Culture

I have been thinking a lot about “culture” lately. Culture, that important thing for our kids to learn about and know and appreciate, at least for the more worldly or progressive of us up here on the high horse.

With our upcoming trip around Australia, I have been reading a lot of books about this land, its history, its people. I have been suffering through the injustices of terra nullius and the stolen generations. I have been looking a lot at the past and wondering about the best way to move forward when the future for so many aboriginal cultures seems so hopeless. It has been heavy on my mind.

I spent the day today with my friend Y, and our conversation found its way to this very topic when I mentioned American Thanksgiving Day. I told her that I struggle to find a balance between making my kids aware of the ugly history between the European settlers and what they did to the Native Americans, and letting them enjoy the holiday simply as a celebration of gratitude. Isn’t it important to acknowledge the people who suffered in order for us to be where we are now? Isn’t it irresponsible not to honour those lives brutally lost? Isn’t it my duty as a homeschooling parent and world citizen to cover in depth that part of American history?

Y has worked with indigenous peoples around the world and has seen a lot of different cultures. She believes that culture is simply conditioning to act a certain way, to believe certain things, to interact with people in a set fashion. Her beliefs say that it is only when we let go of our culture that we can truly move ahead. I had really never thought of that. I thought culture was supposed to be something we held onto and cherished and remembered. She said that culture is really just looking at the past instead of looking toward the future. We’re all leaves on the same tree, drops of water in the same sea.

I got home from that amazing discussion to read this shocking article. It is a truly frightening thing for so many people to blindly follow such a brutal custom in the name of religion. Yesterday Me would have had a little voice in the back of the head reminding me that I’m looking at the issue through western eyes and I really don’t have the right to judge their culture – it isn’t mine and I can’t understand it. But Today Me has realised that it isn’t ok to use religion or culture as an excuse for killing or hate or war or antiquated rituals.

I’m not a religious person, but I can stand behind a religion that celebrates acceptance, tolerance and love. If it’s all about dogmatism, it can only lead us backwards. I want to go forward.