Culture's Journey

       Since I was a young teenager pondering life and the mysteries within it, I was convinced that the day we know everything, if at all possible, is the day we die and that life is a continual journey of progression towards the fulfilled individual we were supposed to be. This was before I knew and followed God. This was before I even ended puberty. Something within me knew there is more to life than just test scores, a good job, and financial security. It is partly about continually developing ourselves, growing daily, in as many ways as possible, to become the whole person.


     I remember during my ponderings seeing a person as an empty container of sorts, born empty. Only in the thirst and search for knowledge do we become more fulfilled, learning about life, people, cultures, Greek language, art, etc., do we start to fill that container. If one only reads Dr. Seuss, or only watches "reality" television, or only eats one kind of cereal, there is no growth, as is becoming more and more evident in our culture these days. People, in general, seem stunted. Instead of pursuing the next level of their own personal development, they are striving and seeking success in the form of reaching the next level of their video game. There seems to be very little growth for growth's sake, and much stagnation, filling up on superficiality and vain things that are in all actuality completely unsatisfying, which leads me to theorize that is part of the reason why so many are depressed and not very happy or satisfied with life. There is little joy, little contentment, much indulging and addiction to things with no sustenance. We are intellectually starved.


     Our culture seems to be deteriorating at a rapid pace, and I look back at when things seemed to be thriving and looked at the habits and customs of those days. It was customary for education to be primary, and not basic reading, writing, and arithmetic, but challenging things were given to little kids like Greek studies, proficiency in piano, etiquette, horseback riding lessons, and studies of Plato, the Bible, Aristotle, Shakespeare even. It seems as if everything is dumbed down these days, and it makes me very sad. It is almost like our culture, our intellect, is wasting away. Culture is dying as there are very few "cultured" people left out there. Very little sophistication. Very little class or dignity. It seems as though those are almost bad words these days. I miss manners, respect, and the like. So, in my own life, I strive to create that for myself, to teach my son dying things like manners, respect, and dignity, and embrace that myself. I do not have to adopt the ways of the "norm" around me. I am blessed to be able to "create" the world I wish to live in.


      Part of my challenging myself to create is also to grow intellectually and spiritually, to stretch and push my mind and the way I think, to broaden my horizons. I think I will start with Saint Sir Thomas More's Utopia, then maybe Walden by Thoreau, Tolstoy's War and Peace, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Ralph Waldo Emerson's poetry, and other classics. I believe they are classics for a reason. So many classic works of literature that I have not even read yet, but I will. I strive to read as many classics, and even Plato and Aristotle and other "thinkers" of past times before I die in this life. I will listen to Bach and B.B. King, examine Monet, and study Da Vinci's sketches of inventions.


    I seem to believe more and more that the only way to ensure a rich, healthy future is to go back and study the past. There is something to that. Aside from teaching my son to love God first, and others, I strive to teach him the importance of a quality education, the thirst for knowledge. Life is not found in textbooks forced in order to meet government standards, but in the individuals pursuit of knowledge and challenging one's self to keep stretching beyond the comfort zone, to continue growing daily in various forms.


     Am I the only one that thinks this way?


     I can't imagine I am.


     I would love to hear thoughts on this.




   Until Next Time....