This Matter of "Culture"
"Culture" is about knowing what is going on right now -- and not simply keeping alive the memories and traditions of what went on centuries ago.
What every generation has to learn, is as much as what is being discovered currently at the frontiers of thinking presently -- and not what people thousands of years thought was the limits of the understanding of their world.
There's just only so much time, energy and resources to devote to life in every time, and I think rightly, education shouldn't just be for its own sake -- but must have a practical end of preparing everyone to be the pioneers and creators of state of the art information and communications -- rather than valuing "knowledge" for its own esoteric sake to parade inappropriately that one is a very "learned" person -- who is invariably failing miserably at living their daily lives.
A new kind of learning is required -- in things that actually matter and what they actually use -- instead of academic generalizations of presumed cultural enrichment and distinction.
The most revered yet also the most progressive cultures in these times, are China and India. Those cultures and societies have been so successful and withstood the test of time over the millennia, that they feel secure enough to regard their present responses to the challenges of these times -- as what their culture is all about and defines, rather than cultures that have long ago lost their meaning, purpose and reason for being -- to mere repetition of the rituals practiced long ago in a different time and age, as though that is all that is necessary to fulfill life in any age.
Therefore, they have a preference for the solutions of the past and solving problems only in hindsight, rather than pioneering and creating for humanity, the state of the art of living in these present times. For such people, all their references are about what they should have done twenty years ago, a lifetime ago or even yesterday -- and never giving the proper attention and relevance to the possibilities and opportunities available right now -- that create an even greater world of possibilities and opportunities for the future.
Instead,their culture, is simply all about preserving the past, as thought those must remain the limits of the future. Such cultures and societies, have no future.
posted by Mike Hu @ 6:15 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Do you realized that some voices are suppressed and distorted?
I've written many letters to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and Adverrtiser -- only to have them suppressed or greatly distorted to say something other than I had intended, when quite obviously, the writing required no "editing" for clarity or brevity.
I don't know what their issues are -- beyond the typical Island mentality of control, dominance and elimination of truly diverse and competing viewpoints other than their own self-determined "politically correct" ones.
This is particularly true of how people's bigotries, prejudices and hatred are all right -- as long as directed to the politically correct targets as determined by these editors.
I recall pointing this out in the virulent, strident and relentless abuses of the President in particular as vicious, crude and very partisan attacks appearing regularly as "features" of these publications -- and even demonstrated its offensiveness by simply substituting "editors of this newspapers" for references to President Bush, and got responses from those editors that they were the most vile, offensive and hurtful words they had ever seen directed at them -- and pointed out that that is what they allowed in their editorial supervision.
So while it would be nice for everyone to submit and express their viewpoints for the community to share in the true representation of the collective intelligence, the fact is, it is heavily controlled still (characteristic of "edited" publications) and that is why many have resorted only to comments and postings on the Internet -- which of course, is largely responsible for making the newspapers what they are today -- mostly shills for the unions, Democrats and other public relations good ol' boys networks.
Every generation loves their culture. They respect and get angry if any one describes it in a wrong way. We should honor every culture that we see and try to learn good things of that culture.
______________________________
john
Addiction Recovery Hawaii
We should honor the best in every culture -- as a contribution to the functional universal culture we are aware of.
Cultures have value to the extent they aid those living in the present -- deal with the present, not not simply worshipping and revering the past -- and thinking that doing things the same way they've always been done, has survival (cultural) value.
That is the whole purpose of any culture -- to increase survival value -- and not simply to repeat and recall long past that significance.
Post a Comment
<< Home