Cultural Conditioning
Give me the Courage to see the Good.
I often think about the tree rings in a fallen tree which indicated when the seasons were good, and when they were not so good, or the layers of sediment seen when a mountain is sliced to make a road—soil of different colors and stripes which show what went into making that mountain, one layer at a time.
We will, each of us, be laid down in the dust that was our time. Just as our parents belonged to the generation that was shaped by the Roaring ‘20s, the Depression, and World War II, our generation has been shaped by the Vietnam war, the rise of feminism, and the issue of civil rights, gay rights, and pro-choice versus pro-life.
We have boomed our way into times of tremendous personal wealth without any collective sacrifice. We can now gather and disseminate information around the globe with one tap on our hand held device. How has this culture of ours shaped our thinking, and thus prophesied our future?
A friend of mine shared that he loves the verse about the death of King David. It reads “Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet. . . with all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.”(I Chronicles 29:29-30) What that verse is saying is that David was a man of his time who served his time, and having done that, died.
We are each born into a time—made up of cultural conditioning, opportunities, training, and prejudices. These layers which exist in and around us can help prophesy our success, or our failure. The key is whether we discern their value and their challenges, and respond.
LBJ ~ Live. Breathe. Joy.
Holy and Sacred One,
I am a person in the times, and of the times. Help me be your voice in this culture, and rise above any prejudices which might hinder me or others. Give me the courage to see the good and be the good, rising above limiting cultural conditioning to display the love of God.
Amen.
Your Book Needs to be Born… Last post if you missed it.
