It has come to my attention that I guess I don’t know enough about my roots and culture. Is culture/tradition necessary to live a functional life? I have come to the conclusion that it is not necessary but it would make things interesting in the thinking and approaches people will take in finding a solution to a problem. Though all this is fine and culture makes things interesting. I think we’re missing the point that the human experience and it’s necessities don’t change based on your ethnicity, religion and nationality. As long as we fulfill and have our basic needs, facilities and living practices (jobs, activities, exercises and methods of exploration) then what culture you came from or what religion you practice is trivial and just a matter of different perspective and opinions that motivate/inspire you. (-unless you’re an extremist, that’s a different matter).
I’m unsure what role culture and religion has in determining what type of humans we will become. The general practices may bring you to expand your knowledge of what is out there and give you methods of how to approach things. I feel the transition from being traditional to modern is a learning experience. Change is a necessary value in progression. Though we need to find our foundation, and as important as understanding where we started, our struggles, achievements and failures and our story.. All of that is trivial if we have nothing to show for in the end.
I find my lack of inrerest for traditional preservation of culture disturbing, though I don’t know if it’s just me but I have looked but cannot see the value of preserving a method/practice of life where you can find better more liberating practices out in real life through science and knowledge of the world in modern times.
Take a look at Arab countries who practice Islam. Still living in deserts, riding camels, enslaving children/women, following a book of medieval conquest not fitting the modern world’s narrative, completely divided even though they call themselves 1.6 billion Muslims none of them agree to a true Islam head, no true established home, facilitated by leaders and scholars who consistently misinterpret their leader’s work (mostly because he’s dead), stuck in time and have no clue about what progression looks like or any ambition/direction where they want to be.
The traditions of modern Christian’s seem to be no different other than their living conditions though a bit more of a progressive religion.. They have facilities, secured by secular government services but guided by heads and scholars of the religion who have no right to lead except through inheritance of that empire. They cannot understand/comprehend the true meaning of their savior’s message through faulty human interpretations unless in direct communion with God himself. False idols, warped history propagated by organized religion to fit a biased agenda of some borrowed and heavily adjusted, hastily slapped together Christian narrative of medieval conquest now formed ideology. (You can research why Christianity is a borrowed synthesized ideology below, it’s ideas changed through history. It’s true. It is in no way perfect. Read below on how Christianity changed.)
Extra studying into the Nothingness of identity:
Mahabharata 4000 bc: The path Buddha took fundamentals to hinduism through understanding of Karma and the teachings of Samkhya which blossomed into Buddhism:
- Karma in its original meaning is a burden of actions and reactions caused by an emotional attachment and chaining a soul to a human life, making it impossible to avoid subsequent incarnations
- Karma causes for a soul to be born again in this world after the death of its physical body
- Karma in its original meaning is not a form of punishment
- Breaking free from karma leads to the final death – the lost of individuality and merging with the Highest Consciousness
- Breaking free from karma is a person’s own responsibility, the Gods do not interfere in that process
European beliefs before Hinduism.
- A man is only born in this world once
- The God is constantly watching humans behavior
- The God punishes after death, there is no penalty for sins during one’s life
- No-one but the God can judge someone’s behaviors and choices – all men can do is to repent and hope for His kindness
- Committing a sin means a crime against the God. Only a whole-hearted penance can save a sinner
- The God listens to all prayers
- Having no sins means being awarded after death with eternal happiness in Heaven
What Europeans arrived at after the influence of Hinduism and Christianity mixed up together:
- A man is born in this world multiple times
- The God is constantly watching human behaviour
- Misfortunes and bad luck in this life are the divine punishment for sins
- Having sins means having karma
- The God is sending penalty in this life
- Emotional attachment, creating karma, is a sin
- For that sin a person will be punished by the object of the attachment being taken away from him
- A person can be relieved from the sins from the previous lives through prayers and penance, so there will be no punishment in this life
- Karma can be ‘diagnosed’ and ‘relieved’ by another person
- Karma can be ‘picked-up’ from someone else
The idea of the Christian god today is distorted, we need to go back to our roots and decide for ourselves what is good, beneficial and decide what our initial reason for being is.
https://modernphilosophystandards.com/2015/12/27/more-virtue-never-hurt-anyone-more-religion-may/
(original post)
Christianity, Judaism and Islam have no authority or moral high ground. All we have is humanity, archives and our own human moral sense of justice. “For morality came from food, not god.” Our experiences with life gives us morality and we see our wrongs through actions/inaction , knowledge and comprehension of the world around us.
Solution: Find a new narrative in your life to become a more constructive and contributing member of society. Apply yourself into youth programs, integration programs, education and relief societies with your extra time. Start small, aim big. The modern world needs more heroes and less burdening influences of human deprived history lessons.