I felt like the examples you gave of perceived “traditions unsullied by modernity” were all bombshells to me. Any resources or essays with more information? Thanks for such a thoughtful and relatable essay.
This is such an interesting exploration of your experiences. Your openness and vulnerability jumps off the page!!
When I read about your belief that your deceased grandparents could see you and were judging you harshly, I felt so sad for the younger you. What a terrible burden that must have been. I’m thinking that some part of you may have been unable to accept the total, permanent loss of your three dead grandparents and the story you invented protected you from dealing with that. But it came with a cost.
Two other things came up for me when I read your piece. First, I was thinking about the relationship between purity and perfectionism. A lot has been written about the deleterious effects of perfectionism on people’s mental health. I wonder if what you describe as purity overlaps with perfectionism. Hmmmmm.
Second, I was thinking about the relationship between science and religion. Usually science and religion set out to answer different questions. I suppose the clash results from the fact that someone with a scientific bent will have a hard time processing many Bible stories, for instance, as anything other than wishful fabrications. (For that matter, many religious people would have a hard time explaining how dinosaur bones relate to the Bible’s creation story.)
Most people with scientific mind sets will concede that their type of knowledge does nothing to help us understand the meaning of our lives or how it was that we came to be. Learning to live with the mystery of our origins and purpose can be a struggle once you reject the “easy answers” provided by mainstream religions. There’s definitely some tragic elements in all of this, as any study of Charles Darwin’s personal life will illustrate.
Thanks for the thought provoking work. I love that you are able to reflect on your earlier life in a way that helps you understand how you can live a more fulfilling life.
This was a fascinating read! I often find myself frustrated when people refuse to deal with nuance and treat everything as good vs evil, but I typically just don't engage and have never thought to ask how they've come to think that way. It really is quite similar to religion! I'm glad you've come to enjoy the messiness of life, and this honestly gave me more compassion and understanding for those who aren't there yet.
I felt like the examples you gave of perceived “traditions unsullied by modernity” were all bombshells to me. Any resources or essays with more information? Thanks for such a thoughtful and relatable essay.
Hello Patrick!
For yoga’s ties to hindu-nationalism I’d start here (the yoga part starts a couple of segments into the article):
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking/yogas-twisted-history-one-answer-conspirituality-puzzle
For the history of traditional Chinese medicine, I’d start with Wikipedia:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traditional_Chinese_medicine
And for the founding of Wicca:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Forest_coven
For a fun bonus, here’s an article on the history of the Chinese dish known as pad thai: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/04/non-thai-origins-of-pad-thai/360751/
And if you really enjoy this rabbit hole, there’s also a book on the subject of inventing tradition here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/invention-of-tradition/B9973971357795DC86BE856F321C34B3
This is such an interesting exploration of your experiences. Your openness and vulnerability jumps off the page!!
When I read about your belief that your deceased grandparents could see you and were judging you harshly, I felt so sad for the younger you. What a terrible burden that must have been. I’m thinking that some part of you may have been unable to accept the total, permanent loss of your three dead grandparents and the story you invented protected you from dealing with that. But it came with a cost.
Two other things came up for me when I read your piece. First, I was thinking about the relationship between purity and perfectionism. A lot has been written about the deleterious effects of perfectionism on people’s mental health. I wonder if what you describe as purity overlaps with perfectionism. Hmmmmm.
Second, I was thinking about the relationship between science and religion. Usually science and religion set out to answer different questions. I suppose the clash results from the fact that someone with a scientific bent will have a hard time processing many Bible stories, for instance, as anything other than wishful fabrications. (For that matter, many religious people would have a hard time explaining how dinosaur bones relate to the Bible’s creation story.)
Most people with scientific mind sets will concede that their type of knowledge does nothing to help us understand the meaning of our lives or how it was that we came to be. Learning to live with the mystery of our origins and purpose can be a struggle once you reject the “easy answers” provided by mainstream religions. There’s definitely some tragic elements in all of this, as any study of Charles Darwin’s personal life will illustrate.
Thanks for the thought provoking work. I love that you are able to reflect on your earlier life in a way that helps you understand how you can live a more fulfilling life.
Another very thoughtful reflection :)
Brilliant, as always!
That’s very kind of you, Jim—thank you!
This was a fascinating read! I often find myself frustrated when people refuse to deal with nuance and treat everything as good vs evil, but I typically just don't engage and have never thought to ask how they've come to think that way. It really is quite similar to religion! I'm glad you've come to enjoy the messiness of life, and this honestly gave me more compassion and understanding for those who aren't there yet.
It’s remarkably hard to identify black and white thinking when you’re in the midst of it, even when those around you can see it so clearly!
I loved the last paragraph- really well said.
Thanks Meg!