Culture, Counterculture, Society

Culture, Counterculture, Society
by
Robin Hall


This note is mostly a set of questions. So many questions, so small a brain. : ^(

I looked the words up and there are problems so the following will definitely reflect some of these problems. I use several fine dictionaries OFTEN. Yet, the interactions of words is not as simple as many think.

Most just don't think and serious problems happen in the name of righteousness, self sanctification, familiarity or fear of the future and the real world, of others.

The main question is this: what sort of stresses, per se, does trying to live in more than one culture at a time produce? Each culture and or society [ Please look these words up no matter how smart you are. Use 1-Click Answers , google, a dictionary or the like but do look up the words, they are trickier than I thought to pin down. ] has its own stresses for most folks IN the culture.

Few cultures are simple and uniform.

Historical cultures were not as simple as we thought.

Most cultures today have external cultures coming into their culture and upsetting or challenging the culture and at such a fast pace that conflict is inevitable.

Change today is rapid often rabid.

People in rapid flux often depend on previous cultural influences that fail the standards of today. Tragedy is inevitable.

Religions of the past clash with their own present day version/s AND the values of present day society.

Essentially or an example. Say you live in a muslim society / culture. Some of the world despises the way your women are "treated." Most of the world won't tolerate your extremists mandating, "Convert or we will kill you."

You live in a time of so many different cultural influences that confusion reigns and rains and reins.

What to do? Some will embrace the new. Many of these will suffer or have to migrate and start over.

Some will not embrace the new and will break off. Some of these will become very radical, some moderate.

All are confused but is the best way to deal with other cultures to kill them? Pervert your children into believing the very oldest parts of YOUR culture is the ONLY way to live in the modern world? Build so called schools, madrassas that teach NOTHING but your koran, your bible, holy book AS INTERPRETED BY SCARED MEN, oops, should the letters be interchanged? for you; and also teach a level of hate toward others unheard of in the world today?

I think not.

Getting back to the main question. Well, that is what I tried to do.

The stresses of modern changing cultures, the intense pressures of integrating into a real world that you don't care for, well a proper response is not to kill folks who don't embrace the older versions of your culture or modern versions either.

Simply not falling for YOUR version of the world should not place anyone at risk. Sure, do as you wish but when you wish to kill me in this. If I don't believe YOU, hey, lock and load motherfucker. I NEVER did anything to you. YOU did this. Lock and load and understand that in America, WE can own arms. Drat. I just spoke out for the NRA. Well, I could have been wrong but Charlton Heston was never MY president and you NRA members should check your bumper stickers for this.

Our Constitution did not state the NRA's president was the country's president and you are under the microscope for this ridiculous bumper sticker and NO one of your cohorts will admit to being wrong or criticizing any NRA member and something stinks and your rhetoric is HURTING the USA in this.

Some folks today just ignore culture and try to live like previous generations did, but peacefully. No one suffers in this social experiment.

Some adapt to the new influences and their past is diluted or forgotten.

Some flourish in the changes, BUT, many cultural / human aspects of life get set aside or worse.

Life IS changing and always has. The range of reality is broader than we, personally, might wish, but its going on. We cannot kill others who don't believe as we do.

The range of what makes us human is greater than we might wish to understand and includes more than these items:

-Culture

-Society

-Biology

-Emotion

-Intelligence and intellection / thinking. Hmm. Thinking does not require much intelligence and many forget this.

-Spiritual leanings. Well this is troubling since many have NO such leanings and are often criticized, killed or worse by those who do. Another problem is others with different spiritual leanings. They, too, are often criticized, killed or worse by those who have one belief.

-Greed. How many wars, bombings, murders and the myriad of human tragedies haven't have been caused, at least in great part, by greed of the wealthy and those wishing for more than they earned?

-The ability to completely misunderstand others due to language, social and cultural differences and hasn't this been a problem over the eons?

Yeow.

Now with all these problems. Is there anything that can be done to lessen the problems of cultural and social differences, the changing times, etc.?

I have no answers. I have suggestions. Maybe you do. That's too easy isn't it? We all think about the future and try to do better.

Now add all of society's or culture's "others." People in their own country, culture, society who don't fit average society in one way or other:

-gays / lesbians are in all societies. They don't call for the destruction of society yet they "challenge" some status quo or other AND are still in danger in most parts of the world. Wouldn't love and acceptance help here when some societies, cultures say NO to their own members?

-people who are damaged. What to do with them? Love and respect them or try to ignore or hurt them? Look within. You might be next.

-people who are different, and this includes artists, recluses and more varieties of humans than anyone wants to feature and what to do with them? Love and respect them or try to ignore or hurt them?

Well, more than a few questions. No answers or solutions here other than embrace differences, add love and advance into the facts of the future the best you can without killing others.

No fatwas required.