Fair warning- the following ramblings are slightly political in nature, I would not call this a rant, more just subjective observations from a seemingly a-political individual, if you have something to say about said observations, feel free to leave a comment... otherwise take whatcha need and leave the rest :)
What is it about our culture that makes us de-value ourselves and in turn- de-value the collective? It's not just girls and bad body images anymore... it's girls, boys, men, women- I have experienced it myself, and I have observed it in others. That feeling that we are not good enough for this or that... that we do not deserve this job, that promotion... we ignore or gloss over our feelings all in favor of getting to the next leg of the race first... but where does that leave us?
In my experience, that leaves us entitled, fractured, and isolated. We as a culture have a very broken sense of community, if any all... it is every man (or woman if your the type to get caught up in word-smithing) for himself. I have mentioned before that our culture is terminally unique, and I hate to beat a dead horse, but it seems as thought I see examples of this everywhere. While conversing one on one this is the process of speaking and NOT listening to what the other has to say. It's a mimetic structure- look at the political climate in our country-the democrats think they have all the answers and the republicans think the same thing about their ideas. In my experience of the political process there is much shouting and little listening. What would happen if they started doing what they said they would do when we elected them- work for a compromise that has the best interest of the American people at it's core... Well, neither side is going to do that- that would be political suicide, because our terminally unique culture wants nothing to do with compromise.
So, each politician is out for his or her own best interest, fitting, since there are so many Americans who ascribe to the same dogma. We are such a finite society- dissect the ever loving shit out of every single detail that we loose all hope to see the big picture. And there is no room in that tiny little box to expand the mind or to even consider any alternative. I look at the revolutions happening all around the Middle East and applaud them- I applaud their ability to rise up as collective, to keep their eye on the prize (and the big picture) and to stick together as a people who have recognized that they all want relatively the same thing...whatever that thing may be for each of those rebel uprisings.
Then, I turn my gaze back to the States and I am frightened. I am scared that something is going to give soon on our own soil, and I have little faith in the American people as a collective... I think we have been so fractured and splintered that there is little hope that we will come together and work to make things better for ourselves... there is too much anger and shit talking in the air. And we are too entitled. We have been a powerful nation for so long that few of us know (or remember) what it is like to have to come together to fight the good fight.
Don't get me wrong, I don't believe it to be all doom and gloom- I have witnessed blessing, beauty, and solidarity among some people... and I do not think that everyone in this country is selfish, self-centered and self seeking... I just hope that there are enough of us who care about ALL of us to make a difference. As much as I cannot stand Bob Dylan (I know, how un-American) I do believe his words aptly describe the climate in our country lately- "The times, they are a-changin." There is a part of me that is proud to be alive in this segment of our nation's history-in-the-making, and I am excited to be a participant, however that may end up looking. I just hope that we as a can people awaken from the centuries of slumber brought about from being kept fat and happy, in time to rub the entitlement sleep out of our eyes and move through the shift in consciousness needed to bring us all back together. The only thing I am sure of is that time will move forward, things will change, and that this too, shall pass. Dylan's words seem so prophetic because they were true when he wrote them, they are true today and they will be true in the future... the times, they will always be a-changin.
