The shift from traditional to modern – I was there
I was born in the Western world. Specifically in Guadalajara, Mexico. A particularly colonial city with a strong Hispanic (Spanish) culture. Mexico is a very diverse country with populations of colonists and natives where sometimes one group outnumbers the others. At the time that I grew up there Guadalajara was still a paradise of Spanish culture. The great earthquake of Mexico City of 1985 would change the city’s demographics as it became increasingly populated by the people of Mexico City, changing it forever. Today it’s become very “inner city” and rundown like Mexico City so if you’ve been there or you travel there, you won’t experience it as I did. But at the time I grew up there, it was still a colonial paradise, nicknamed “the pearl” of Mexico because of how beautiful it was, and not just in the esthetic sense. Ultimately, all that beauty was the result of its beautiful culture: because of its kind, conscientious people and its strong sense of community as evidenced by its clean streets and neat facades; by the people you would see sweeping the piece of sidewalk that corresponded their property early in the morning, everyone doing their part to care for the community. This beauty was one that existed throughout the Western world, not just in Guadalajara. This was a beauty that would result from what were once the beautiful cultures of the Western world.
The Christian culture of the Renaissance Era would become preserved throughout colonial Mexico and would be foundational to the common cultures of many of us even into the late 20th century. This a culture originating from the south of Europe, popularly known as romance culture as it was named after the Romans. I was one of the last few lucky enough to grow up in it before its displacement. I experienced it to such an extent that I can today write a book about it in order to preserve it for posterity. As the 21st century advanced, I became alarmed at the rate at which the “culture” of globalization was displacing this culture which ultimately serves as the foundation for the Western culture heritage as a whole. During the 21st century American liberalism and materialism began to disappear not just traditional culture in the Western world but throughout the world as a whole. The nothingness of American globalization laying waste to centuries or millennia old cultures, replacing these with the emptiness of materialism and politics – with the void of nothingness resulting in a great loss of knowledge and wisdom that has taken, in some case, millennia to accumulate. This loss is absolutely tragic and criminal.
Between old and new worlds
I immigrated to the US when I was still a kid. I was old enough to have already been formed by “romance” culture but still young enough to be able to adopt a new one as well. At the time Americans had their own version of Western Christian culture, different from mine but similar in many ways. At that time, we weren’t yet white or black or brown. At that time we were all still Westerners.
I graduated at the turn of the millennia. At the time I was old enough to have learned what had been left of the traditional old ways during the 20th century but also young enough to adapt to the new ways of the 21st century.
Given my situation as an immigrant and given my generational status I had the unique experience of having learned and known the old and the new organically. I had a deep understanding of the old and an understanding of the rationalizations for the new as well. I saw the evolution take place and like many in my generation I was keen to pay attention to this shift.
I saw the great change of the guard from 21st globalization put away behind lock and key what was still left of traditional western culture from the 20th century. I know very well what they put away for no one to see and today I’m going to release that. Globalizations efforts to sequester and disappear traditional culture are entirely economically motivated. They would make claims about decommissioning the culture because it was classist or racist. Not only are these claims false their own interest is hardly to do anything with our well-being and everything to do with their ability to instill a system that will be profitable and that will exploit us in the process. In other words culture lessness is more dangerous to our material well-being in our society than any flaw of traditional culture ever was. One thing traditional culture did was bring us together so great was the unity it afforded us that it made us strong enough to rise up and revolt in actual wars against those who threatened us. Something we’d scarcely be able to do today because we don’t possess the same unifying culture that could afford us such courage. THAT is the real reason culture was disappeared : to weaken us, especially the young generation. To leave us in a state of fear, depression and hopelessness.
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It’s true that most books are honestly not worth reading but this one is when it has to do with a cultural legacy so powerful that people go to such lengths to keep it from you. One so powerful that past generations found the strength within it to build nations.