“Culture is not truth”...YES! Here in Australia we are about to have our annual culture war: the Australia Day public holiday. It commemorates the date the English stole this land from the locals in 1788 to establish a penal colony. As you can imagine this isn’t a day to be celebrated if (a) you’re indigenous, (b) you’re not English, and/or (c) understand colonial history. Won’t stop the flag-wavers though, so your point quoted above rang true.
From a Gen X latch-key kid - my parents didn’t bother with a baby sitter.
Oof, that sounds like our version of Columbus Day, now unofficially known as Indigenous Peoples' Day, depending on who you talk to. And yes, a contentious topic probably decried by the right.
No babysitter, huh? That sounds kind of fun and dangerous! I hope you grew up in a neighborhood at least!
Loved reading your story and excited to keep reading along. I’m brewing up some similar explorations myself so this is affirming that there are other women and teachers out there feeling like there’s more to this story of life and culture. And thanks for following me too!✨
My sister and I say that we were feral children. Raised in the middle of the city in Seattle, but with one foot on wild land on the Olympic Peninsula, no cross-cultural marriages but a few forays into other cultures and languages, I feel like I've spent 62 years trying to figure out how to live in our culture. Looking back, the feral days of my youth were both traumatic and felt much freer than now.
That sounds fascinating. One foot in the woods/beaches of the peninsula (is that near the Ho? I loved that place!!!) and one in the concrete jungle. Sounds like a book!
A little further East than the Hoh, but the northern part of the peninsula has its own palpable flavor of energy that varies a bit but is recognizable regardless of where you are.
It does sound like a book! One of these days it’ll be clear if it wants to be written. So far, that’s been a no, but I won’t rule it out.
what do i think...i think we would have long, thoughtful and curious conversations were we to sit down for meals. until then, i'll read and ponder your words enthusiastically.
Wild? When I was about 5-6 years old, I scavenged pig's lungs from a fresh soggy manure pile. And then Ma forced my little brother and me to it a serving to keep from starving. Hours the two of us had an upchucking contest.
I also retrieved a pig's bladder, blew up that slimy slippery blob, tied it shut. We kiddies played soccer with it.
I was born about six weeks after Hitler invaded Poland in Nazi Germany near the Rhine river and near the German, Swiss and French borders. Because I was neglected, abused and abandoned by my parents, and never had one mentor, my chronic ear infection continued for at least two decades. I grew proud flesh, wild meat, in that ear and had two surgeries to remove it before and during my early teens; 1st in Basel Switzerland and 2d one in Freiburg, Germany.
I recently remembered that one reader of my autobio/memoir told me that I had the patience of Job in the Bible. So, I scanned its Bible Book and decided that I had suffered more than he did and have begun a list of comparing his with my life’s painful educational experiences. They also gave me some unbelievable spiritual blessings. Wish I had 24hrs more time each day, because I am also a caregiver to my wife.
Taste of lungs? Slight better and a little like liver but I cannot really compare its taste to anything else. Even though I have eaten a huge variety of foods, from dried squid, frog legs, a potful of black death trumpet mushrooms, to cow brains, gut, kidneys, etc. That only meal of lungs tasted fresh, because the world had not yet been poisoned and the soil had been enhanced for centuries with organic matter, including contents from cesspools outside all houses. A few hours after that lung meal, lung soup burst from my mouth and tasted awful while burning my bronchi.
I eventually learned that I could have “cured” or prevented that chronic ear infection if I had given a rent-free home to maggots. Pus is one of their favorite gourmet foods. I became friend with a retired man who cured his ear infection with cute little wiggling, squirming fly magots.
Heroes from the Attic: A Gripping True Story of Triumph > heavily censored because of its uncompromising truth.
In Nazi Germany, serving my country as a medical chronic infection ginny piglet and subsequent last hours surgery. That saved my and decorated me with a cool bid skull scar. That was only the beginning of years to come, growing wild meat in my head.
During WW I, which has been continued as WW III. I learned more useful wellness and reality lessons that all snooty university combined.
For several years I have been trying to figure out things like, in random order: who I am? Why do people not believe me? Why do some hate me? Why do I get flash meaningless ridiculous ideas from nowhere? Then many have become reality! Even the most impossible and most brutal such has became reality. I popped out a name for that one of those: Human Colony Disease-Disorder. I flunked completely out of middle school and was know to be dumb.
Decades later a MD Surgeon Integrative Doctor, without telling me what he as doing, tested me with his PC to have very high intuition. The first words: "that frustrates you greatly." I responded, Tell me about it! I know how that came about: my harmonious in my body resonating with such of everything in this Universe like a symphony orchestra. Cool, eh?
I self-healed from at least 200 symptoms, ill conditions, chronic illness, despite of stethoscope-decorated white coats.
Now in my mid 80's I am refusing all medicines.
Cool, eh?
Now I am authoring:
Near-Deaths, Lonesome Terrors & Tortures Triggered My Self-Healings:
Wisdom from Unusual Experiences!
85-year-old Bronc Buster’s search for His Life.
No earthling me helped me to reach great height! I crawled myself to success. My Good and the Bad in Life are difficult to believe. To enhance your understanding, I am including affirming quotes and Internet links from brilliant and experienced people.
I had waves of brain fog writing my memoir while being poisoned with many with such Top poison was ARSENIC. Medical system could, or did not want to, diagnose that.
I read something somewhere pointing out that the word "culture" encapsulates "cult", and indeed, I'm of the anecdotal opinion that the only people who can describe a specific culture with even arguable objectivity are the ones who can exist outside of it.
I had a semblance of cultural awakening from reading The Story of B, then I had some real cultural awakening when I traveled outside my own country.
It really was shocking to discover that I conflated cultural normatives with assumed universalities. Really basic stuff like aligning "human decency" with the enactment of "christian values", etc.
I just wanted to say that I appreciate your unique, thorough, and astute study of the phenomenon of culture.
I love your comment. I hadn't thought of the "cult" part of culture, but you're so right. And often with people looking to others for guidance and attaching value to social proof, it ends up with the blind leading the blind. Herd/pack mentality, etc. I really appreciate what you say about "conflating cultural normatives with assumed universalities." Hammer, meet nail!
« Culture is not truth » - that’s one hell of a line.
Ha! Thanks, Circe :-)
“Culture is not truth”...YES! Here in Australia we are about to have our annual culture war: the Australia Day public holiday. It commemorates the date the English stole this land from the locals in 1788 to establish a penal colony. As you can imagine this isn’t a day to be celebrated if (a) you’re indigenous, (b) you’re not English, and/or (c) understand colonial history. Won’t stop the flag-wavers though, so your point quoted above rang true.
From a Gen X latch-key kid - my parents didn’t bother with a baby sitter.
Oof, that sounds like our version of Columbus Day, now unofficially known as Indigenous Peoples' Day, depending on who you talk to. And yes, a contentious topic probably decried by the right.
No babysitter, huh? That sounds kind of fun and dangerous! I hope you grew up in a neighborhood at least!
Columbus Day Down Under, so to speak……🤷♂️
Whenever I’m feeling shitty I read this post.
OMG I LOVE THAT SO MUCH!!!! Thank you!!!!
Loved reading your story and excited to keep reading along. I’m brewing up some similar explorations myself so this is affirming that there are other women and teachers out there feeling like there’s more to this story of life and culture. And thanks for following me too!✨
I’m excited to read when you come
Up with!
What not when!
My sister and I say that we were feral children. Raised in the middle of the city in Seattle, but with one foot on wild land on the Olympic Peninsula, no cross-cultural marriages but a few forays into other cultures and languages, I feel like I've spent 62 years trying to figure out how to live in our culture. Looking back, the feral days of my youth were both traumatic and felt much freer than now.
I'm excited to read your stories.
That sounds fascinating. One foot in the woods/beaches of the peninsula (is that near the Ho? I loved that place!!!) and one in the concrete jungle. Sounds like a book!
A little further East than the Hoh, but the northern part of the peninsula has its own palpable flavor of energy that varies a bit but is recognizable regardless of where you are.
It does sound like a book! One of these days it’ll be clear if it wants to be written. So far, that’s been a no, but I won’t rule it out.
Given all of your experiences, achievements, endeavors, and intentions, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.
Thank you, James!
what do i think...i think we would have long, thoughtful and curious conversations were we to sit down for meals. until then, i'll read and ponder your words enthusiastically.
I'd love that. Thanks for reading, Anne, thanks for your enthusiasm <3
Wild? When I was about 5-6 years old, I scavenged pig's lungs from a fresh soggy manure pile. And then Ma forced my little brother and me to it a serving to keep from starving. Hours the two of us had an upchucking contest.
I also retrieved a pig's bladder, blew up that slimy slippery blob, tied it shut. We kiddies played soccer with it.
Wow!!! What a story. I hope you write it .Where did you grow up? What do pigs lungs taste like?
I was born about six weeks after Hitler invaded Poland in Nazi Germany near the Rhine river and near the German, Swiss and French borders. Because I was neglected, abused and abandoned by my parents, and never had one mentor, my chronic ear infection continued for at least two decades. I grew proud flesh, wild meat, in that ear and had two surgeries to remove it before and during my early teens; 1st in Basel Switzerland and 2d one in Freiburg, Germany.
I recently remembered that one reader of my autobio/memoir told me that I had the patience of Job in the Bible. So, I scanned its Bible Book and decided that I had suffered more than he did and have begun a list of comparing his with my life’s painful educational experiences. They also gave me some unbelievable spiritual blessings. Wish I had 24hrs more time each day, because I am also a caregiver to my wife.
Taste of lungs? Slight better and a little like liver but I cannot really compare its taste to anything else. Even though I have eaten a huge variety of foods, from dried squid, frog legs, a potful of black death trumpet mushrooms, to cow brains, gut, kidneys, etc. That only meal of lungs tasted fresh, because the world had not yet been poisoned and the soil had been enhanced for centuries with organic matter, including contents from cesspools outside all houses. A few hours after that lung meal, lung soup burst from my mouth and tasted awful while burning my bronchi.
I eventually learned that I could have “cured” or prevented that chronic ear infection if I had given a rent-free home to maggots. Pus is one of their favorite gourmet foods. I became friend with a retired man who cured his ear infection with cute little wiggling, squirming fly magots.
Heroes from the Attic: A Gripping True Story of Triumph > heavily censored because of its uncompromising truth.
In Nazi Germany, serving my country as a medical chronic infection ginny piglet and subsequent last hours surgery. That saved my and decorated me with a cool bid skull scar. That was only the beginning of years to come, growing wild meat in my head.
During WW I, which has been continued as WW III. I learned more useful wellness and reality lessons that all snooty university combined.
For several years I have been trying to figure out things like, in random order: who I am? Why do people not believe me? Why do some hate me? Why do I get flash meaningless ridiculous ideas from nowhere? Then many have become reality! Even the most impossible and most brutal such has became reality. I popped out a name for that one of those: Human Colony Disease-Disorder. I flunked completely out of middle school and was know to be dumb.
Decades later a MD Surgeon Integrative Doctor, without telling me what he as doing, tested me with his PC to have very high intuition. The first words: "that frustrates you greatly." I responded, Tell me about it! I know how that came about: my harmonious in my body resonating with such of everything in this Universe like a symphony orchestra. Cool, eh?
I self-healed from at least 200 symptoms, ill conditions, chronic illness, despite of stethoscope-decorated white coats.
Now in my mid 80's I am refusing all medicines.
Cool, eh?
Now I am authoring:
Near-Deaths, Lonesome Terrors & Tortures Triggered My Self-Healings:
Wisdom from Unusual Experiences!
85-year-old Bronc Buster’s search for His Life.
No earthling me helped me to reach great height! I crawled myself to success. My Good and the Bad in Life are difficult to believe. To enhance your understanding, I am including affirming quotes and Internet links from brilliant and experienced people.
I am a Canary like many flocks of Canaries. Warning about 10,000 toxins in the environment silently slowly killing people. Like me.
https://www.maci-mcs.org/governor-proclaims-mcs-week.html
I had waves of brain fog writing my memoir while being poisoned with many with such Top poison was ARSENIC. Medical system could, or did not want to, diagnose that.
Yes! I love this. I’m so happy I found you and resonate deeply with the call to rewild and break free of the invisible cages of conditioning! 🙌🙏✨🌺
I’m right there with you, sister! 💚💚💚
“curiosity. As a child, I thought I was an alien sent to Earth to study humans, then later went on to study culture as an undergrad.”
Strangely it was some of my friends who thought I was an alien. Now that I’m older and hopefully wiser, I’m open to the possibility they were right.
Haha! Well come, alien friend!
Great read!! Too much brain fog at the moment to articulate a suitable response, but really enjoyed reading.
Haha! This is the best response! thank you!
Great piece!!! I love the tagline. An ex girlfriend once said “you can be trained, but never tamed.” I have to give her some credit. lol
Well thats Perfect!
love! 🥰🔥🐌🍒💓👸🏻🤩
Thanks so much, Angelica!
I read something somewhere pointing out that the word "culture" encapsulates "cult", and indeed, I'm of the anecdotal opinion that the only people who can describe a specific culture with even arguable objectivity are the ones who can exist outside of it.
I had a semblance of cultural awakening from reading The Story of B, then I had some real cultural awakening when I traveled outside my own country.
It really was shocking to discover that I conflated cultural normatives with assumed universalities. Really basic stuff like aligning "human decency" with the enactment of "christian values", etc.
I just wanted to say that I appreciate your unique, thorough, and astute study of the phenomenon of culture.
I love your comment. I hadn't thought of the "cult" part of culture, but you're so right. And often with people looking to others for guidance and attaching value to social proof, it ends up with the blind leading the blind. Herd/pack mentality, etc. I really appreciate what you say about "conflating cultural normatives with assumed universalities." Hammer, meet nail!
Wow! Thank you.
Thanks, Brien!
You are most welcome
I'm so glad this made it back into my feed! I missed it the first time, but oh how it makes me so happy to have found you!!