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Hi Snigdha, Congrats on the launch. As a member of the South Asian diaspora, I too enjoy seeing folks from my specific ethnic background succeeding in business

Hi Snigdha, Congrats on the launch. As a member of the South Asian diaspora, I too enjoy seeing folks from my specific ethnic background succeeding in business, politics, and life. This is because I generally love seeing ambitious and conscious people from all walks succeed. However, I am increasingly wary of balkanization of populations into disparate groups based on their ethnicity, culture, gender or sexuality. Identity politics is at an all time high, and it seems like these days, people identify themselves first as Black or Indian before they call themselves American or Australian (or going further, as a human or even as a conscious being). My gut feeling is that this is a negative trend and actually fractures our species into sub groups competing for scarce resources and attention. My question to you is - how do we heal the divisions we have as humans, and solve complex world scale problems if we're too busy further dividing ourselves up via trivial lines in the sand, such as our skin color? Representation is great, but why does it matter if someone in a position of power has the same religion as you or has the same skin color? I personally believe quality of character and internal content matters more to kinship than a shared culture or physical qualities.

snigdha 8y ago
That’s a great question, and something we grapple with often at The Juggernaut — we want to heal divisions. But one of the things we’ve observed is that healing those divisions also comes with beginning to understand one’s own heritage and feeling human again. (Some of our readers have mentioned how powerful it is for themselves to finally feel seen, which makes them feel more human.) I would argue that more and more of us actually don’t see ourselves as just Indian or American. More of us see ourselves as multidimensional and want to go deep on some of parts of our identity so that we can understand our place in the world as a global citizen. Instead, we as humans need to challenge and celebrate our cultures and it's hard to undo or clear the slate of culture, too. Being South Asian does come with its own traumas — and every culture and group has this. By discussing this group’s nuances, we hope to open it up to the world. We also have found several of our readers are not South Asian, and by reading The Juggernaut, they realize how alike we are, not how different. In that way, it’s the opposite of balkanization. I'd love to continue the conversation and figure out what stories you think we can cover that will help ensure we don't balkanize.
- doctorcroc 8y ago
  Thanks for the thoughtful response. I agree wholeheartedly with the thought the healing begins with self-understanding. There's a fantastic book about trauma called "The Body Keeps The Score" which explains how past traumas can be unconsciously embedded within the body in ways that talk therapy or pharmaceuticals cannot resolve alone. I bring this up because to your point, being without culture is similar to being disembodied and being traumatized - one needs to reclaim a sense of belonging our background so that one can feel at peace and resolved. For example, I strongly believe that years of slavery has left an indelible mark in African American culture, and we may not understand the scientific explanation until we further study epigenetics, etc. My fear though is that this very real need to be seen, and heard is being coopted by factions trying to use that very real human need as fodder for power (hence the right's claims of "cultural Marxism"). The balance here lies in celebrating one's heritage, without using it as a token for victimization. Because we get nowhere by further victimizing others - eg. calling someone a colonizer or oppressor. Everyone has trauma, and healing begins with radical inclusion - of everyone. I think you have a huge potential for using The Juggernaut to take the greatest parts of South Asian heritage and sharing that with non South Asians. I think a great success example is western adoption of yoga and pranayama - these are tools that emerged from South Asian culture ages ago, that have a very real place and utility for anyone living in the modern era. I'll send you a dm with my contact info so we can continue the conversation. Appreciate your openness!
  - snigdha 8y ago
    This line really resonated: being without culture is similar to being disembodied and being traumatized - one needs to reclaim a sense of belonging our background so that one can feel at peace and resolved. So powerful. I do hear your fear of folks co-opting this human need for power. We definitely don't want that in our community. We do want The Juggernaut share the best parts (and also call out where we need to improve) about South Asian heritage to a global audience.
    - pow_pp_-1_v 8y ago
      I apologize not adding anything new the discussion but just wanted to thank you both for a nice and reasoned discussion. Wish everybody (including myself) talked like this.

snigdha 8y ago

That’s a great question, and something we grapple with often at The Juggernaut — we want to heal divisions. But one of the things we’ve observed is that healing those divisions also comes with beginning to understand one’s own heritage and feeling human again. (Some of our readers have mentioned how powerful it is for themselves to finally feel seen, which makes them feel more human.) I would argue that more and more of us actually don’t see ourselves as just Indian or American. More of us see ourselves as multidimensional and want to go deep on some of parts of our identity so that we can understand our place in the world as a global citizen. Instead, we as humans need to challenge and celebrate our cultures and it's hard to undo or clear the slate of culture, too. Being South Asian does come with its own traumas — and every culture and group has this. By discussing this group’s nuances, we hope to open it up to the world. We also have found several of our readers are not South Asian, and by reading The Juggernaut, they realize how alike we are, not how different. In that way, it’s the opposite of balkanization. I'd love to continue the conversation and figure out what stories you think we can cover that will help ensure we don't balkanize.

doctorcroc 8y ago
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I agree wholeheartedly with the thought the healing begins with self-understanding. There's a fantastic book about trauma called "The Body Keeps The Score" which explains how past traumas can be unconsciously embedded within the body in ways that talk therapy or pharmaceuticals cannot resolve alone. I bring this up because to your point, being without culture is similar to being disembodied and being traumatized - one needs to reclaim a sense of belonging our background so that one can feel at peace and resolved. For example, I strongly believe that years of slavery has left an indelible mark in African American culture, and we may not understand the scientific explanation until we further study epigenetics, etc. My fear though is that this very real need to be seen, and heard is being coopted by factions trying to use that very real human need as fodder for power (hence the right's claims of "cultural Marxism"). The balance here lies in celebrating one's heritage, without using it as a token for victimization. Because we get nowhere by further victimizing others - eg. calling someone a colonizer or oppressor. Everyone has trauma, and healing begins with radical inclusion - of everyone. I think you have a huge potential for using The Juggernaut to take the greatest parts of South Asian heritage and sharing that with non South Asians. I think a great success example is western adoption of yoga and pranayama - these are tools that emerged from South Asian culture ages ago, that have a very real place and utility for anyone living in the modern era. I'll send you a dm with my contact info so we can continue the conversation. Appreciate your openness!
- snigdha 8y ago
  This line really resonated: being without culture is similar to being disembodied and being traumatized - one needs to reclaim a sense of belonging our background so that one can feel at peace and resolved. So powerful. I do hear your fear of folks co-opting this human need for power. We definitely don't want that in our community. We do want The Juggernaut share the best parts (and also call out where we need to improve) about South Asian heritage to a global audience.
  - pow_pp_-1_v 8y ago
    I apologize not adding anything new the discussion but just wanted to thank you both for a nice and reasoned discussion. Wish everybody (including myself) talked like this.