It has become fashionable in this neck of the woods to involve yourself in affairs not your own. A couple of weeks ago my white, upper-middle class neighbors decided to go to the local mosque and enjoy a feast to celebrate the first fast breaking of Ramadan. Why? He was raised Mormon, she-Baptist, neither are very interested at all in “life-changing” religion but there is some allure to collecting with people different than yourself an partake in celebration and ceremony. I call it culture. I think that America is culturally starving itself and it is bad for us individually and collectively.
When I grew up in Baltimore there was always a festival going on somewhere. The Italian Festival, the Afro-American Festival, The Polish Festival, they were so much fun. The food was out of this world. The people would dress-up in costumes and dance; there would be some ethnic music being performed and all kinds of crafts and such. This enriched my childhood and gave me a profound sense of community that has helped form my world view. I don’t think the festivals are still as big of a deal and it may be because of the nature of urban America. Urban Sprawl is the scourge of this country and I am guilty of it myself. I moved away from the city for my job and have missed it ever since. It is here in distant suburbia that I have found a community so lacking in culture that “bland” seems appealing. We have a few cultural icons; the watermen (they keep to themselves), the tobacco farmer (now an illegal occupation), the insane commuter (too busy to hold a conversation-driving 2hrs each way into D.C.). It’s kind of a cultural desert, so people seek out ways to expand their horizons. I guess that there’s nothing wrong with it but I think we cheapen the religion of others when we view it as nothing more than a cultural experience for ourselves.
I myself find cultural riches in digesting the foods of other regions. Being that I live in the before mentioned cultural wasteland, I must drive to the city to find ethic food. There was a great little place called India Garden about 15 minutes from my house that had incredible fare (the lamb Vindaloo would make you cry) but it soon was burned to the ground in an intense conflagration. Seems the whole kitchen was operating off of one outlet. Consider my plight and mourn.
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7 comments:
mmmm....indian food. i had some chana masala last night.
you aren't really mad at gar, are you?
I love Gar like a brother. We go at things headlong from different angles and end up in the same spot. I was focused last week on loving my wife beyond any outside force. He was obviuosly focused on honesty. I'm willing to bet that we both ended up honestly loving our wives.
Now Brendar sounds Taoist! Isn't it funny how we are all much more like-motivated than we wish to admit?
It's as if these desires and needs are built-in by some "superior force". I personally think its Festinog. He's has come down to visit us disguised as an Irish archeologist. I get all my philosophical insight from Festinog, Styx, and bourbon. Well, I was just kidding about the Styx part …
That styx pic looked like Reichley at the sacred pond.
Interesting post, Brendar - and just another reason why you were so missed during your sabbatical.
I think there's a lot to be said for immersing yourself in life. Most of the intolerance in the world is based on ignorance.
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