Local Culture, Local Wisdom & Local Stupidity

Many people assume local culture is the symbol of backward, barriers for development and in contrast to modern culture. To be a modern (rational, engaged in secular institutions, and disenchanted of the world) one should drop all that connected to the local. Through their purified wings, world religions in fact involved in negating –or even destroying– local cultures, blaming them as unauthentic and source of heresy.

But it was in twentieth century, when modernity was the dominant narrative of cultural explanations. The Coming of new millennium has been stumulating criticism to modernity and all derivative explanations about it. New perspectives, theories, paradigm or even ideology have been appearing such as post-modernism, multiple-modernities, and post-traditionalism, which are appreciative to local expressions. Having been tired by the aridity and linearity of modern life, people are now searching for alternatives that are softer, more spiritual, and more flexible than ever before. They find such things in local knowledge. For these purposes, local culture is now seen as source of wisdoms instead of obstacles.

This is the era of flash back, where localities are cheered in modern space concomitant with globalization. The notion that there are local wisdoms in every local culture stimulates local supporters to campaign that the local is able to co-exist with the global. But wait, who does actuality recognize the wisdom of the local? Are they insiders of the local or the outsiders? If they are the insiders, they are absolutely subject to any biases. If they are the outsiders, what are their motives in doing so? Clear answer of the questions is required in order to determine the quality of appreciation.

In reality, what insiders hold as the wisdom is different from that is seen by the outsider. The first would see holistically the wisdom in their local expressions as value systems, whereas the latter just impress it as the exotic expressions to be preserved. The exotic is a state when ones are enjoyed and amazed to a unique and antique expression but they do not want to be like such an enjoyable object. Behind the exotic is a consciousness of the subject that one’s is better than the object being watched. Consequently, it is also common that what is recognized local wisdom by some will be seen by the others oppositely, as local stupidity. This difference levels of appreciations could cause further cultural double standard, pobhia, and even racist point of views. In such a differ cultural context, we need a better multicultural perspevtive rather than just the melting pot and assimilation.

http://www.ahmadmuttaqin.com/2009/08/24/local-culture-local-wisdom-local-stupidity/

Dance Of The Sarasvati

this music somehow made me feel relaxed

Orochi

Life experience

Life experience should make us more thoughtful and cautious when walking in this world.
Life experiences make us richer in spirit and become more mature.
Good or bad is a matter of feeling.
Enjoy your life in every respect and always give thanks to God for everything.

Life needs balance

Life needs to balance between matters of body and spirit. The imbalance will make the damage that could destroy everything we have built. Wealth is the business world and should help us to reach nirvana. Sometimes we forget and leave the wisdom of the past.

Money, gold, property etc are the ornament of the world will we leave behind when nature calls our souls. We are born naked and poor, one day we'll go just take our souls. Alone, without friends and relatives that we have in this world.

The balance between body and soul that will lead us to achieve nirvana. The water that flows in rivers will become one in the ocean as a container and the final destination. Water will bring all its contents including the garbage into the ocean that is ready to accept anything with the emptiness and density. Life is like water going towards the nirvana of the soul.

http://seazen.blogspot.com/

Dad, where the Lord?

"Dad, where the Lord?" asked my son.
"near us."
"where? I have never seen"
"The Lord is near us. God is always watching us."
"I can not see God."
"God can not be seen with our eyes. But, we can feel God close to us. Feel with your heart."
"How?"
"My son, felt with the heart. When you breathe air, the God who provides for you. When you feel healthy, God's love that gives you. God is near us to keep us."


"Dad, I do not understand."
"My son, keep learning so that you can understand the meaning of life."

questions of life

how long we will live in this world?
where we're going next?
who will accompany us?
what we already have?
what we want to get?
who we are?
where we will end up?

we need the path of light