To start with a potential disclaimer; I have no idea of if the thoughts to be expressed in the following post is valid, or “True”. I merely mention them for the sake of self expression, and to provoke thought.
Having stated that, I’m personally beginning to feel that Reality is more Myth than a common objective standard. Solely because of the amount of conflict that has escalated in the American Culture Wars. From the perspective of a fairly disinterested individual in the thoughts being hurled around. I would like to state that there at least appears to be “Two Camps” of thought being advocated for. One of the “Liberal Bent”, and the other of a “Conservative Bent”.
I don’t identify whole sale with either disposition, for they both seemingly have their merits, and their flaws. Regardless, the item I’d like to point out is parallel to these identifications in the sense that they underlie the seeming conflict in ideology (from my point of view).
The idea/item I’m pointing out is the notion of Myth as World-builder. We as people are fostered from youth within a set mindset. That of Christianity, Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, or what have you (this also includes, but is not limited to Formal Education, Atheism, New Age Beliefs, or whatever). I’m calling it ALL out, for all stem from a mindset of cultural conditioning and identity. Racism, cultural conditioning. Sexism, cultural conditioning. Class-ism, cultural conditioning. Nations, cultural conditioning.
Everything, and I do fully mean everything that one encounters in their daily lives, and from their own point of view is seemingly conditioned, and a myth. A narrative of Life that we, or one can live by. I’m not implying that such a behavior is either good, or bad, for that is another set of culturally conditioned thinking.
What I’m actually saying though is the thought that our Reality is fully manifested via ourselves from the Myths and thoughts that we believe. Not some pseudo-“Law of Attraction” thing, but more of a this is what happens when one believes in something, and they act upon said belief.
A concrete example; Does a Country exist? Let’s take the United States as example. In theory/thought it does exist, but as a tangible object does the “United States” exist outside our mindset? Suppose you were a native of Mars, and completely foreign to the notion of Earth’s History (Shout out to Robert Heinlein’s “Stranger In a Strange Land”, for the idea inspiration). To drill down into more personal details, go to you backyard, and grab a fist full of soil. Is this “DIRT”, a Country/State/Province/City/County…etc? No, it is a hunk of dirt, but we’re willing to fight, and shed blood for the ideological notion that this is our “Homeland”. Our “Property”. Our “God Given Rights”.
This is not so, from my current opinion (notice the caveat). All that exists within our world is a myth that we’ve concocted to believe in. Including ourself as ourself. Digging into this mindset one shall arrive at a notion of what can actually exist? And what is Authentic? Does a person actually have a physical, concrete, form/body? Or could they already be embodied in some form of an “Afterlife” (spiritual/virtual dimension)?
Now isn’t this too “Myth-Making”? That I’m establishing postulates, and characteristic ideologies that espouse my mindset? All of these words should effectively mean nothing to you, as a “Realized Individual”. They are effectively another school of doctrine/thought that espouses to hold the “Absolute Truth”. This not so, for the only Truth that a person may ever have is THEIR TRUTH. Enforcing it upon another, or getting up in arms about it is no different than all the crusaders, jihadists, inquisitors, and other cultural zealots that fight for, or fend off “attackers” from other “Cultural Mindsets”.
This should all be fairly easy to see, for the first component of a “Culture”…is a “Cult”. Note: None of this forebears sharing your ideas, or beliefs. It simply means that trying to ram your thoughts home, and to “convert followers”…is somewhat offensive. Especially, to those who aren’t deigning to be fully involved in the present cultural (CULT) wars.