The Veil of Culture

We are all subjects of our own culture. We see our everyday world through a lens crafted by our enculturation. I am not saying this is a bad thing. American culture has it's low points, as does New England culture, as does rural town culture (all categories I would place myself in). All of these cultural identities also have wonderful, and often times, beautifully quaint aspects. AKA, I like culture.

But I think in order for us to understand the world we live in, we need to sometimes lift up the veil of our personal culture. We need to look at the world and its rich beauty objectively. Studying anthropology has helped me learn this. In order to appreciate all of the wonderfully diverse aspects (as well as the more homogenized, sometimes base aspects) of our planet and species, we must remove ourselves from the subjective and take in the big picture. We must take in account not just the other side of the coin, but all tangents of the sphere, if you understand what I am saying. Especially when assessing disputes or differences in people/places/ideas.

I think, though, it is just as important to remember to never fully remove this veil. Objectivity is an impossibly important tool, but it can also be dangerous. Removing yourself from your society at large to look at the wider scope is vital, but remaining in that mindset forever is socially damaging if you ask me. We must find a balance between objective views and subjective views on the world, else we might become too distant and remove ourselves from the cultures we belong to, thus potentially alienating ourselves from the people/places which hold personal, spiritual importance.

Balance, my friends.