Americans detached from culture and spirituality

[turquoise70]

Hey guys. I'm writing this because, like many young Americans with highly mixed ancestories living in contemporary culture, I feel sort of empty when I hear some of my friends talk about the closeness they feel to their culture; mostly my friend of Mexican heritage, and right now I'm reading a book about the Apache people. This ties in closely with spirituality and our separation from it as a society, as I see it.

I've discovered a sort of optimistic viewpoint on this 'problem' (it's not really a problem per se, but it does upset me personally to feel totally divorced from my ancestory and culture and any sense of personal spiritual satisfaction) which I think is, at the very least, plausible and reasonable.

Sorry if I'm rambling; this is gonna be a ramble-post. I'd cite the excuse that I'm high, except right now I'm not. I'm just a rambler.

Often times, being a young american with a mixed set of histories and ancestories, I feel detached from history and culture I can call my own when reading books about Apache people and stuff.

Many times, people respond to this by saying, well, us whiteys have totally severed ourselves from spirituality. We have LOST the ability to be spiritual, to be in time with nature, we have LOST touch with our ancestors. A lot of times people react by telling me they think we are simply empty people, and those benefits which exalt life and cause us to celebrate ourselves and our people no longer belong to us, a sort of permenant cosmic loss of faith.

I don't agree, though. I don't think it means that -we- as a people are empty or adrift and devoid of culture, I think we just fail to see it in the right ways. I think we as individuals each carry the potential to be every bit as spiritual and close to earth as, for instance, native americans; but suffer from not seeing ourselves that way (failing to see that we have that potential), and as an extention of that failing, our society ignores our potential to be cultural and spiritual. It starts when the individual is immersed in a culture which doesn't often concern itself with personal, real spirituality, detaches itself from nature, and emancipates itself from its own history by relegating it to textbooks and libraries. My quest to find personal satisfaction spiritually and culturally started when I actually -did- start learning about my ancestory. I found out I'm not just another Minnesotan Swede: I'm actually part Cherokee, part Canadian, part Portugese, among other things! And I don't feel these facets of my history are useless and arbitrary: they go into who I am. Just because I'm not Cherokee enough to legally profit from casino revenue doesn't mean I can't own it as a part of who I am, and who my forbears once were.

So i take it upon myself to see my culture, my history, my people, my spirituality, and myself in the way I think most reasonably and endearingly ties me to my past and my culture. I don't believe any human should feel they aren't entitled to a sense of personal involvement with a culture they appreciate, or the ability to choose not to associate themselves with a given culture, but rather with another. If I feel more spiritually in touch thinking x, y, or z about myself, rather than "you are a capitalist whiteboy slave to corporate society and dead to the virtues which come from any other culture", then i shall think those things about myself and anyone else ought to be able to. I don't believe there's any rule which states we cannot "up and leave" our current mindset about our culture.

Uh. I'm out of steam on this issue. Any thoughts? Sorry if this is kind of "only sorta related to spirituality"; it doesn't fit anywhere else I don't think.

turquoise70 Reviewed by turquoise70 on 09-28-2006. Americans detached from culture and spirituality Hey guys. I'm writing this because, like many young Americans with highly mixed ancestories living in contemporary culture, I feel sort of empty when I hear some of my friends talk about the closeness they feel to their culture; mostly my friend of Mexican heritage, and right now I'm reading a book about the Apache people. This ties in closely with spirituality and our separation from it as a society, as I see it. I've discovered a sort of optimistic viewpoint on this 'problem' (it's not Rating: 5

[the yeag]

well as an american with irish and welsh ancestory personally i don't give a shit about wales or ireland. I dont tell people i'm irish i dont wear shamrock hats shirts...i hate that ...i am american my ancestory goes to 1776....even though my ancestors were probbably not in the war.or in this country. i am proud of america i really think i have same beliefs as ~the butcher~ in gangs of newyork...you know the man was an immagrant to at one time but he spent the whole movie putting down the irish and english which is where he came from to.. i am not a racist at all, however,i do not feel that some cultures like hispanics,europeans don't ever want to mix in our culture. my neibor is french he only speaks french when i'm outside. when his 5 year old son talks to him in english he tells him in french to speak french...fuck that........i love being an american and that is my ancestory.....

[turquoise70]

I'd like to add that I think it's very important for people to detach from their culture and take time not to see themselves as a product of it, but to see themselves as a product of the earth itself. A fruiting body on the tree of life, as I call it. I think it can be immensely spiritually satisfying when you break away, in your mind, from the culture you're immersed in, and think of yourself solely as yourself. Appreciate yourself for who you are individually, and distance yourself in your mind from your ancestors and not think of their actions as a part of who you are. Thence cometh real culture and value as a person. For instance, I am not a slaveowner and have never been; I have never encroached on someone else's land and taken it from them. I refuse to be seen as an extention of any of the people who came before me who potentially did partake in those things. Rather, I am a totally contemporary person who was only born a few years ago and the extent of my influence extends only to the things I have done, myself.

[the yeag]

i'd like to add this thread blows.....

[fikusroot]

Id like to add that I hate Americans. America is a great idea, one of the greatist ones ever concieved, but we are seriously fucked up. We dont give a shit about our enviroment, dont educate our children, and bully other countries. I think when I get old enough I'm going to move to Europe.

[the yeag]

bbbbye now

[afghooey]

i'd like to add this thread blows.....

For a stoner, you're kind of a dick.

[turquoise70]

yeag, whatever man. troll elsewhere.

i'd like to add that I was really surprised at what a clever edge you guys were able to effect there, snapping back with 'i'd like to add'. i laughed for like a minute straight, i had to show my roommate and everything. you guys need your own youtube show or something!

[Krogith]

the idea is good Human Greed has takeing over, Sadly.

[Breukelen advocaat]

Everybody has ancestors that they can be proud of. I have Mayflower passengers in my family line, which I enjoyed discovering, but the Native Americans were here first - and I know that I don't have anybody from that group.

You can honor your ancestors by doing genealogical family history, or by just living the way that your best instincts tell you to.