The Illusioned Word - Civilization

The other day I just came across this word 'Civilization". Being a human being, anxiety led me to discover and understand something more about it. I immediately goggled (searched) it, as we call it today and found the definition as "a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)". I found myself to be pretty much correct in that it related to the society as it exists or existed at different points of time, like studied in history like Harappa civilization. By this time, I understood that at different times, society in various forms (civilizations) had been having different salient features. But somehow I was also forced to ponder at the current society which is thought of in the most advanced of all the stages.

The current society is talked about as the most developed one. But is that really so? There are quite big political, legal or religious organizations. Science has reached new heights. Same is the case with economy everywhere. But does that mean present human civilization has reached its peaks.

As a layman, I understood that early man didn't know how to cook or eat or dress up. But today's man takes great amount of care in his dress up or the food he eats. But does this basic thing to live or eat the sole criteria for any civilization. If we see around, human being today is controlled in every possible way simply to make him act in a desired way that is thought to be perfect. He is guided where to walk, when to walk and even what to do or not. There are fines and strict rules all around. The reason seems like making the human act in the assumed perfect way. Doesn't everybody know all these basic things for himself.

If all the rules and all the fines are removed for even a single hour, there will be chaos everywhere. Probably, man may behave as an early man except that he will eat cooked food and dress up with clothes. And the same way if an early man comes up and is put in the same structure as today, won’t he act the same way as today's man. It really seems quite funny.

On what basis do we really say that the present civilization is in the most advanced state. Probably, the times when there will be no rules to be acted upon and the human himself will know what to do and what not, would be the most civilized state.