18 of 39

Write now Article Tools

There are many old, but still subversive ideas existing within the warp and woof of our cultural weave. Without guardians of civilized behavior, would there be less subversion of it? Perhaps, but we would be left with a shallow pool of experience and even less complexity of thought. We would find ourselves poor in spirit at the loss of the dance that energizes life from the scale of a virus to the complexity of mankind.

But never mind God and history and tradition. Our daily lives "dance" or we would not have any reason to stand up in the morning. That layer of play where the dance occurs is where all significance begins. Without the fleeting glimpses of complexity of personality, intention, desire, passion, sadness, life becomes only sentience which, though amazing, is not enough to keep us interested; beautiful like a flower and just as limited. I am not satisfied with beauty, although it is enticing and even fulfilling in a limited sort of way. When the culture tries to tell us that it's enough to live this way or that way; that this or that image of beauty or perfection is what we should all strive for, it constructs the beginnings of reaction, where subversive ideas begin to flourish.

Static characteristics and models can never compete with the dance, the moments before and after contact and the irresistible urge to connect the dots, fill in the blanks, and push the buttons that drive us toward experiencing life. No matter how much we may love our isolation, movement toward the strange is what we live for. Present moments hold one kind of satisfaction, but future satisfaction lies within the unknown. While some memories are like springboards from which we spring up buoyed by our former successes, the past while remembered or re-experienced, can never be anticipated, again.

The strange and unknown is what actually causes us to approach and begin the game, again, of wondering, searching and finding fulfillment. Who knows what we are seeking? We can only guess at what is behind the curtain of the future, the masks of the unknown. But we do know why we are seeking it. There is nothing greater than the encounter with whatever will satisfy the depths of one's being simply by existing as a counterpart to our own existence. The truths that matter in the end have to do with how we meet each other and how we dance the life, civilized or otherwise, as it may be. To teach is to civilize, but it also threatens individuality, so raising children

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about How much does culture and lifestyle affect behavior??
We want to hear your view. Write now!