What Is This Place…? | Human Civilization
Waking up to the snoozing alarms and pulling themselves out of bed, slowly walking out to the balcony where honking cars and pedestrians all look like tiny little figures would instead seem like a normal routine. Anyone who lives in the modern world must quickly learn what it’s like to be surrounded by bustling, constantly moving people, advanced automotive & transit networks, and buildings touching the gloomy skies. This ever-rushing world heavily dependent on mass infrastructures and rapidly growing technologies must be a regular sight of modern Human civilization, which might not surprise anyone now but it surely would put everyone to panic if asked to imagine a world where Architecture as a whole, which heavily influenced all of these Never Existed!
Such a scenario would be a very bizarre imagination since Architecture has knitted itself quite well into the user’s lives that it has become an integral part of each other and started to co-exist.
Right from the instant people wake up in their bedrooms, to the place they work at, to the places they hang out at; every space used for any activity is the creation of Architecture. Each Human activity is always intertwined with the Space they use. Architecture would set the right premise and ambience for any human interaction or activity. Still, understanding its core, isn’t the structure just earth, bricks, stones, and cement? But what adds meaning to it would be the amalgamation of the User and an Activity!
Architecture: The Question!
Revisiting the regular daily routines of civilised Human society, would it still be the same if Architecture had not existed? Or the question should, rather, will civilised society function the very same way in the absence of Architecture? If the user and activity are what had always defined space, then would it call for a possibility of Advanced Human Civilization existing in a world where Architecture in the forms of huge infrastructures and transit connectivity Never Seized to Exist???
The “What If?” Universe The Beginning | Human Civilization
Dating back to the early centuries when humans wandered off the continents travelling from place to place where Humans thrived to survive. All they required was food to eat, clothes to wear, and a roof to live under. Naturally formed caves and huge trees would be the discoveries that would protect the then ancestors from the hottest of days to the coldest of the nights and the harshest of the weather. As a user of the then shelters, it would be the discovery that would change them and their lifestyles forever.
The Settlements
As time went on and humans learned how to grow their crops, they would rather mark it as the day Human Civilization had finally begun, but none of these ancestors knew what path they would have paved for the coming generations. Early humans had learned how to settle with this discovery, but was that it? Or there were still challenges awaiting them. Obtaining the optimal site would always be difficult since finding shade to live in and important resources such as fresh water and farming land nearby would be complex.
Although it was difficult for Early Man to obtain ideal living conditions, this put him in danger. However, it also opens up a world of endless opportunities, such as creating artificial lakes and freshwater channels from the nearest freshwater sources. Even Though people were becoming accustomed to these circumstances, these settlements still did not manage to build a haven from dangerous wildlife and severe weather, where tunnels were still preferable to trees and shade for survival.
Towards The Medieval Era | Human Civilization
This would mark the era when Humans had learned enough to mould their circumstances to their needs, where kingdoms expanded, towns were made under thick-grown forests, and kings would oversee the kingdom from the highest caves in the Hills.
This would also mark an Era when people lived in utter fear since they would never have fortified themselves with distinct boundaries, creating the safest place for them to protect the kingdom and defeat their enemies. This would always leave them at risk of falling prey to the enemies, and people who don’t stand in the battlegrounds, like women, kids, and older people, would be easy victims of these battles.
The Modern Era
Modern Era? In this universe, would Modern Era still be defined the same way? Would Humans reach the technological advancements and accomplishments as expected? The answer would be very uncertain since, in this Era, Civilized society would have moved further to a Democratic Society and a technologically advanced society. However, it would still be very different as no proper amenities exist to support these systems.
Transit systems, technological connectivity, and machinery would become a part of this world but would there be supporting infrastructure to prevent them from collapsing? Would factories ever be created to house all the manufacturing of utilities? Would technology even be widely available to people if it didn’t exist? Would manufacturing still be a labour-intensive & time-consuming activity?
Dr Stone Anime
One such Japanese anime, “Dr Stone,” centres on a young science prodigy, “Senku” who has just awoken after being petrified for countless years due to an unknown cause. Then he embarks on a quest to restore humanity to the stone Age. In the anime series, numerous sequences demonstrate how challenging it would be to build a technological marvel during a time without modern infrastructure. His explorations have given the situation new avenues for investigation.
Conclusion | Human Civilization
So far, the story has given a perspective of a new world and its possibilities of living. Where lack of infrastructure and advancements might seem like a huge disadvantage but also looking on the brighter side, Humans, contrary to this, would learn to make the best of what they get from Mother Nature and to respect and make a living within it, unlike this world.
This would also lead to one curious question: What would the ancestors of the Human Race be leaving behind for future generations to look back at? If the modern generations had to trace back their roots to where they belong, where would they even search for?
Would the lack of a livable built space also mean a lack of identity? The questions are still open…
Though the unanswered questions remain, and many more questions about how humans would evolve themselves and millions more possibilities like what would they have done to get where they are and how? The questions just keep going, but one thing everyone knows for a fact is that Humans have Never left faith in themselves and looked for hope even in the darkest of times and made the best of what they could.
Reference List :
- ArchDaily. 2022. “As Long as There Are Human Beings and their Challenges, There Will Be Architecture”: In Conversation with Ole Bouman. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/959771/as-long-as-there-are-human-beings-and-their-challenges-there-will-be-architecture-in-conversation-with-ole-bouman
- Wagih F. Youssef. (2015) Architecture And Civilization. [online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275971843_Architecture_and_Civilization
