4 ms·

i wonder if there was a general feeling in the 80s or so that the shrinking of the world - through the internet or whatever else technology people of the 80s ma

i wonder if there was a general feeling in the 80s or so that the shrinking of the world - through the internet or whatever else technology people of the 80s may foresee - would cause the world views of different communities around the world to become more syncretized, in the same way you have various diaspora e.g. Chinese-American, Italian-American, Chinese-Indonesian cultures having plenty of cultural and religious adaptations, in addition to vestigial features, compared to the ancestral nation they left. It certainly didn't feel like the world turned out that way by the '10s. Now more than ever I think it is unlikely that two different cultures are likely to blend, never mind two massively different ones like Buddhism and Islam (the zensunni) or Buddhism and Christianity (OC) as imagined in the Dune universe. You see gradual extinction/diminishing of a lot of cultures around the world - the disappearing toisanese communities of american chinatowns, arabization of south-east asian muslims, or the fading of austro/polynesian cultures as a dominant culture takes root. nothing truly merges unless there is a strong top down effort to ensure the survival of a marginal culture, and by corollary, religion.

lrem 7y ago
Note that even in Herbert's world, most members of the congregation setting up OC retracted their support for the Bible and/or got executed by their churches soon after coming back home. Universal adoption came centuries later. I think something similar does happen in the real world. Sitting on a fence does win you hate from both sides, yes. But take for example Poland, a deeply Catholic culture with quite a bunch of Islamic symbolism (e.g. traditional szabla being a crescent-shaped sword, unlike the cross-shaped of the rest of the Europe) and even a well integrated Muslim minority (stuck around since repelling the crusade in 1410).
bakuninsbart 7y ago
I don't know, I feel there is a new population segment of "Internationals". We speak mostly English despite coming from various countries, usually share a lot of interests and lifestyle, and usually have very similar, progressive values. I honestly have more in common with a Chinese or Indian International than a rural christian from my own country. This is a very privileged minority though, and it is unclear, if this process will continue and extend across more segments of the population,
jaldhar 7y ago
Who would have thought the descendants of the Puritans would be using words like yoga, karma, avatar or reading the Bhagavadgita? Or there is the joke that the four branches of Judaism are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Buddhist etc. Mostly this is taking place at an individual not communal level at the moment but given a long enough time scale I could see it happening.
- coldtea 7y ago
  >Who would have thought the descendants of the Puritans would be using words like yoga, karma, avatar or reading the Bhagavadgita? Don't underestimate them! With enough marketing and dilution of concepts, and a few celebrity/rich people endorsements, they can consume shallow feel-good products made from any ancient culture (as long as they don't have to make any real commitments to said culture of course).

lrem 7y ago

Note that even in Herbert's world, most members of the congregation setting up OC retracted their support for the Bible and/or got executed by their churches soon after coming back home. Universal adoption came centuries later. I think something similar does happen in the real world. Sitting on a fence does win you hate from both sides, yes. But take for example Poland, a deeply Catholic culture with quite a bunch of Islamic symbolism (e.g. traditional szabla being a crescent-shaped sword, unlike the cross-shaped of the rest of the Europe) and even a well integrated Muslim minority (stuck around since repelling the crusade in 1410).

bakuninsbart 7y ago

I don't know, I feel there is a new population segment of "Internationals". We speak mostly English despite coming from various countries, usually share a lot of interests and lifestyle, and usually have very similar, progressive values. I honestly have more in common with a Chinese or Indian International than a rural christian from my own country. This is a very privileged minority though, and it is unclear, if this process will continue and extend across more segments of the population,

jaldhar 7y ago

Who would have thought the descendants of the Puritans would be using words like yoga, karma, avatar or reading the Bhagavadgita? Or there is the joke that the four branches of Judaism are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Buddhist etc. Mostly this is taking place at an individual not communal level at the moment but given a long enough time scale I could see it happening.

coldtea 7y ago
>Who would have thought the descendants of the Puritans would be using words like yoga, karma, avatar or reading the Bhagavadgita? Don't underestimate them! With enough marketing and dilution of concepts, and a few celebrity/rich people endorsements, they can consume shallow feel-good products made from any ancient culture (as long as they don't have to make any real commitments to said culture of course).