I was watching Avatar last night (I sort of hate to admit that this is where this stems from, but there it is) and I started thinking about the commentary James Cameron makes on white colonialism. As I'm sure you all know, the movie involves a group of Americans exploiting another planet for their resources, while also treating the native population like they are savages, in need of American acculturation. You see this pattern repeated throughout history, be it by the Americans or some other European power, and I started to think, what makes our culture so good that we feel the need to impose it on others? What about being American justifies our superiority complex when it comes to other groups that we deem as "lesser"? What do we have to offer that's so good that we feel the need to bulldoze other cultures and ways of thinking?
I started thinking about some of the behaviors and ideas that I come into contact with every day, and quite honestly, I think we have a lot of growing and learning to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to become an ex-patriot and move to Paris, and I'm not about to build a shack in the middle of the forest to escape it all, but I think our culture has been so blinded by our own self-perceived glamour and goodness, that we've neglected to see the fact that maybe we're not that great. Maybe some of these other cultures around us that we think are inferior (you may hate my word choice here, but if we're being honest...) because they are different, are actually more in tune with what is good and right in human nature.
Think about it...
We're impatient. With fast food restaurants, high-speed technology, cosmetic surgery, and accessible transportation, we are accustomed to getting whatever we want as soon as we want it.
We're self-centered and entitled. We expect others to do what we think is best for us because we clearly deserve it. We also expect others to do things our way, to think and act like us, because we are also clearly the best.
We value productivity above all else. I don't mean to get political here, but our priorities are so skewed that it is expected and encouraged to spend more time at work than with your spouse and children, and oftentimes, when you decide you'd rather do the opposite, it is considered a gross mistake.
All together, what does this mean? This means when we're driving somewhere, going 5 over the speed limit because we need to get where we're going as fast as possible without risking getting pulled over, and someone does something to interfere with that (like go the speed limit), we think it's ok to curse and jeer at that person, getting extremely angry over something so minor. And what good does that anger do? Well, it definitely puts you in a compromised state on the road, at least temporarily, while you dangerously swerve to pass the person you are so angry at. Is it worth it?
This means that when we encounter immigrants that do not have a good grasp (or any grasp) of English, or when we see someone from a different religious or ethnic background who looks distinctively different from the American mold (and by American, I mean the white middle class), we not only judge them to be stubbornly stupid, unaware, or uneducated, but we also think its ok to say hateful things when they're not around. Is that really ok?
This means that when we have children, it is usually assumed that the mother should continue to work, whether she needs to or not, and that her children should be placed in childcare at an extremely young age, where they will spend most of their time being cared for by a stranger who, as sweet as she may be, does not have the time or energy to devote much one-on-one time to any of the children in her care. Is this really what's best for our kids?
This means that many of us spend hours sitting in front of a computer, a tv, a game consol, or a phone, growing increasingly unhealthy and losing energy from lack of exercise. That we don't value quiet time or going outside because we aren't accomplishing anything tangible. That its ok to be apathetic as long as we make the trip to physically attend church. That its ok to eat chemicals and artificial foods because they're (supposedly) cheaper. That its ok to keep your cell phone on the table while you eat a meal with someone because you don't want to miss an (un)important phone call or text message.
Now...do I hate being American? No. But I think we are quickly losing sight of what's really important. Loving others, spending real time with God, valuing the beauties of nature, taking good care of our bodies, and respecting those around us. Do I think my little blog post is going to start a revolution? No. But I hope that it will inspire someone to go on a walk outside, without their phone, or to start putting their family higher on their priority list.
We are all guilty of this...so let's do something about it!
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