> There are many things wrong with contemporary society, and many
people are desparately unhappy with the ways in which they have
been taught to live. If succour and sense comes to them from
embracing Indian ideals and trying to live harmoniously according
to them, so much the better for our world.
Christina Gonzalez said,
> In response to your message, Michael, I'm not sure that the issue
is one of "truth" (to make it so leads us down the exact road you
describe, one where we ultimately allow a free-for-all in the
name of self-actualization and personal "freedom"), as much as it
is one of RESPECT and inherent prejudiced thinking in the
practice and replication of native spiritual traditions.
Lyn Dearborn said,
> When you learn things "easily" -- day by day as you are growing
up, they SOMETIMES don't hold as much value for us.
[...]
The important point is Spiritualism grows slowly, and doesn't
simply appear overnight...
Michael and Christina sum up beautifully the two fundamental
positions, I think: "we are all seekers" versus "some (of us) are
closer than others." And Lyn, going for the dynamical aspect,
suggests, "we each move at different speeds."
There are several levels on which the implications flow: .
"plasticity" (replication, belonging, "who is real");
. respect/ prejudice/ distortion;
. marketing (exploitation, capitalism, "in print")
which are not clearcut or easy to separate, but I want to share the
thought which came to me as I tried to clarify what each was saying:
Who are we talking about?
"We" have no more charge to speak *for* all "seekers" than we do
*against* all "capitalists." Those who succeed in finding something
valuable ("true") in their pursuit of neo-Indianism are not likely to
be the same "they" who disrespectfully exploit sacred materials. "We"
have no more authority "to allow a situation to proceed unchecked"
than to prohibit it. All any of us have a right to do is to
understand ourselves, our own attitudes and beliefs and practices, and
to try to make them clear to another (when hy is ready to listen).
Sticking with first person singular, therefore, I resolve to
not "distort the traditions until they become cheap popular culture;"
but above all, not to let someone else's making torahs for sale --
any more than the rest of the noise in the world -- divert my own
focus.
My native spirituality ("authenticity") has nothing to do with
whether or not it inspires someone else to emulate it. It may have
something to do with whether I have to isolate and protect my "belongings"
from all others' personal journeys toward the truth -- but I hope to get
beyond that materialist point.
|{hm kerry miller <ASTINGSH@KSUVM.KSU.EDU> fido 1:/14/680