Cultural Trajectories

Cultural planks can last for quite some time.

A culture's trajectory can be steered by the smallest of adjustments.

A single degree difference on a compass brings about a destination far from intended.

Culture:

/noun/

- the manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively

- the customs, arts, social institutions, achievements of a particular nation, people, or social group

- the attitudes and behavior characteristic of a particular social group

/etymology/

- 'culture' is from the Latin colere meaning tend and cultivate, and from the French growing.

In the context of crops, soil condition, watering, pruning, harvesting, pest and weed control or abatement, the term culture is very insightful:

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 

- Matthew 12: 33

When ancient Egypt conquered neighboring lands, Egyptian culture was promoted by the conquering Egyptians as 'valuable' and correct... all other peoples and cultural views were less-than ideal to the Egyptian.

The ancient Hittites (modern-day region of Turkey) and Egyptians battled for supremacy.

This is a historically rudimentary outcome of conquest of one people by another, not only unique to these two ancient cultures.

All peoples throughout times have experienced forms of cultural 'change'; watering, pruning, uprooting, culling, harvesting, storage, and weeding.

Some very good things have been wrought from almost every culture and people over the face of the earth throughout time.

In contrast, some very bad things have also been seen.

Consider how God has brought about all things by His hand, allowing some things to 'grow' while purposing other things to 'sprout'.

Almost every kind of people and cultural identity has been raised and lowered, praised and humiliated, honored and dishonored, enslavers and enslaved.

Even Messiah can be argued to have 'enslaved' others... but this 'slavery' is one of the heart, spirit, soul, conscience... a self-inflicted servitude and submission to God reflecting Messiah's example.

We as individuals reflect ancient cultural manners from either our lineage or of the most influencing cultural polities that have conquered our collective backgrounds.

The vast variety of ethnic differences has been continually ironed out over the centuries forming a uniformity, and this is an effort towards things that seem unsettling for some people while quite glorious for others.

We individually hold a culturally centric view that is largely promoted (or perceived) as superior over all others.

I think this is a default position for every human being.

My view is quite obvious, yet is it one of compulsion or intrigue or a beguiling of the senses?

Is my particular view of the world and mankind one that wishes to enslave the individual or set them free?

And is that freedom one of recklessness or one of charity and love towards others?

Is this form of 'slavery' one which encourages freedom of thought and the heart's expressions, or one that demands others to conform to a lesser example than Love manifested?

If so, how did Messiah hurt you or your heart?

How has Messiah insulted you and caused you harm?

Can any charge or viable accusation be brought against Messiah and His Example of love for God, neighbor, and enemy?

Judge correctly.

As for our perceptions of the world, this is built from whatever religious, political, nationalistic, cultural perspective we were raised in / with... both in the home and society at-large.

Certain cultures of the world Today, despite their failures and humanity, express the highlights of grace that Messiah has established... and then there are places on earth where following the Messiah is outlawed, His teachings vilified, and those who desire to express such love are summarily executed or ostracized.

Even people who have made a specific effort to extract religious or political views from their household in raising a younger generation have, instead, simply programmed another brand of religion or political view into their children.

This is also noticed through government regimes; the top-down effort of a group of people pursuing a certain ideological effort over a country.

Whatever their ideology, their identities and ideals are projected onto the populous of any given generation.

This is why it is difficult for an individual to break cultural programming... but the language of God's love somehow speaks beyond such restraints.

To consider someone outside one's group as either equal or superior to one's self is quite difficult for the individual... let alone for a group of people to arrive at such a consideration of others.

This is a human pattern found in almost all other ancient (and current) peoples.

A later example from the Egyptians: the Arab / Muslim conquest.

The Arabs conquered neighboring lands via a unifying religious ideology and only Arab Muslims occupied the top positions of their empire.

Besides the infighting between ethnic Arabs for temporal dominance, the clash of outside ethnic and cultural backgrounds eventually developed into separate caliphates (fiefdoms) along cultural lines.

All other ethnic groups were seen less-than the Arab cultural ideal (even after religious conversion).

This disparity and cultural indifference is still evidenced between current ethnic Persian, Turkish, and Arab (the first Muslims) cultures despite these three being largely beholden to the common identifier of that religion.

Preceding the Arab Muslims ethnic and cultural divisions were also evidenced in Christian groups that formed along political and national identities and not according to the Spirit.

Their political and ethnic differences caused perceived divisions where unity and love is the teaching.

Despite external pressures, unity was (and still is) found among a variety of Christian groups... as was (and still is) also found among a cross-section of religious ideas from different political groups.

Although humanity shows their flaws, they also show the confluence of all past cultures and how a mass consciousness has continued to grow.

God's purpose has triumphed over humanity's frailty and shortcomings... and very few I think perceive this reality.

Regarding indifference according to external features, to expect anything different from men who place secular ideas above spiritual ideas is like being upset that liquid water is 'wet'.

God's purpose continues to triumph despite an individual's failures... or how religious institutions fail miserably despite supposedly being representations or social definitions of God or 'how' God is to be understood.

Cultural identities built upon external things, even in today's 'modern' world, unfortunately persists... but God's grace is greater.

Although religions (and secular governments either using or not using religion) attempt to bring mankind into a collective unity, such is only achieved through a spiritual maturity through individual experience eventually manifested through generations of any given culture.

This is how Messiah has influenced the world through the Spirit primarily and, eventually, through physical means (the world people see and hear and touch).

Man's method of unity or peace is usually through war or hostility; the manners of the flesh.

To match spiritual realities to physical things is religion, yet the Spirit transcends religion.

The exterior things are easily misconstrued as 'true' yet are usually hazy and cloudy abstracts.

The disciples came to Him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” 

- Matthew 13: 10-12

It is the individual's effort to be sure they are being properly pruned despite their cultural upbringing and whatever their default programming of ethnic pride is.

Allowing God to prune your heart is how to bring about the cultural 'change' that only God's hand can perform and bring to fruition.

This is what submission to God means.

This is what Messiah exemplified.

If there is an issue with whatever ethnic culture God has placed over the world as its secular and cultural and religious leadership, can any cultural or ethnic group take pride in themselves?

I am from recent 'Cuban' stock, previously by-way of Spain, and before that having Arab origins... and before that, only God knows the intricacies of which tribes and from whence they came and so on.

To make a simple point: if it were Cubans that conquered the modern world, whether by self-less service or by threat of injury (or a mismatch and contradiction of both as all other tribes and imperial efforts have done)... could I take pride in being a Cuban?

Did I have a choice to be born into the world and be found from the 'Cuban' tribe?

No.

Thus I cannot take pride in anything outside of my will.

That previous statement also does not justify me taking pride in anything derived from, even partially, of my will.

To take pride in such would be quite arrogant at best and simply diluted at worse.

I happened to be born into the political entity called the United States of America.

I also did not choose such, so can I take pride in the U.S. or in being an American or in the fact that America is the current seat of imperial power (as outward notions define)?

I could, but I may be apt to miss the position for what it is.

Those who do (and have) take(n) pride in the things of the flesh, it is written about them:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 

- Matthew 7: 15-20

What of the Spirit?

Can I take pride in the Spirit of He who lives in me?

Only if I praise His Name for what He has provided... but taking pride in myself as if I had anything to 'do' with that Spirit being found within in me... I don't think so.

Gratitude is something very different from pride, and perhaps I am grateful for a lineage and a political reality that grants me the ability to share my heart's sentiments without constraint.

I recognize the responsibility of such blessings, while some others seem ashamed or hostile... perhaps they are confused as I once was.

Let us be grateful that God has always maneuvered the world, using certain peoples for specific reasons.

Let us be grateful that God has used things ignoble to bring about noble things.

Let us be grateful that God makes an example of even the most temporal of powerful situations and can shame them from one moment to the next, or glorify them just as quickly.

In short; it seems God has only provided for One man to be praised above all others (Messiah).

God has raised a people only to place them at the service of all others (the children of God revealed from all tribes and peoples and nations the world over).

Those who raise themselves only place themselves in a situation to be brought down.

The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. 

- Luke 12: 47-48