Cultural or Counterculture

Hello from my little room in the Woodbine Medical Center,

As has been a once a year visit for the last 7 years or so, I am at the dermatologist to have them see if there are any new issues in my world. This one does have a specific concern that has been a problem for over a year. I suspect there will be some minor surgery, but that should manage the issue. Otherwise, there are a number of to-do items on my list for the next couple days. I have tried to be diligent on some things, but it seems many things are more complicated than necessary, but the need to manage them are profoundly necessary with the coming changes. The weekend will begin a couple of journeys that I hope prove to be fruitful and enlightening.

The summer has been a bit of a hodgepodge of events, reactions, and locations. Location is always a sort of post-modern word for me. There are the physical attributes of place, but there are also psychological, emotional properties. What provides a sense of belonging or comfort? What makes familiarity so essential? Events or occurrences fulfill time or days, but what makes them memorable, significant? Certainly sometimes those things happen unexpectedly, serendipitously, and that is often both an unexpected blessing as well as a thought-changer (more to be said about this term). And finally, while we are accountable for our reactions, our decisions, there are moments the reaction is so deeply felt, it changes the planned course of action. Certainly, the consideration of leaving my day-job has been a mixed bag. So much of my identity has been what I do. I have often said being a professor is not what I have done; it is who I am. So much of my life has been interaction with as well as from others. Retirement will provide a sense of solitude that I actually crave to some extent. I want to interact with others certainly, but I also want to have time to decompress and focus on what I want to do versus the deadlines that epitomize the academy. Additionally, I hope to have opportunities to learn and experience new and different options. This really gets me to the point of this particular post. Culture is something I focused upon in a Comp class at one point. How do you define culture? Think about it for a moment. It is complex because it encompasses all of our lives. It is certainly all the things we see; it is all the things with which we engage. It is what we hear, what we find important. It is what we eat, what we drink, what we use to entertain ourselves. It is what we believe or practice. It is what we value or believe. The point is simple. Most everything around us, everything that affects us is cultural. And yet I will assert that most of us only scratch the surface when it comes to understanding either our current cultural reality or even our cultural heritage. The difficulty in comprehending our present situation is due to the unending and overwhelming amount of information and the enormous degree of conflicting data. The struggle with identifying with our cultural heritage is we seldom take, or took) the time to ask the important questions of those generations preceding us. How many of us wish we knew more?

Over the last years, and this assignment had a metamorphosis for sure, I asked my students to create a Google map of their life, writing it as a sort of memoir to their future 18 year old children. I have created such a map for my nephews and nieces. I will, perhaps, share the URL in this blog post. One of the questions I require them to answer is how and why they describe themselves as they do? What are the three traits that most describe the person they believe they are? Ask them to speak to their aunts, uncles, grandparents, and ask questions about things they wish they knew. Even with that assignment and request, too often they are not as critical in their thinking about what to ask. Too often they are not analytical enough in pondering what they might ask or how and why they might ask that significant thing. It is one thing to view something and respond, to be asked a question, and merely to answer. That is what I did when my mother would catch me off guard – say whatever first came to mind. In retrospect that seldom worked. When it comes to things of importance, that is still the case. And it might be even more so in this discombobulated world we presently reside in, which is all the more reason to step back, think, and analyze.

This brings me to the second element of my title. There are multiple genres, sub-genres, cultures, sub-cultures or what some might consider counter-cultures. In more polite terms, one might refer to them as niche; others less polite might call them weird or BSC (batshit crazy), depending on the circumstance. What makes some aspects of culture mainstream or acceptable and others fringe or suspect? It often has to do with what we allow, what we find successful (which is itself a loaded term), what we believe to be comfortable (again, in our own understanding of that term), or what provides the means to be independent (again a loaded term). What I realize as I write this is a bit startling. We subscribe most often to what others think rather than what we feel, what we believe, or perhaps, most importantly what we need. What we need does not always align with what we want, but it is possible to create that alignment? I think this is where we need to step back and imagine, envision the possibilities. Additionally, when are the opportunities available to take such chances. From early in life, we are encouraged to have a plan, to know where we are going, where we are headed.

Recently, I attended an event that epitomizes a sub-culture, referred to as Schoolies, Busers, Van Lifers, those who have tricked out vehicles and live on the road. I experienced families, professionals, artists, crafters, and individuals from every part of the country, gathered to learn, exhibit, and share their expertise. The things I learned about solar power, living-off-the-grid, boon-docking, or the reality of living both simply and successfully was astounding. Certainly there were people there out of curiosity, but I walked into some vehicles that were so incredible, if I had not walked into their vehicle I would not know I was in something mobile. Certainly, there were all sizes, visions, and ideas. One of the most amazing builds, and one that received numerous votes for best of show, came from right here in Bloomsburg. I had watched videos of the build, which were stunning, but even those videos were not close to doing justice of the real thing. Inspirational comes to mind, and that is an understatement (the initial picture does not do justice to the actual experience). What was most interesting to me was how thought, planning, creativity, and the willingness to dream can make something happen. This is not unique but rather something that forms the basis for most achievements. Too often our fear eliminates the possibilities or options. Our fear creates artificial limits that negates imagination. Taking chances requires some courage, but it also takes honesty, and a willingness to ask for assistance. I often say, “My man-card is not that fragile.” That will certainly be the case over the next few months as I undertake a significant project. I am reading, asking questions, and listening to those who know so much more than I do. I am excited to learn new things and see what is created. Updates and progress will show up on Instagram. A couple weeks of managing materials and then let the transformation begin. Here is my musical thoughts about the journey. Life is that and believing that there are always possibilites.

Thanks as always for reading,

Dr. Martin