Introduction
Civilization is recognized as a process by which humankind’s behaviors, cultural factors, rules, and social organizations have advanced and developed as compared to ancient times. For instance, there are changes in the entertainment sector where social platforms have emerged and are accessible to both parents and children. For example, Netflix, Instagram, and YouTube, unlike in the conventional era where forms of entertainment were storytelling and folk dances. The education sector has developed, formal education has been introduced and topics such as sexual education, which was regarded as taboo in traditional society, have now been incorporated into schools, among other subjects. Queer communities are being treated equally to straight, which differs from the traditional times because it was considered immoral. As depicted in the narrative text To Russia with Love, it is clear that ways of life have changed and advanced, and activities that were considered immoral during the conventional era are now being practiced.
Cultural Advancement in To Russia With Love
Education is a major factor with the aim of enlightening citizens who have experienced changes. For instance, sex education has been introduced in schools to all teenagers who are exposed to risks that come with unprotected sex and other unhealthy sexual practices (Garzón-Orjuela et al.). They are taught how to stay safe and also given safer options, such as the use of contraceptives or barrier methods to birth and disease control, such as condoms. This is because in this modern society, teenagers tend to be curious and engage in various forms of sexual pleasure, acts that are different from the traditional era where such acts were only recommended upon marriage.
Entertainment in the current era is provided in different ways; for instance, clubbing has been introduced, where youths visit for pleasure. They also engage in taking drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, and coke to enhance their sociability and for enjoyment purposes. Additionally, the introduction of social platforms such as Netflix and print media offers various topics and views hence enabling people to have their own perspectives regarding different scenarios they encounter. Currently, the use of drugs has been modernized, unlike in the old era when it was regarded as an immoral act.
Sexual orientation is about who an individual is attracted to sexually, emotionally, or romantically. For instance, a person may be attracted to the opposite sex or may be attracted to a person of the same gender or, to some extent, more than one gender. In today’s society, the sexual orientation of a person is respected; for example, queer communities are getting equal treatment to straight people and the number of gay individuals is growing at a high rate. This is an advancement because before, such acts were regarded as illegal. The individuals involved would not want to be recognized because it was generally considered taboo and the victims received various degrees of punishment depending on the community or society.
Religion has experienced changes because of the advancement of scientific theories, which have made individuals not believe in the existence of God. This has influenced some individuals not to follow biblical laws and orders and instead start doing some activities based on their perspective and instincts. For example, nowadays, human beings are engaged in intimate acts before marriage, which as per the biblical teaching, it is not recommended until marriage. The same teachings apply in the conventional world; the people followed biblical laws and never engaged in sex before marriage; after marriage, the act was mainly for procreation and companionship as instructed by God.
The concept of civilization relates to the narrative text To Russia with Love where the author also concurs that sex before marriage is a sin. “Add for Mormons, sex before marriage is considered the second most serious sin next to murder – a horrible thing” (Baker, Elna para 1). From this statement, it is clear that civilization has led to changes in society and how people view things. This is because one would never commit such a sin because it is already denoted as a taboo, but in the author’s situation, it is different. After she has lost her virginity, she shares the news with her parents and she is still loved despite causing a serious sin and being a disappointment to the Mormons community. This would have been a different case in the old era; the child would be disowned for losing their virginity before the marriage. It is also clear parents should learn to offer sex education in detail and not only encourage their children to keep their virginity because the culture is changing and children are exploring, unlike in the old era.
In, Baker’s story, the queer community is common, according to Baker’s best friend, who further states that gay people give a speech to their parents when they want to come to light and be recognized. This shows how culture has advanced because gay people before were regarded as ungodly and if identified, they would be disowned. It is because of civilization that there is the use of print media’s example magazines. This is highlighted when she states that she had written an article in a magazine known as Glamour sharing how she lost her virginity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cultural advancement has been experienced in both cases. That civilization has led to changes in people’s beliefs, way of living, and how they view things compared to the traditional era. For example, sex education has been introduced to schools similar to the narrative To Russia with Love where the author is engaging in sex talk with her parents, which is a rare case in the Mormons community.
Works Cited
Elna, Baker. “To Russian with Love.” The Moth. New York, NY. 2015. Web.
Garzons-Orjuela, Nathaly, et al. “Effectiveness of Sex Education Interventions in Adolescents.”Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing, vol.44, no.1, 2020, pp.15-48. Web.