The Lament of a (Neo)conservative

Before I plunge into considerable detail about what I had in mind with this
essay, readers, let me say the following first; I added the parentheses in the
title after careful consideration of two important factors. First off, I wanted
to announce to the world at large; I am not the propaganda-fueled, effigy-
burning, slogan-shouting, demonstration-happy, angry mob type. That just
isn't me. I am a lot more like your run-of the-mill, morally outraged person
next door, Mr. Rant-a-lot. Second reason for the parenthesis; it makes my
essay look way more intellectual than it actually is. A cheap trick, I grant
you, and one made totally worthless by my accepting it. Anyway, down to
business.

I wanted to express (if the less perceptive of you haven' t yet guessed) my
lament, about the declining interest and the general decrease in time and
thought one seems to have for one´s culture and its implementation in our
day to day activities. Wait a second... I seem to hear angry shouts of ´No
way!´ and ´What?!´ from the gathering I have conveniently conjured up.
Perhaps a short and informative lecture on the etymology and history of
culture is warranted.

My extensive and painstaking research by means of a reputable search

engine shows me that culture is derived from the Latin meaning to cultivate.
It varies from society to society, even taking on different forms in the same
religious group. Let me take that broader definition of culture and expand on
it, instead of sticking to the purely theological sense of the word. Culture, I
feel, forms an integral part of the identity of a person as it guides them
through their daily lives helping them through moral, social and in some
cases even economic conundrums.

A grand statement, but does it have a basis in fact. Oh yes, it does. Take the
Japanese for example; who wouldn't agree that after what they have been
through these past few months, the discipline and ethic they derive from
their culture has seen them overcome even the most devastating of
misfortunes. Not just the recent earthquake, but a more broader revisiting of
world history in the past century would reveal a surprising story of the
Japanese renaissance in economy, policy, science and governance.

In recent times, thanks to globalization and the sudden conglomeration of

many cultures, there has been a slow loss of parts of our culture. This is due
to lack of its practice in some instances or open neglect in others. Although
most rituals and ceremonies that go hand in hand with culture in society may
seem cumbersome and time consuming in this day and age, they make up, I
feel, the fabric of society which covers the animals lurking inside us all.

Just as the last generation lambasted the T.V. as the “Idiot box”, we should
probably come to terms with the fact that the P.C. has overshadowed that to
become some sort of “Devil box”, dictating our customs and mores in the
form of ever changing fashions while still letting us feel like we are in control.
Most of us amongst our generation have been reduced to denigrating their
own culture due to a complete and utter lack of understanding or knowledge
of it. These cultures take thousands of years to perfect, they are not the
product of someone’s whim! Another example: ´Pashtunwali´ is a little
known but strictly adhered set of ethical codes and lifestyle followed in
Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan by the Pathans, which has said to have
been in existence since before the first century A.D.

All of these cultures didn’t come into existence in a generation. It takes

many hundreds of years to perfect codes and laws, and the ones that persist
are ´cultivated´ to become culture. It is the product of careful and
meticulous study of man’s behavior and surroundings. Also, we must realize
that the solutions of nearly all kinds of problems can be found in our
respective cultures; we must only look to our illustrious forbears for them.
The Panchatantra for example is a lot more than a collection of animal
stories for kids. It may appear childish and irrelevant to today´s crowd, but
actually lays down guidelines for good governance, foreign policy, affairs of
the state and moral values.

Now then kind readers, there is only so much preaching a budding engineer
can do before people start to give him sad looks (I can almost hear my father
question my purpose in life). A regrettable side-affect of middle-class Indian
cult- I mean mentality. But don´t let that sway you from my thesis readers;
culture is important, don' t let anyone tell you otherwise. Reverend Rant-a-lot
signing off.