I am re-purposing the term:
"Acculturation"
cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture the acculturation of immigrants to American life also : a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact
to describe the condition of having surrendered one'self'to an ideology, 'ism, or personal improvement technology
Personal Anecdote:
I evacuated Japan after having experienced a 10 day-long, perceived near-death experience, post 3/11 earthquake (aftershocks were endless, and we truly believed the reactors were going to go!!!)
Such an experience produces an amazing range of emotions and needs. I felt a profound need for MEANING, beauty, love, music, GOD, a big cosmic anchoring experience.
This refugee stayed with friends in Carmel, California.
This is weird, but I recall traversing that tiny town and asking its residents 'existential' questions.
I started with my host, a consultant by profession.
Question: "What is the most important thing you have done in your life?"
Answer: "I took a brain-training course."
This sort of thing went on for days (my sample was pretty huge)...answers often involved some 'perceived' expression of 'identity', sexual; some attainment of 'authenticity' (usually achieved in some engineered group context).
I felt that I was walking in a desert of in-authenticiy, a Stepford-humans HELL.
I finally met a man who could 'heal' me (just a little). He was a waiter in a cafe, a refugee from Lebanon. He/I talked war, and death, and music, and great art, and feeling glad but guilty to be alive. The only other non-acculted person I found was an uber driver, who was pretty disgusted with the whole milieu.
Can you imagine lying on your deathbed thinking, "I sure am glad I took that brain-training course"?
bakkagirl
"Acculturation"
cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture the acculturation of immigrants to American life also : a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact
to describe the condition of having surrendered one'self'to an ideology, 'ism, or personal improvement technology
Personal Anecdote:
I evacuated Japan after having experienced a 10 day-long, perceived near-death experience, post 3/11 earthquake (aftershocks were endless, and we truly believed the reactors were going to go!!!)
Such an experience produces an amazing range of emotions and needs. I felt a profound need for MEANING, beauty, love, music, GOD, a big cosmic anchoring experience.
This refugee stayed with friends in Carmel, California.
This is weird, but I recall traversing that tiny town and asking its residents 'existential' questions.
I started with my host, a consultant by profession.
Question: "What is the most important thing you have done in your life?"
Answer: "I took a brain-training course."
This sort of thing went on for days (my sample was pretty huge)...answers often involved some 'perceived' expression of 'identity', sexual; some attainment of 'authenticity' (usually achieved in some engineered group context).
I felt that I was walking in a desert of in-authenticiy, a Stepford-humans HELL.
I finally met a man who could 'heal' me (just a little). He was a waiter in a cafe, a refugee from Lebanon. He/I talked war, and death, and music, and great art, and feeling glad but guilty to be alive. The only other non-acculted person I found was an uber driver, who was pretty disgusted with the whole milieu.
Can you imagine lying on your deathbed thinking, "I sure am glad I took that brain-training course"?
bakkagirl
