Social Fluidity

1. Intro
Some materials I have included in The Fluidity of Nature blog in the NATURE page have made writing this piece somewhat easier. In addition, the Transformation of Waves blog in the SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY page, written in the context of planning and design of coastal and port infrastructure provides us some insights on the transformation viewpoint of social fluidity. This piece - commemorating the First Nations Day on August 9th - also depends on our understanding of the Social Order posted in this page earlier.
In The Fluidity of Nature essay I have identified five important elements that characterize the fluidity we defined – TIME, CONTINUITY, RESILIENCE, ADAPTATION, and BALANCE and DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM. These elements are all the more important in the evolution of a society, perhaps in a more complicated fashion. Social fluidity is all about transformation that results from social actions and reactions in response and adaptation to the imposed forces and circumstances confronting a society. In the process a society attempts to balance itself in time to achieve dynamic equilibrium {I have selected a people image (credit: anon) in a cheerful mood}. The dynamic equilibrium to reach the stability of Unity. In Buddhist thoughts (The Tathagata), the rolling of the Unity have four faces – the Duality of the opposites (1 & 2), the entanglement (3) and the complementarity (4) of the Dualities.
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2. Fluidity Defines a Society
Why not rigidity instead of fluidity to define a society? What is wrong with rigidity? In an ever changing world on an impermanent paradigm, the notion of social rigidity is unrealistic and unnatural. Some elements of the social framework must evolve to accommodate the advances of time. Failure to appreciate the necessity of accommodating the advances delays or halts social progress – to the extent of causing instability in extreme cases. However, fluidity does not connote indiscriminate accommodations of everything; it rather indicates undertaking effective filtration processes for making smart choices.
Transformative processes defining social fluidity are visible the way we appear, the way we behave, and the way we act and react in handling the social issues of common interests. Like a fluid, a society takes the shape of its container – the container in this case is the climate and the existing cultural and economic factors. In some cases of close proximity the societal differences are less, while remoteness makes the differences wider.
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2.1 Social Viscosity and Density
Before going further, perhaps an attempt to find the parallelism between the fluidities of Nature and society will be helpful. The characteristics of a natural fluid depend on its viscosity and density, which in turn depend on pressure and temperature. A highly viscous fluid is more resistant to flow than a fluid of lower viscosity.
On a similar footing, it can be argued that a society of tenacious viscosity is defined by the soundness and firmness of its values, and by its stable social framework of unity and peace. A diluted viscosity makes a society vulnerable to change with rather minor and undesirable stimulus. Perhaps a quote from Persian mystic poet Rumi (1207 – 1373) is appropriate in this context: If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished? In a modern interconnected world of information, distraction and misinformation knock the doors of a society every single day. Therefore, it is all the more important why a society needs to stand on a stable framework of unity and peace. 
As pointed out earlier, the argument should not lead us to believe, however that a society should be impervious to change. Like the fluidity suggests, it is rather important for a society to be receptive to advanced and progressive ideas wherever they come from. It is also important to try to absorb and integrate those advances into the social fabric.   
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2.2 The Internal and External Stresses that Affect a Society
Let us try to analyze more of it. As a society faces external forces or internal stresses, it attempts to transform and evolve in time through resilience and adaptation to find the balance and achieve dynamic equilibrium. Why dynamic equilibrium? It requires being dynamic because when a society becomes static, it virtually heads to deathbed. The dynamic transformation processes become robust and progressive only when a society stands on a solid foundation, but at the same time has the capacity to absorb the advances.
What are the characteristics of a solid foundation? These are the social framework and principles on which a society stands. For example, a motivational social discipline to work for common good and unity is a solid foundation. On the other hand, a chaotic system promoting malpractice, corruption and divisiveness makes a society fractured and weak standing on a shaky foundation. As we have identified in the Governance blog in this page, solidity of a social foundation is secured when the three basic units of a social structure – FAMILY, BUSINESS ORGANIZATION and GOVERNMENT – work coherently and collectively to adapt to the positive transformation processes for common good.
There are also other dimensions to the characteristics. An important one comprises the national monumental achievements by individuals and organizations that make people proud, and add to the strength of a social foundation.     
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3. Social Energy
From where does a society derive energy to transform? People derive energy from their own motivation, and from families, friends and teachers. These four obvious factors in turn derive energy from the society where they are rooted – even from outside, in this era of the interconnected world. Social energy is derived from the combined motivations and pursuits of individuals, but it is mostly the social framework of values that defines its strength. A social framework evolves through decades and centuries of transformation. The most visible architects of a social framework are the political leaders and rulers.
Do all the energies benefit a society? As we all understand, people depend on the positive energy to move forward. Positive energy carries a society toward stability and progress while the negative energy pulls it down toward the breaking point and instability. Instability does not always mean political instability – it is rather the erosion of core values on which a society stands firmly. This erosion occurs silently and incrementally transforming and dragging a society into the wrong direction. 
There have been many beacons of light in history helping chart the paths to human progress. Examples of some visionary leaders who infused positive social energy in the recent past were: Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865), Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948), Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) and Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013).
On the other hand, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler (1889 – 1945) was also able to inspire the German society, but with a distorted ideology, dragging the society and the world with it into instability and war. Lack of motivation and inspiration originating from a shaky social foundation infuse negative energy into the minds of people.   
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3.1 Science and Technology, and Cross-cultural Exchanges Energize a Society
How do the cross-cultural exchanges affect the fluidity of a society? Cross-cultural exchanges enriched human societies from time immemorial. At least two revolutionary technological advances that have happened in the 20th century, have been transforming the societies all around the world like no other. With the iron bird started flying in the sky since 1914, the fluidity of nation states received its first jolt of major transformation. While scientists are throwing more light on past human movement and migration through DNA [Deoxyribo Nucleic Acid – genetic code defining individuals] analysis, thousands of years from now the human migration and cohabitation history may indicate a complete different canvas of amalgamation.   
The second super jolt came in the period between1960s and 1980s with the launching of personal computers and Internet Protocols. This jolt was followed by mobile phones that covered the remotest corners of the world, bringing all walks of people together into the communication network. Within a very short period of time the proliferation and popularity of Internet have revolutionized our lives. Access to resources, instant emailing, texting, audio and video communications have transformed the way we live and do business. Perhaps for the first time in history, its administration and regulation have tested the limits of authority of any particular country. Perhaps with this, the nature of social fluidity has entered into a new phase.
These transportation and communication technologies connecting nations together unlike anytime in the past have been shrinking the world at a very fast rate. Proliferation of these technologies is melting distances and cultures.
Most of these are good because exchanges help nations to know and understand each other. This in turn is helpful in promoting trade and minimizing mistrust and animosity. The harmful effects are often the cultural shock on traditional values, and the effects can be overwhelming sometime. In addition, Internet has opened the door to malicious activities and cybercrime in unbelievable rapidity adversely impacting all societies around the world, more in the Artificial Intelligence - the Tool of No Limit. But the good news is that a tenacious society always finds the way to adapt and transform through the filtration processes of discarding the harmful elements.    
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Here is an anecdote to ponder:
The disciple asked, “Sir, a question has been bothering me for sometime. It is about the difference between an innovator and a scholar.”
The master replied, “Um! Let me see. An innovator is someone who creates Pros and Cons. A scholar, on the other hand, is an intellectual who is embroiled with critical reviews of the Pros and Cons, and finding the differences between them.”
“Why Pros and Cons, Sir? I am afraid I do not understand it.” 
“Well, every major new idea, theory, method or product of value causes social stirs to some extent, because they are new to establishments. Some requires scholarly debates to argue both ways.”
“But some innovations also happen in our routine activities.”
“Smart star performers in every profession are innovative by nature. However, most of their innovations do not reach the level of causing social stirs; they rather cater to improving and refining the undertakings of the pioneers.”
“Although social stirs are caused, innovations hold the keys to social progress.”
The master looked pleased and smiled, “There you have it!” 

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- by Dr. Dilip K. Barua, 11 August 2016

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