Self-Esteem, a much overused designation, finds its roots in cultural thinking. Earnest Becker, in his book, “The Birth and Death of Meaning,” addresses the subject: He says, “…when people do not have self-esteem, they cannot act, they break down.” “When the inner-newsreel begins to run consistently negative images of one’s worth, the person gives up.” “When the child poses the question, ‘who am I,’ he is really asking…that he be recognized as an object of primary value in the universe. Or, “where do I rank as a hero?” Becker says that sibling rivalry is common and also ‘competitiveness’ due to the drive for self-esteem. But, here comes an exposing, glaring, fact based on all said so far, “Cultural-heros have to have available to them some kind of heroic action system in which to realize their ambitions, and this symbolic system is what we call ‘culture.’” “Culture is a structure of…
Tag: <span>culture</span>
The times were post-modern, the setting? — anywhere U.S.A. The question then, “hath God said?” Answer, “you shall not surely die.” Heard this before? Yes, we have read it in our Bibles, pages 1-3. Quohelet later speaks in Ecclesiastes, “All is breath, and herding of the wind.” There is nothing new under the sun. Same old — same old! The dialectics tell us of new forms for reasoning, that the truth-based deductive reasoning is obsolete. They tell us we must accept both sides of the question and reject the law of non-contradiction. They want us to tolerate the lie, accept it’s right to express itself, and even exalt it to a place of equality with truth. Red dogs bark louder, my dog is red my dog barks louder. They dismiss the simple reasoning. Ho hum; the Bible calls these folks, “fools” because they have no delight in understanding —…
Behind vision, we find redemptive revelation; nothing else quite produces a vision by which people do not perish. 2 Corinthians 4:16 reminds us, “though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. “ Inward renewal keys the visionary’s gaze which is the image of Christ and Him crucified. This must be a constant for every believer or the restraints for forward movement are nullified. Folks, it remains that the image of Christ and Him crucified includes”Love” which covers the multitude of sins — those acknowledged and those denied. Yes, Love with sins’ final judgment is the vision-maker of every blood-bought believer. Standing opposed to vision are man’s many differences. These differences should find solution in the uniting of all men under the banner of Christ’s “breaking down the middle wall of partition” between individuals and groups, a by-product of His dying, and so making peace. With Christ’s…
These things I learned this week: That, in the culture, individualism can be good, as long as I don’t make an idol of me. Again, culturally speaking, community is desired, but don’t make an idol of them. Who-a-person-is, subjectively, is discovered by them in receiving an objective identity, not by gazing within. The culture seeks to produce many identities from without the self. Next, diversity of attributes is to be celebrated; but to be realized only in the service of others, not to build a private reputation. Finally, an identity will reproduce itself. Webster’s from the year 1828 defines “culture” this way: The act of tilling and preparing the earth for crops; cultivation; the application of labor or other means of improvement. 2. … to improve good qualities in, or growth; as the culture of the mind; the culture of virtue. 3. … producing 4. Any labor or means employed…