CREATING A NEW SOCIETY AND CULTURE Penelope Polyzou was born in Athens, Greece, and studied Chemical Engineering in Vienna, Austria; She obtained her PhD Organic Chemistry from Berlin Germany, and came to Canada with her family in 1976.

What a magnificent prospective Canada offers in respect to a successful change of social human behaviour to face a rapidly evolving environment! We are so many people carrying with us the experiences and traditions of older cultures in a country rich in resources. At the same time, we all feel the pressures of the changing physical and social environment.

These conditions create ideal ground for the development of a great new culture.

The changes will not be smoothe or without controversy, especially at the individual level. On the macro-scale though, they should remain peaceful to ensure the prevalence of reasonable development. On the personal level, we all must open up our minds to viable ideas and values coming from different cultures.

As a Canadian of Greek origin, I am aware of the conditions which helped the ancient Greek culture to flourish: the first of the Greek settlers used and integrated the knowledge and cultural achievements of the neighbouring, older civilizations into their way of life .. such as mathematics, astronomy and technology from Egypt and Asia Minor, the alphabet, the art of sea travel and navigation from Phoenicia. They also profited tremendously from the knowledge of nature and agriculture held by native peoples in their new land. Most importantly, their willingness to adapt and change allowed them to progress and later to make their own impact in the area.

The decline of any civilization is usually the result of a rigid society and culture that neglects the essential progressive changes or of overpowering exterior influences.

It is now time to re-evaluate some older traditions, habits, tabus, hierarchical rules etc., of our own as well as of other cultural background and determine which values to expand on and preserve.

This can only be done if people feel they will lose nothing by dropping some characteristics of their cultural background and adapting others more relevant to our time. In other words, the complete disappearance of discrimination; and I think that Canadian society is well on its way to erradicating discrimination, although constant efforts towards this goal are still required.

A while ago we thought that we had nothing to learn from technologically underdeveloped cultures. It turned out to be a huge mistake; evident if we consider the damages which modern technological societies have inflicted to the physical environment upon which we all depend.

I really don't understand how our society intends to protect the environment if it still maintains economic rules which generously reward its destruction !

Reflections to this logical question are so far absent in the discussions and decision-making procedures. It is amazing, considering our intellectual capacities as a species, that the untouched natural wealth is not calculated as a valued component in the GNP (Gross National Product).

According to these economic rules, the price of a property in the downtown of a hopelessly polluted city is a thousand times higher than one in the relatively clean countryside.

The modern "classical" economic ruels recognize as values only the outcome of human efforts. Therefore the clear-cutting of forests in order to make houses, furniture, etc., adds value to the economy. The forest itself is worthless ?!

In contrast to these unwise rules, aboriginal cultures have a better understanding of the dependence of our species upon the physical environment. A forest for these cultures is never worthless, even if it stays untouched by human activity.

This kind of thinking is now, more than ever, relevent to our survival.

The majority of immigrants from diverse cultural backgrounds, are willing to drop some habits and ways of thinking and adapt to the contemporary way of life in Canada. On the other hand, they expect to be respected if they chose to keep other valuable traditions.

Personally, I willingly changed my way of life since coming to Canada, but I am critical of some entrenched habits and behaviour here. Such as the worship of the "weed-free" lawn, the consumption of processed food, the use of too many chemicals in everyday life, and the disproportionate emphasis of individuality versus the collective responsibility. A new balance needs to be found between the personal independence and the compromises of family life, based on the free will and consensus of all its members.

We can all benefit from exchanges of cultural experiences from different parts of the world.

This article was originally published in Cross Cultures Magazine in Volume 1 - Issue 5 - 1992. Unauthorized copying, distribution or other usage without express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.