a source of personal and economic development far of any indoctrination and ideology and should release the youth of self-destruction and violence, because culture is precious in our blood, it flows through our veins for millennia and nourishes us in all our creativity. In order that, nor the youth, nor the elders get this feeling of abandonment, this scent of death, feeling to be attached to nothing, not being respected and respecting nothing, feeling to be encircled by an hostile society lost in profits only and without values, in this black hole of the ignorance.

Everyone is responsible but can remedy by reading more, learning more, not talking without knowing, not believing all without doing research, by searching your own family story, the one of your neighborhood or of your vacation spot or of your dreams, travelling the more possible, learning different languages and cultures, protecting the heritage, learning continuously, without stop, admiring our differences, our wealth. We all have a duty to educate, to teach, and learn continuously. And internet, yet so misused, is an amazing tool for that.

The ancient Egyptians not ceased to explain in their most ancient texts that the only thing that we take after our death that serves us, and makes us immortal, it is our knowledge, our whole culture learned and accumulated, and they advocated to learn continuously, to study constantly.

Let us destroy the ignorance and let us act for the culture! Let us remember the famous words of Victor Hugo in 1847: they are still topical: “To destroy poverty, this is what I want. Yes I want to rush you into  progress.” (Speech to the Assembly against the death penalty). And let us not forget that the ignorance of ignorance is the death of Knowledge and Culture!

Culture versus death by Antoine Gigal

I prepare two sets of e-classes for you to go in this direction and far beyond, one of the series will collect the knowledge of the ancient Egyptian priests and the other is a work on your destiny with the philosophers of Alexandria.          

 To be notified when it’s ready don’t miss to sign up to the newsletter of this blog ! 

Text and photos by Gigal
All rights reserved.©AntoineGigal2016

This post is also available in: French