The Power of Culture: An Exploration of Collective Transformation GEORGIA KELLY CHESTER ARNOLD CONSCIOUSNESS, PASSION, & PURPOSE PASSION, CONSCIOUSNESS, 32 SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2006 • # 12 • SHIFT: AT THE FRONTIERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS “Hope remains only in the most difficult task of all: to reconsider everything from the ground up, so as to shape a living society inside a dying society.” —Albert Camus oes culture evolve? Or does society, established civilization, by its very structure, denies through unconscious social agreements, simply such a transformation.” D recycle the same patterns century after century To pursue personal transformation without being in updated packaging? Examining the social trends engaged in social transformation or to engage in social throughout recorded history,it would be easy to draw the transformation without a commitment to personal conclusion that we are creatures of a deterministic world. transformation is to continue a well-established cultural Cultures steeped in Social Darwinian cycles of war, pattern: dualism.The separation of body from soul, the conquest, and power struggles might be our fate as long personal from the political, the spiritual from the as humans inhabit the Earth.What is it in our cultural story material, all suggest that one area is more important than that recycles war, exploitation, and empire? What are the the other or should take precedence. Believing that unconscious social agreements that make these cycles all of creation is one is not the same as living as if we all but inevitable? are one.The former is a personal belief; the latter is the Every culture has stories about its origins and integration of theory and practice, or praxis. history.These stories weave together a cultural mythos, a way of making sense of the world by defining beliefs, CONFRONTING THE values, and appropriate behavior. Mythos provides the DOMINATOR MYTHOS foundation for cultural patterns and incorporates both conscious and unconscious social agreements that are passed Both Marcuse and evolutionary theorist Riane Eisler down from generation to generation. Although mythos identify a dominator system of social organization that has offers structure and meaning, it also confines and limits. prevailed throughout recorded history. The dominator If we wish to transform embedded patterns, we need to mythos, which also characterizes our current culture, understand our cultural stories and what needs they satisfy. supports authoritarian power structures and patriarchal Noam Chomsky,recently voted the world’s number one social values. It glorifies war, exploitation, and the con- public intellectual, says that the principles of language and quering of new frontiers. Rebellions and revolutions have moral judgment are part of the human condition. been followed by counter-revolutions and restorations.As These are innate abilities. But culture has an extraordinary historian Hannah Arendt put it, “The most radical influence on both language and moral judgment. revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the Undoing ingrained patterns is far more difficult than revolution.” As a society we have been trained in the many personal growth workshops would lead us to dominator mythos, and we have internalized dominator believe. Certain patterns we exhibit on a personal level are values and dominator methods of action. reinforced by the culture, so attempting to transform These values and methods are held in check by them becomes problematic in a society that is invested in conscious and unconscious social agreements. Three maintaining the old patterns. examples that bear exploration are (1) the belief that Philosopher and psychologist Herbert Marcuse war is part of human nature, (2) the selective memory of (1898–1979) claimed that the optimal development historical events, and (3) the role of hero. of a person’s potential or the realization of their individ- The agreement that war is an innate quality of human uality couldn’t be attained within our current culture. He nature serves the dominator system of social organization did not believe they were unattainable because of by maintaining a mythos about the inevitability of any human limitations or even because of limitations in war. Not only does war prop up ruling elites and expand psychological or spiritual methods, but because “the their economic opportunities, it also maintains a value SHIFT: AT THE FRONTIERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS • # 12 • SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2006 33 system that says might makes the relevant factor in societal right. Even if we don’t accept transformation is that it pro- the idea that war is part vides those frames of reference. of human nature, we are Knowing our own culture and influenced by it because it how we are captive within its pervades the entire culture. biases is a necessary step in Entertainment and propaganda learning how transformation reinforce this assumption on a takes place, whether we are daily basis. Cultural beliefs are talking about personal or social also held in check because transformation, our own or people want to fit in and someone else’s.Even our quest appear normal. Peer pressure for personal growth or spiritual and self-censorship thus development has arisen from a become other means of particular set of beliefs. How sustaining the status quo. does our culture influence the Selective memory of his- type of search we undertake? torical events is common to What beliefs in our mythos all cultures. Beliefs we hold morph into tenets of our new about our nation, our people, philosophy? Do we understand and our religious or ethnic that relationship? groups will determine how Another common agreement we construct a historical record in most cultures throughout that supports these beliefs. Some historical facts will be recorded history is the archetype of the hero. The omitted or glossed over, others will be embellished with belief is that heroes show us what is possible and inspire legend and larger-than-life heroes, and some will simply greatness. Often, heroes exalt some type of sacrifice for a not be seen.What we are capable of seeing or not seeing greater good.They also offer projection screens for us to reflects our relationship to the existing mythos, which also create idealized personas that we can honor, respect, fear, defines what we call “reality.” or adore. Its counterpart, the antihero, provides us with Although I have read stories about people who could another type of projection screen: the scapegoat, someone not physically see what they could not incorporate to carry our shadow.The antihero gives us a place to into their frame of reality, I never experienced it in indulge our hatred, feel righteous, and make war. such a concrete way as I did recently. I was invited to a War propaganda relies on selective social agreements function near my home in Northern California; about history,the identities of the hero and antihero, and unfamiliar with the street on the invitation, I consulted the belief that war is an acceptable way to resolve a MapQuest.com. The directions said to take St.Vincent problem. If one of these three components is missing in Drive directly off of Highway 101. I had driven that a society,it is much more difficult for the powers-that-be section of freeway hundreds of times in the past eight to wage war. Since we are steeped in the cultural mythos years and had never seen an exit for St.Vincent Drive. of the hero, for example, it is difficult to imagine being The day after my MapQuest query, I was driving down without these icons.We need a much better understanding that highway, and lo and behold, there was the sign— of how the hero and antihero maintain the dominator that I had never seen!—announcing St.Vincent Drive. paradigm.What need does the hero serve? Is there a better My story suggests one reason why facts alone don’t way for this archetype to emerge? What would a culture convince many people. If they don’t fit the frames of ref- without heroes look like? States that did not engage in erence, the facts will be viewed as skewed or simply heroic battles, annex territory, expand empires, or defer untrue. So the reason for focusing on cultural mythos as to powerful rulers were not considered important by 34 SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 2006 • # 12 • SHIFT: AT THE FRONTIERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS historians with our particular cultural bias. Such stories did not fit our profile of advanced civilizations or states; hence, they have been omitted from most of ABOUT PRAXIS PEACE INSTITUTE our history books. The background for this article is the Culture CULTURAL INTERVENTION and Mythos Series that Praxis Peace Institute Breaking an addiction or eradicating a deeply initiated in February 2005. It consists of entrenched pattern often requires an intervention. lectures, workshops, discussions, and research As a society,we have not yet accepted our codependence with the patterns that keep us revolving in the groups and covers a two-year period. dominator paradigm. One type of cultural intervention is to begin questioning our cultural assumptions and Through these presentations, we are to stop being passive in the dominator mythos.Taking on such sacred cows as our beliefs about gender, economic conducting an in-depth exploration of systems, race and ethnicity or the tenets and directives in religion and spirituality brings us face to face with culture, its influences, and how we might some of our blind spots and unquestioned beliefs. To create a new society from the ground up, as Camus transform cultural patterns. Speakers and advises, requires that we examine the beliefs and stories that make up our cultural mythos. workshop leaders have included Angeles Historian Gerda Lerner says,“To step outside of patri- archal (or dominator) thought means being skeptical Arrien, Riane Eisler,Tom Hayden, Sam Keen, toward every known system of thought (and) being critical of all assumptions, ordering values, and definitions.” David Korten, George Lakoff, Rabbi Michael Since our thinking is trained within the mythos of patri- archy or domination, our training is suspect.This means Lerner, and Richard Tarnas, among others.