The convenience of Culture

Hi,

I intentionally title this piece the convenience of culture and not the oft used culture of convenience? Well, its exactly what I feel many of us modernists and neo-conservatists have come to live by.

But before I go into that, just wanted to marvel the revenue management done by the telecom companies. I was entitled for 3-month rebate on caller id, and for this month, they conveniently split the month into two parts. One for 2 days and the other for the rest 28 days. SO the rebate applies only to the 2-day period, in effect earning them a bulk of the rebate they offered me. I find mobile phone service bills relatively complicated pieces of calculation. Didnt have so much challenge in calculating the cost of capital and probabilities, as much in decphering these bill statement.

Back to the original thought, the convenience of culture just seems to be a common reference point for me and the many people I live and share my life with. Whenever there seems to be a question of doing the right thing, it seems culture takes a precedence. But only so long as it is convenient for us. The moment our cultural traditions make it inconvenient for us, we run to the other pillar of rationality and the modern world, where practicality gains favour over traditions. This to me is the "Convenience of Culture".

An example of this case, is the tradition of fasting that man of us Indians adopt. I may not be very religious, but as I understand it fasting has been meant for both a demonstration of the will power and as a dedication to God. The former being an acceptable reason, and the latter being a demonstration of private and individual faith. But when fasting, some people tend to keep away from staple foods while eating rich and nice food - this isnt something I can comprehend. To me, its just being convenient, in this case with the aid of culture. Am sure there is more to it than meets the eye, but I think there is still a case for my point.

It is not necessarily a bad thing, as I have come to believe that most of us are convenient about most of the things, most of the times. The few times we are not, are probably those situations when we make the difficult choice and gloat over it as thought our individuality was defined by them. We claim to be honest people full of conscience and integrity because we made the tougher choice on those few occasions. For me personally, I am generally convenient about most things most of the times. But I think as I grow older [and wiser ;-)], there is an increasing desire to be bolder about creating more moments of truth, where I can decide to live my individual self than in giving in to the desire of the moment.

So the convenience of culture in itself is establishing as a culture. So in essence you have another cyclical dependency that will break itself only on a few occasions of triumph of our conscience.

So how much has the culture of "convenience of culture" pervaded your life. Mine has to a certain extent, because I love the nice parts of culture- for me they represent the festivals and their rituals, the joy to be with loved ones, the food. But the other parts, where I am required to practice a non-selfish life, devotion, rituals that mean nothing without faith - are parts of culture which I have conveniently given up.

Way forward, I may choose to go down one path more consistently than the other. Or I amy just continue to be, the way I am - because its convenient.

for now anyway,
cheers!
si