Do civilizations have a definite goal?

If you examine the world's civilizations, they tend to be alike. The Egyptians, the Chinese, the Greeks, the Maya, the Romans , etc., all had golden eras. Trade, wealth, peace and a liberalization of "rights" appear to be characteristics of these civilizations at their best. Some even compare the US with ancient Rome. Granted this is a rosy picture. But is there something in being "civilized" that leads to a shared goal or end? When we learned to feed ourselves with farming, did we have to give up our "hunter gather" ways? From village to town to city to nation, are we learning to live in a "civilization"?
 


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