All true, though I retain a bit of faith (or at least confidence) in the basic civic culture that truly did make America great (or at least distinct). A culture of engagement and activism, mostly locally but also nationally. We erred badly by failing to teach civics in schools in recent decades (I'm almost 70, so most relevant decades are recent to me). The problem has been exacerbated by the splintering of the media, but that would be tolerable if the polity were civically educated.
Thank you for your very thoughtful article on the meaning of culture.
I’m wondering if our questioning of identity has been happening gradually over the centuries as humans increased their global traveling with changing technologies, presently culminating in the digital age of traveling through cyberspace in words and images, or perhaps even handing over our identity to some artificial intelligence. With the world at our fingertips, do we have too many choices — religious/spiritual culture, corporate culture, community culture, food culture, art culture, and on and on — resulting in mass confusion? Culture wars? Many people today seem to be perfectly comfortable moving to anywhere in the world they choose. What identity do they bring with them? Perhaps in this global age of humanity we need a global identity, one that reconnects us not just to one another but to all living beings and this amazing earth that supports and nourishes us, the identity we lost long ago but are beginning to remember. This does not imply going back to something, but rather remembering that this identity is and always was present within us, along with the ability to consciously adapt to change. We have simply forgotten amid all the distractions. Perhaps with this identity in place we can view our neighbors as fellow travelers rather than “other.”
When immigrants came to America, in order to be accepted they gave up their culture and many changed their names. The majority of my ancestors came here before the 1800s from the UK. The only 'culture roots' I have ever known is embedded in America with a midwest flavor of Wisconsin. My husband is 1st generation Dutch and still has family in the Netherlands, but was raised as an American, not dutch. I agree we do not have the rich culture so many other countries do and it allows for those who want to divide us to do so. Is there an answer, I only know what I was taught by my father; integrity, civic responsibility, honesty, respectful for others and need to protect our natural world. That is the only culture I try to adhere to.
All true, though I retain a bit of faith (or at least confidence) in the basic civic culture that truly did make America great (or at least distinct). A culture of engagement and activism, mostly locally but also nationally. We erred badly by failing to teach civics in schools in recent decades (I'm almost 70, so most relevant decades are recent to me). The problem has been exacerbated by the splintering of the media, but that would be tolerable if the polity were civically educated.
Thank you for your very thoughtful article on the meaning of culture.
I’m wondering if our questioning of identity has been happening gradually over the centuries as humans increased their global traveling with changing technologies, presently culminating in the digital age of traveling through cyberspace in words and images, or perhaps even handing over our identity to some artificial intelligence. With the world at our fingertips, do we have too many choices — religious/spiritual culture, corporate culture, community culture, food culture, art culture, and on and on — resulting in mass confusion? Culture wars? Many people today seem to be perfectly comfortable moving to anywhere in the world they choose. What identity do they bring with them? Perhaps in this global age of humanity we need a global identity, one that reconnects us not just to one another but to all living beings and this amazing earth that supports and nourishes us, the identity we lost long ago but are beginning to remember. This does not imply going back to something, but rather remembering that this identity is and always was present within us, along with the ability to consciously adapt to change. We have simply forgotten amid all the distractions. Perhaps with this identity in place we can view our neighbors as fellow travelers rather than “other.”
https://psyche.co/ideas/insularity-can-be-a-good-thing-for-creatures-and-cultures-alike
When immigrants came to America, in order to be accepted they gave up their culture and many changed their names. The majority of my ancestors came here before the 1800s from the UK. The only 'culture roots' I have ever known is embedded in America with a midwest flavor of Wisconsin. My husband is 1st generation Dutch and still has family in the Netherlands, but was raised as an American, not dutch. I agree we do not have the rich culture so many other countries do and it allows for those who want to divide us to do so. Is there an answer, I only know what I was taught by my father; integrity, civic responsibility, honesty, respectful for others and need to protect our natural world. That is the only culture I try to adhere to.