4 ms·

I'd have nothing to say after reading this if I'd read it 5 years ago while deep in addiction and still big into the capitalist game. I'm a Cajun from Louisiana

I'd have nothing to say after reading this if I'd read it 5 years ago while deep in addiction and still big into the capitalist game. I'm a Cajun from Louisiana who never connected with my roots, since I was escaping from the world when the opportunities were presented to me. So the value being lost from people being unable to preserve their culture would've been of little concern to me. However, after hearing native storytellers around where I live share their ancestral stories, I can say what I think is at stake here, and it's incredibly important to our collective well-being. I recognized lessons in their stories as universal lessons, ones I've had to learn about how to meet our needs and to be in the world. These were lessons I was learning in recovery for myself from various sources, and none of them were coming from what I was seeing of mainstream society. Mainstream society in the US, as far as I've been able to see, is typically teaching the opposite. I don't know what my ancestors' stories teach. If they're like the indigenous teachings I've heard, then I may have had useful guidance through my past struggles. The loss of such generational collective knowledge slows us all down.

mc32 7y ago
A question of import would be are they applicable in a modern world? Religions go through transformation to fit and remain relevant. But never the less fewer people call themselves religious, because for many it’s less relevant and applicable in a modern world. Education is the same. What was applicable and relevant in the 1900s isn’t the same as what’s relevant today. Of course math remains a constant.
- SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
  Some people enjoy the stories of the past. I'm not religious, but I find joy in reading the myths and legends from bygone eras - regardless if Prometheus isn't particularly applicable to today's modern world. I don't know what you mean by math being constant - I think you'll find the Mayans had a different understanding of math than we do.
  - mc32 7y ago
    I agree they are fine as myths and mythology. They can be illustrative and entertaining. But not sure they can tell us about navigating the modern aspect of today’s world (there are constants like interpersonal relationships, duties and such).
    - SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
      To be clear - we're getting off topic - these woman are actually recording their modern poetry in the Tzotzil language. Why does it have to be relevant to navigating all of the modern world? They of course won't have details on how to maximize your side hustle, but the constants, like interpersonal relationships, are still the majority of our worldly interactions.
      - mc32 7y ago
        I think that’s a worthy cause for sure. Preservation for posterity is a good thing. However I was responding to @crawfordcomeaux‘s take on some his own experiences. He may be right of course. I was seeking discourse on his take.
- crawfordcomeaux 7y ago
  Absolutely! Here's a simple example: I'm a recovering information addict who used to perceive myself as having a deep need to know things, which was actually anxiety around and fear of uncertainty or not knowing. In recovery, I've learned there's very little I need to know, learning to tap into my intuition, instead. One indigenous story dealt with exactly this. I used to think of myths and mythology as ancient outdated beliefs. I now view them as learning opportunities. I've found it useful to view literally everything this way, which is another teaching I've encountered in indigenous stories & I learned on my own beforehand. I now view beliefs as tools for configuring cognitive biases and can find many useful ways to prime my brain this way. So yeah...crazy useful and totally counter to modern society's teachings, probably because these lessons work against the more toxic/limiting aspects of modern life. Thanks for asking! There are timeless teachings about how nature works (at least until nature evolves away from them) in indigenous cultures, which includes how to care for ourselves. That's stuff that was for sure missing from my upbringing and education. Also, here's another example of how what I consider Western science is only just now catching up to some indigenous teachings: https://blogs.crikey.com.au/northern/2015/11/08/ornithogenic-fire-raptors-as-propagators-of-fire-in-the-australian-savanna/ https://blogs.crikey.com.au/northern/2015/11/08/ornithogenic... The local indigenous tribes in that area told of birds that were setting fires. People considered the stories a myth. Nope...just observations of nature being passed down generationally through stories. I've heard some indigenous folk refer to it as their form of scientific documentation. That perspective also makes it much easier for me to find value in the stories.

mc32 7y ago

A question of import would be are they applicable in a modern world? Religions go through transformation to fit and remain relevant. But never the less fewer people call themselves religious, because for many it’s less relevant and applicable in a modern world. Education is the same. What was applicable and relevant in the 1900s isn’t the same as what’s relevant today. Of course math remains a constant.

SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
Some people enjoy the stories of the past. I'm not religious, but I find joy in reading the myths and legends from bygone eras - regardless if Prometheus isn't particularly applicable to today's modern world. I don't know what you mean by math being constant - I think you'll find the Mayans had a different understanding of math than we do.
- mc32 7y ago
  I agree they are fine as myths and mythology. They can be illustrative and entertaining. But not sure they can tell us about navigating the modern aspect of today’s world (there are constants like interpersonal relationships, duties and such).
  - SketchySeaBeast 7y ago
    To be clear - we're getting off topic - these woman are actually recording their modern poetry in the Tzotzil language. Why does it have to be relevant to navigating all of the modern world? They of course won't have details on how to maximize your side hustle, but the constants, like interpersonal relationships, are still the majority of our worldly interactions.
    - mc32 7y ago
      I think that’s a worthy cause for sure. Preservation for posterity is a good thing. However I was responding to @crawfordcomeaux‘s take on some his own experiences. He may be right of course. I was seeking discourse on his take.
crawfordcomeaux 7y ago
Absolutely! Here's a simple example: I'm a recovering information addict who used to perceive myself as having a deep need to know things, which was actually anxiety around and fear of uncertainty or not knowing. In recovery, I've learned there's very little I need to know, learning to tap into my intuition, instead. One indigenous story dealt with exactly this. I used to think of myths and mythology as ancient outdated beliefs. I now view them as learning opportunities. I've found it useful to view literally everything this way, which is another teaching I've encountered in indigenous stories & I learned on my own beforehand. I now view beliefs as tools for configuring cognitive biases and can find many useful ways to prime my brain this way. So yeah...crazy useful and totally counter to modern society's teachings, probably because these lessons work against the more toxic/limiting aspects of modern life. Thanks for asking! There are timeless teachings about how nature works (at least until nature evolves away from them) in indigenous cultures, which includes how to care for ourselves. That's stuff that was for sure missing from my upbringing and education. Also, here's another example of how what I consider Western science is only just now catching up to some indigenous teachings: https://blogs.crikey.com.au/northern/2015/11/08/ornithogenic-fire-raptors-as-propagators-of-fire-in-the-australian-savanna/ https://blogs.crikey.com.au/northern/2015/11/08/ornithogenic... The local indigenous tribes in that area told of birds that were setting fires. People considered the stories a myth. Nope...just observations of nature being passed down generationally through stories. I've heard some indigenous folk refer to it as their form of scientific documentation. That perspective also makes it much easier for me to find value in the stories.