Environmental Forces that Promote Social Change
Social systems are comprised of values, ideas, beliefs, knowledge, discoveries and exchanges. It is said that these elements are being transformed by the changes brought about by the environment. The environmental forces play a major role in ensuring that we change for us to be able to survive in the universe.
Scientific theories on creation also suggest that human body functions were transformed to enable man to survive (Behrens & Neumaier, 2009). For instance, the need to develop a language was triggered by the need for communication. This paper will shed light on some of the environmental factors that are responsible for initiating social change, including environmental degradation, increase in population, technological advancement, and education.
Environmental Degradation
In ancient days, most communities did not have to toil to earn their daily bread because there were adequate resources in the environment to sustain them. Some were hunters while others gathered wild fruits, but this lifestyle did not last for long. According to Behrens & Neumaier (2009), this is because more forests had to be cleared with the purpose of establishing homes.
When the bushes were cleared, the lands were left vulnerable to soil erosion and the wild animals became extinct while others migrated away from human settlements. With time, the lands that were once fertile could no longer sustain any plant life. The people who depended on such plants and animals had to look for alternative means of survival.
The physical destruction of the environment has also interfered with the weather patterns and thus, farmers who relied on rainfall have to switch irrigation systems. This is because the trees that attracted and trapped the moist clouds are no longer existent, thus the farmers have to manually water their crops. Similarly, human activities such as industrialization have led to the destruction of the ozone layer and thus, people have to grow their crops inside green houses.
Increase in Population
The increase in population is also an environmental force. The force’s impact is very gradual such that people do not realize it. Cournover (2010) explains that when human population was still low, communities were bonded together by their values, but as more people continued to be born the social values and beliefs lost their place in the society. This is because communities could no longer continue residing in one place.
Communities had to disperse in search of better livelihoods. During such migrations, they found themselves among other different communities. This led to cultural clash and thus, a unique culture had to be developed. For instance, in ancient communities, marriage was mandatory for all men and women, but nowadays it is optional.
Likewise, the search for better livelihoods has transformed the society in general. This is because interactions involving people from different cultural backgrounds have resulted in an increase in knowledge. Rynkiewich and Ward (2008) argue that most communities are comprised of people from different backgrounds and thus, their culture is not pure because it comprises several blends.
For instance, the Arabic architecture spread through trade, and one can identify it by evaluating the buildings in a given environment. Additionally, Africans were converted to Christianity and Islam through their interaction with Christians and Muslims from other nations. During such interactions, the dominant cultures dominated some cultures. For instance, most Africans born and brought up in Europe can hardly converse in their native languages.
Technological Advancement
Technological advancement is also responsible for triggering social change. Man has been using his acquired knowledge to make his occupation on the universe enjoyable. The early man discovered that eating raw food consumed more time and thus, invented fire, which could be used to soften the food and kill the germs at the same time. Back then, man could only use firewood, but today he can use electricity, petrol and gas to make a fire.
In addition, Yuval-Davis (2009) states that technology has changed the way we communicate, learn trade, and defend our territories. For instance, when technology was still under development, learners had to cover longer distances to get to the learning centers, but today learners can travel much faster through road transport and better still learn from the comfort of their homes via the Internet.
Moreover, traders can also sell their merchandise without moving a foot. However, the developments in technology have eroded creativity because many people rely on technology to perform their daily activities.
Education and Social Change
Education plays a very significant role in transforming the society. Without knowledge, a society cannot change and thus, would remain bound to its cultural values. By learning, societies are able to identify the strengths and shortcomings in their cultural practices. This causes people to abandon the practices that are deemed irrelevant.
Most of the learning does not take place in the classroom because there are fewer learning facilities and thus, most people learn through experience. Education helps to understand who we are, what we can do and what we should get from others. For instance, China has a one-child policy, which limits the number of children a couple can have. This is because the country understands that its resources are not adequate.
Conclusion
The world is where it is today, mainly because of the changes triggered by the environment. The scarcity of natural resources has made us resort to renewing the resources to ensure that we can still meet our needs without exhausting the raw materials. If the population of mankind had not increased, our communities would still be bound together.
On the other hand, technological developments have proved that we can still maintain our social ties even when we are miles apart, particularly through social media. Moreover, technology helps us to achieve our missions faster and in a very effective manner. All the above achievements are because of our aggressiveness towards acquiring knowledge.
References
Behrens, G. & Neumaier, M. (2009). Change Management of Socially Relevant Habits. Management Revue, 20(2), 176-189.
Cournover, R. B. (2010). The Social Work Skills Workbook. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Rynkiewich, M. & Ward, G. (2008). Cultural Transformation and Religious Practice. Scottish Journal of Theology, 61(4), 503-505.
Yuval-Davis, N. (2009). Gendered Globalization and Social Change. NIAS Nytt, 1, 26-29