Dynamics of Culture

As I have pointed out in previous blogs, I do not define culture as how people, dress, choose to communicate, and so forth. Surely these things are "culture" but often a problem we face in language is the ambiguousness of words. There is one aspect of culture that is simply a useful way to optimize social interactions.  This aspect of culture I have no complaints with.

However is there is also a dark side of culture. Which is the subjugation of the individual to the collective.

In other words the position that your needs, your wants, your desires are not important to those of the collective (culture). Like most things cultural this is not a position one necessarily accepts, but rather assumed.  It is a default. A prejudice. A bigotry.

However the problem with culture, is that if it is accepted prejudices are not recognized as prejudices but rather as virtues. This is the corrupting power of culture.

The only times cultures recognize prejudices and bigotries is in the examination of competing cultures. For example the American right in general rejects homosexuality, the American left recognizes this as a prejudices, however they accept the basic prejudice of patriotism.  Obviously patriotism is not recognized as a prejudice to Americans, but its more then clear to any competing culture.

This is what Richard Dawkins is implying when he says "We are all atheists, some of us just go one god further". The Christian culture openly believes Zeus to be ridiculas and silly, but the Christian god a valid belief, even though the metaphysical differences between the two are not significantly different.  One simply has more cultural relevance over the other.

Now something I hope we are beginning to understand is that when I speak about culture I am not talking about American culture or Islam culture, ext... I am talking about the concept of culture as a whole.

There are many different layer and levels of culture. You can be part of a republican culture and still be within the American culture, which is a part of spread thin world culture.

However the most potent culture is the family (I am forever indebted to the philosopher Stefan Molyneux for his brilliant analysis of the family). It is out most intimate relationship with authority. And from there is builds up.

When it comes down to it all relationships are either built of mutual self-respect, which is the essence of individualism, or manipulation and intimidation which is the essence of culture.

The purpose of manipulation and intimidation is to establish obligations that cannot be established by appealing to self interest (or by means of mutual self-respect). I believe that it can be seen that is a lack of self esteem that gives people power over us and conversely it is self esteem that is the opposite of culture. It is in the hatred of the love of the collective is born.

The most essential issue of integrity is whether or not be believe in things by cultural default or because its true. If you were born believing a prejudice was a virtue how would you know it? Only by rigorous self examination and everything that he hold highest can the sincere life become possible.

So perhaps the one bigotry that I would like to uncover that should help uncover all others, is that culture is not a virtue, but a disease. An anti-human concept ridden with guilt and manipulation rather then openness intimacy, curiosity, and everything that makes life beautiful and wonderful.

About 2 years ago I came up with a maxim that changed my life forever, and I believe it will do the same for you if you take it heart.

No collective abstraction can compensate for an individuals relationship with truth.

We must be willing to stand and look and the universe as a single human being.  It is not a matter of conformity vs non-conformity, but rather conformity vs living life honestly and sincerely.