'New' Alchemy - Expansionist philosophy of 'improvement'

'New' Caledonia, 'New' Zealand, 'New' England: Colonialist and capitalist vocabulary

The semantic nuances of the terminology 'new' and its pragmatic connotations, whether in the context of new order, new approach, new world, new day or new methodology has to be reread. Frequently associated with expansive aspirations of utilization, proliferation, augmentation, clearance, and reclamation, this usage necessitates a discerning scrutiny of the colonial and capitalist ethos underpinning notions of progress/development/improvement/perfection. 

I consistently harbor polemical and skeptical sentiments towards the notion of prospective positivity or potential possibility it purports to impart, akin to turning a blind eye. 

By examining world map (have a look at it), one can observe a commonality in places prefixed with 'new' – a pattern reflecting the outright erasure of indigenous livelihoods and histories, replaced by a notion of something deemed 'new.' 

How do you perceive the colonial concept of "new" in the context of New Zealand or New england per se? 'Resources' were something to be utilized and enhanced? Unaltered land was considered wild and waste if not used or cultivated? Outright erasure of eco-system to bring in something 'new'? Analogous to the fascist practice of renaming, or reminiscent of colonial paternalism aimed at civilizing the 'other'? Or is the perception that nature is inherently inert, subject to human control, and exploitable for the betterment of human well-being? A colonial endeavor aimed to elucidate the natural history of the colonies as a means to resurrect the purportedly diminished resource potential of the Earth, attributed to the primal sin of Adam? (This final question is derived from a paper authored by Pranav M). 

When 'newness' itself is an illution or a maya, what viable alternatives exist for existence if not through the pursuit of 'new'?

Adding a poem by Lord Tennyson

"To shape and use. Arise and fly

         The reeling Faun, the sensual feast;

         Move upward, working out the beast,

And let the ape and tiger die."

PS: I was reading Amitav Gosh.