Recently asked the question about International Observation -- what is my next topic going to be? I thought: well why not just refer to past trends and see what topics are most enticing. So I took a methodological approach which revealed an interesting observation:
Based on my own experience, respondents behavior, the depth of responses received, and the number of responses to postings it became blatantly clear that people are more sensitive and more likely to respond to posts that address Americanization, Westernization, ideology, capitalism, democracy and all of the things that accompany modernization. Morality, ethics, well-being of self and of others (i.e. starving children) has ultimately failed to generate substantial dialogue and/or interest in readers.
The objective of International Observation is to present material based on an observation of international phenomena and the interplay of international relations. Although the method is objective, so too are the readers. Apparently, no matter how ‘real’ the situation is or how scientific the data may be, the reader will seek out anecdotal evidence to support their ideology and force circumstances to ‘fit’ within their worldview, thus rejecting any notion that their worldview might be suspect.
Here, I must note that any connotations regarding globalization or Westernized democracy only receive negative feedback from Americans, yet are praised by a variety of readers that extend to over 300 countries, encompassing over 1000 cities (to date). I find it troubling that this occurs when questioning ideology but not morality, particularly in the United States.
However, I found great revelation in the explanation of effort justification in the text Research in Psychology, where Goodwin (2010, p. 25) argues that “the idea is that after people expend significant effort, they feel compelled to convince themselves that the effort was worthwhile.” Having invested so much in ‘Americanization,’ in addition to Western psychology’s departure from spirituality, this notion of ‘effort justification’ explains this phenomenon quite clearly. The “home of the free and the brave” has meant a tremendous investment by the American people and exhibits the cohesive force of the American people and American ideology.
Meanwhile - spirituality, ethics, and morality have simultaneously diminished which is exemplified in the lack of response to posts regarding these elements by Westerners. Furthermore, it provides an explanation as to why Americans are so defensive to their ideology, unlike their non-Western counterparts where ideology and spirituality are often interrelated. Non-Westerners statistically are more empathic and open to the concept of the ‘global village’ which is contradictory to what I would have expected with the United States as the hegemonic leader in the global community.
Holism, incorporating spirituality into a worldview, does not endorse nor imply religious traditions or practice and hence, does not threaten the separation of church and state which is contrary to the popular public misconception.
However, spirituality as an understanding of something ‘bigger’ than us breaks the mold of rational discourse in a reductionist society that has rooted itself in an one-dimensional understanding of knowledge explained by scientific and natural phenomena. Adopting a holistic appreciation of the human condition (by incorporating spirituality) violates the essence of American civilization. It implies a higher awareness that we are openly connected to a vast, interrelated spiritual realm which does not fit well into the conceptual mold that we have shaped to fit our ideology, characterized by an exaggerated emphasis on individualization.
Oscar Wilde made the observation that “America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.” Perhaps he viewed civilized as maintaining a comprehensive, holistic awareness of life.
However, accepting the notion that there may be something more meaningful to existence questions everything we know as scientific and empirical knowledge which can be tested and proven, unlike spirituality as an intellectual and moral effort to re-discover human nature through a holistic understanding.
“You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.” - Mary Manin Morrissey.
Most people underestimate their potential as they find comfort in an ideology or culturally conditioned belief system. Conditioned or preconceived concepts of reality as it ‘ought to be’ in modern culture is dominated by a worldview that negates a higher purpose by focusing on materialism and the mechanics of modernity. Furthermore, spirituality implies an imaginative, intangible reality that is unexplainable and confounded by epistemological knowledge, raising questions to the logical rationale of common man when entangled with ideology.
In the 2001 Inaugural address, President George W. Bush noted that “America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens.”
Westerners, particularly Americans, have expressed spirituality through religion which is dynamic and diverse.
Westerners, particularly Americans, have expressed spirituality through religion which is dynamic and diverse.
When challenged or ridiculed about a belief that is arguably ‘imagined’ there is a tendency to diminish it in a manner that is more receptive to the physical world, hence, conforming it to modernity and rational discourse. Statements such as "If America shows weakness and uncertainty, the world will drift toward tragedy (George Bush)," further reinforce fear to explore the creative self.
People are reduced to determinism, comparable to machine-like entities, and the mind is related to the likes of a computer process. The self has been discarded and remains the last frontier for inquiry. To concede to political ideology and individuation is ‘normal’ and to consider anything beyond the scope of the American ideological context is to venture into the unknown, beyond the scope of rationality.
“It's fear of the unknown. The unknown is what it is. And to be frightened of it is what sends everybody scurrying around chasing dreams, illusions, wars, peace, love, hate, all that--it's all illusion.” –John Lennon.
