Bridging cultures. What is culture?
Let me start with the scientific analogy that Dr Gabor Mate make in the myth of normal ‘In a laboratory you grow microorganisms in a broth we call that laboratory Culture. If that culture is healthy and nutritious then those the microorganisms will grow, multiply and they will thrive but if many of them got sick and are dying then we call it Toxic Culture. And that’s what is happening today. In the US 70% of adults are on one medication. 50 % are on two medication. We can say this is a coincidence or we can say it is the culture.
Wikipedia definition- Culture is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups..
Humans acquire culture through the learning processes of enculturation and socialization, which is shown by the diversity of cultures across societies.
A cultural norm codifies acceptable conduct in society; it serves as a guideline for behavior, dress, language, and demeanor in a situation, which serves as a template for expectations in a social group.
In my facilitation Skill in action which comes from dismantling racism works the start point is setting up the framework with the Assumptions and Agreements and the first assumption is we live in a toxic culture and we are conditioned not to see the toxic nature of culture and instead to normalise things that are horrific and absurd.
What I have learnt from my socialisation, upbringing, land & my studies in yoga, philosophy, Bhagvad Gita (skill in action) & Ayurveda about suffering and disease can be understood at individual and cultural context. It offers the tools to live in harmony with nature, society. Tools to recognise the causes of suffering or illness. And is a path to healing, freedom and liberation.
We are interconnected and interdependant.
I see my role and identify my desire to to build a bridge between cultures, worlds. Not just between the east and west. But also between toxic culture to healthy culture. That can only happen when we take accountability for the harm that has taken place and how we carry it over generations. If we don’t create room for discomfort and pain to heal the past to recognise how it affects our behaviour, our policies, our actions and makes us live constantly in defensiveness, guilt, shame, limitation. We are not living in the present. And are not able to leave a positive footprint for the future generations. I know I have a long way to go in undoing the harm and trauma of my ancestors and share from my lived experience how that has affected how I see the world and myself. I share the tools I learn from and am inspired to put the pieces together to be whole again. To join the dots to create a complete picture for the future.
