Short Story: Earth Cultures, and modernisation
@innertalks (22088)
Australia
April 13, 2022 10:09pm CST
The American Indian chief, Little Small Wolf, was talking about the Indian culture to a reporter, intent on getting something useful for him to write up in his paper, for a Sunday editorial item.
"Why are the Earth cultures of cultures, such as the American Indians, and Australian Aboriginals, being destroyed, and the Earth being exploited by civilisation today, rather than honoured, as the ancients cultures used to do?"
the reporter asked the Chief.
Chief Little Small Wolf replied:
"The heaviness of the density of the thinking of modern man weighs down on his heart, squashing it, whereas the past incarnations of man in these other cultures were not burdened, or held down, or back, by such heavy thinking, and the expense of seeing with their heart, and so they now miss seeing the soul of the planet they live on, and they are blanketing this soul out, by destroying many aspects of its livingness, as displayed in variation, which is being rapidly lost, at the cost of civilisation, tumbling back again to nothingness again, again very soon in their future."
"Now, that's a real mouthful of a statement."
the reporter interjected.
"Somebody once said that without memory, there would be no culture, but with you white folks, you prove it actually to be the opposite of that. You destroy the Earth, through a fractured culture, that has no link to the real Earth, at all."
"We, Indians, do not need a culture. We are a part of the Earth, and the idea of cultures, separates one from that Earth."
"Culture does not ever need to be created. It just needs to be lived."
"A mind must not depend on its culture, though. A mind must just work hand in hand with the Earth mind too."
"The Indian is not soiled by the soil; on the contrary, he is enhanced by the soil, which is sacred to him, and the life of the Earth, is in the hands of its soil."
"Culture can not live as life. A stone cannot be a tree. We live from the heart of the Earth, as much as we live from our own bodily heart too."
"You whites will be known forever by the tracks that you leave. We Indians left no tracks. The Earth remained trackless, in our care."
"Ok, that should be enough for today, for your readers to chew over. I am done here,"
said the Chief,
as he got up, and walked down to the river, and sat down in it, on a rock, slightly protruding above the water surface.
He looked back over his shoulder, before he had reached the rock, and he gave one more piece of advice to the reporter:
"A fish does not drink up the water in which it lives, nor does it muddy it up, either.”
Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com
Culture suffocates freedom, but being of the Earth allows the Earth to be of you.
Let the Earth sustain you; do not try to sustain the Earth, through arrogant management of it.
You might like to be a wolf, but to the Earth, you are only ever a little small wolf, like the Chief's name here reminded himself, all of the time.
6 people like this
3 responses
@Shiva49 (26774)
• Singapore
14 Apr 22
We get carried away with a take that the earth can take whatever we choose to do for our self-aggrandizement. It is there for our amusement, a plaything.
There is no sense of gratitude for the way the planet bends over backward to self-balance due to our excesses and mindless take of entitlement and devil may care attitude. We have no thought of leaving a sustainable planet for future generations.
In a way, it is an attack on our creator himself. We could be brought down to earth with a thud before long if the basics are discarded. At most, we pay lip service but close our eyes with a take anything goes.
It would only serve us well if we heed the way of those who loved and embraced the planet and merged with it seamlessly. We are all on an inclusive ride. Without a sustainable planet, we are done for, history.
Time we took a pause and deep breath to reverse this ruinous way of living.
2 people like this
@innertalks (22088)
• Australia
15 Apr 22
Well put, siva. That about sums up our current position.
Yes, we want to rule the planet, rather than just take our position in it, on it.
We cannot even rule our own lives, yet, so we all have messed up lives, and a messed up planet too.
@Shiva49 (26774)
• Singapore
15 Apr 22
@innertalks Thanks Steve, we lack focus and set our own house on fire.
No person in his right mind will lead a ruinous life that threatens others' welfare too. We have clearly gone overboard with reckless abandon.
If we push the planet to the limits, a strong kick to the solar plexus can result in knocking the wind out of us and leaving us to pick the pieces gasping for air!
2 people like this
@innertalks (22088)
• Australia
16 Apr 22
@Shiva49 Nicely put, in a tough love way.
Yes, the planet will eventually react to correct the errors we are making to its make-up, and it might be harsh for us all indeed.
2 people like this
@macayada (1497)
• Cavite City, Philippines
27 Apr 22
True enough, we are dividing the mother Earth forming culture and in the end claiming the soil on top of us or we are stepping on. The earth sustains us but we arrogantly managing it as if we are the one nourishing it, well in fact we are suffocating it.
2 people like this
@innertalks (22088)
• Australia
27 Apr 22
"The American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers, he belongs just as the buffalo belonged."
Luther Standing Bear
These days, mankind does not fit into their landscape. He hardly belongs, and so, if mankind is not careful, the Earth might spit him out of its bowels, as unpalatable to itself.
Yes, we try to manage, by controlling, rather than sustain, by nourishing, honouring, and respecting.
@macayada (1497)
• Cavite City, Philippines
27 Apr 22
I like how the Indians respect the nature, how they consider it breathing. How living things participate and contribute in the cycle of Earth's own way of renewal, but imbalance is about to take effect due to abuse of its adopted humans.
2 people like this
