American culture sucks
The need for a paradigm shift into another mode of living and thinking is absolutely dire in America. However, the delusion that America is the greatest gift to the planet is also at an all time high.
The greatest problem of the American psyche is that no other world-view or paradigm exists and therefore too many people are incapable of thinking beyond their own limited understanding of the world. There are very few people capable of going beyond their own cultural borders to learn about a different way of seeing things.
Asia is a gigantic place. More importantly, it is incredibly old and Americans would do well to begin to learn of it.
America is in serious need of a paradigm shift to the East, and to the concept of wholistic thinking and of humane government based on the most deeply embedded moral principles existing in human beings. This is not to say that everyone in Asia is a philosopher, but they do live by a set of principles that are more likely to lead to better thinking and better behavior than anything white America has come up with. Even Native American Indians have a better grip on reality.
Sorry this is incoherent but I'm coming off of a weekend spent in activist training by a group that is not aware of the breach in their own principles and especially don't understand how real learning takes place.
Competition is not the rule in nature, nor in human relations. Cooperation is the rule and there is no such thing as "friendly competition" if there are any "losers." Alfie Kohn's "No Contest" blows that whole notion to bits.
Our whole educational model also sucks causing mind numbing boredom and a thorough confusion of what the fuck is going on. And of course there is never any time to actually learn and practice and get good at anything because there is always "so much material" that needs to be covered. It doesn't matter that I can't use any of it, only that I can put on a show for others to judge. America deserves what it gets. Whoever DOES have a clue must simply make do with what little sustenance there is in this spiritual and cultural wasteland. Guard it well like you would water in the desert.
The greatest problem of the American psyche is that no other world-view or paradigm exists and therefore too many people are incapable of thinking beyond their own limited understanding of the world. There are very few people capable of going beyond their own cultural borders to learn about a different way of seeing things.
Asia is a gigantic place. More importantly, it is incredibly old and Americans would do well to begin to learn of it.
America is in serious need of a paradigm shift to the East, and to the concept of wholistic thinking and of humane government based on the most deeply embedded moral principles existing in human beings. This is not to say that everyone in Asia is a philosopher, but they do live by a set of principles that are more likely to lead to better thinking and better behavior than anything white America has come up with. Even Native American Indians have a better grip on reality.
Sorry this is incoherent but I'm coming off of a weekend spent in activist training by a group that is not aware of the breach in their own principles and especially don't understand how real learning takes place.
Competition is not the rule in nature, nor in human relations. Cooperation is the rule and there is no such thing as "friendly competition" if there are any "losers." Alfie Kohn's "No Contest" blows that whole notion to bits.
Our whole educational model also sucks causing mind numbing boredom and a thorough confusion of what the fuck is going on. And of course there is never any time to actually learn and practice and get good at anything because there is always "so much material" that needs to be covered. It doesn't matter that I can't use any of it, only that I can put on a show for others to judge. America deserves what it gets. Whoever DOES have a clue must simply make do with what little sustenance there is in this spiritual and cultural wasteland. Guard it well like you would water in the desert.
posted by NeoLotus at 11:54 PM
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