------------------------------------------------------------------------ * G * O * A * N * E * T **** C * L * A * S * S * I * F * I * E * D * S * ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Enjoy your holiday in Goa. Stay at THE GARCA BRANCA from November to May There is no better, value for money, guest house. Confirm your bookings early or miss-out
Visit http://www.garcabranca.com for details/booking/confirmation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Selma, As you well know, my remarks were not directed at any individual (as a mere individual does not constitute a society) but to the core issues of ethos in any society. Religion is part of a culture of a given society. For example within the Goan context, when one refers to GSB, it encompasses their Hindu belief. Their way of life is intertwined with their belief. There is no GSB community, in Goa or their Diaspora, with Muslims, Catholics or atheists. I think what you are describing, "As we move away from this point and spend lifetimes away from it," is a little bit like being a planet moving away from the sun. At some point, the planet is beyond the sun's gravity and drifting into space. Another example of your simile, is peeling away the layers of an onion. Then, one wonders if there are any core left (of values and practices). And perhaps is one living a different culture? This especially applies when one, under the guise of multi-culturalism lives / adopts mostly other communities' cultural practices. This is the serious issue that Goans (sp. Catholics) have to ask themselves. Being true to one's culture and living in / being part of a given society involves painful restrictions. Or are we being "cafeteria Goans"? As the saying goes, "Or one needs to walk the talk and not just talk the talk." This includes taking care of one's aged parents and first degree relatives; or not settling into a pre-marital live-in arrangements; or not seeking a divorce; and yes practicing the beliefs and practices transmitted down to us. So while I smile and read posts about Goan culture that talk of fluff, I keep saying, "Where is the beef?" My post was not meant as a reprimand to any one. But I am glad it touched on the basic tenets of "What is culture?" Those in the Diaspora, (far away from the main society) that claim to have Goan culture, need to make sure we truly nurture it, beyond song, dance, food and drinks. "As we move away from this point and spend lifetimes away from it," there are always excuses to discard the layers especially when there is no moral pressure to enforce the cultural ethos. There are NO ideologies in culture. The only goal is survival of the individual, family and society 'when the going gets rough'. But then to evoke culture (duties and responsibilities) just when 'the going gets rough' may be a bit too late. I see this often in my place of work. Kind Regards, GL ------------ Carvalho As usual I feel reprimanded by your post and somehow religion seems to have permeated into the thread. Your admonitions about "drifters" aside, let me respond to your post. First of all we have to expand the scope of the discussion to what is the "main culture". Let me give you an analogy based on language. To me culture is the same. For a Goan, the thickest point of cultural reference will be Goa. As we move away from this point and spend lifetimes away from it, we become devoid of ideologies particular to Goa. I don't like the word, multicultural as I've not taken on anyone else's culture. I've just neutralised my own. ----- --- Gilbert Lawrence <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > If one does not know their own cultural identity, > one would likely be a cultural and religious drifter > when interacting with others. And this individual > would fail to truly appreciate the subtleties and > the causes behind the differences between the > cultures one encounters. _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list Goanet@lists.goanet.org http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org