Culture Is Not Your Friend [Terence McKenna]
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- Опубликовано: 21 авг 2024
- Terence McKenna on the impact of culture on our lives.
Taken from a lecture called "Psychedelics In The Age Of Intelligent Machines" (27 April 1999 - Seattle)
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I remember downloading a bunch of this guys lectures on my old iPod when I was a teenager working drywall. I never heard him before and honestly don’t even remember how I had found him. I was working away when one of his talks came on and I remember at first being taken back by his voice, unsure if I could continue listening. But I kept it going as my hands were covered in drywall mud. What I heard was incredible. Completely changed my life. I started digging deeper into this guy and found out he had written books. Great , I thought as I still wasn’t keen on the cadence of his voice. Years later and I can’t imagine myself in a place where I hadn’t discovered Terence. And even when I haven’t listened in a while, I can hear his voice so crystal clear in my head (di-methyl-tryptamine) Thank you for changing my life Terence and thank you to anyone who took the time to read..
He was an amazing visionary and wordsmith. I could listen to him for hours. Life changing indeed.
This should be in every school book.
parakalo
*Cheers*
*Cheers*
They will not put this in school sure
@@5k1el Exactly. That would be like legalizing LSD again! Many people seem to think that the "dumbing down" of a population is merely the stuff of conspiracy theories, etc. It's actually a necessity for those in power. The concept of an ignorant doctor may seem absurd, but it isn't once you consider what the word "intelligence" truly means. That doctor may be an expert in their particular sphere, but that's one just tree in the forest of knowledge & wisdom. Schools & Universities have actually been abandoning the humanities more and more in recent times. That should be no surprise to anyone with an iota of intelligence.
Maybe not Geometry.
it's always great hearing Terrance McKenna say my thoughts in a much more coherent way. He doesn't even sound cynical when he says them lol
plus his voice haha
Eduardo, he is referring to culture as a predetermined path of behavior that people inherit from their parents/environment. One of his famous quotes is "We have to create culture" (search for "Terence McKenna - Reclaim your mind" on RUclips)
What it means is, culture can evolve. We need to constantly evolve our culture based on new discoveries and breakthroughs in science and philosophy, rather than accepting the path religiously only because we were born into it.
I’m a little late but this information is now more relevant than ever
110%
There are no enought words, even in the hyperspace, to express my grateful and love to the greatest spiritual teacher, the legendary, the "golden teacher", Terence McKenna :)
Yes, everyone should watch this!
RainaEmeral
*Cheers*
*Cheers*
"led by least among us" - this applies by far most to the politics.
True, but bear in mind that the politicians are the CEOs, banksters, and permanent government who come in and out of politics through the revolving door.
Amogus??? Sus?
I would disagree, I think it's movie and television actors. People care more about fiction stories than politics
There are two major senses of the word "culture," and it's important to know which sense he is using. He doesn't mean the general sense of "any collective way of life, ideas, perception, methods, tools, language," etc. Human beings simply do not exist without "culture" in this sense. Terence is cautioning us, rather, against the notion of "culture" as the kind of "refinement" or "elevation" of "taste, distinction," elaborate systems of justifying crimes or bloating up one's own ego in order to set oneself apart from the "uncultured" masses and signal affinity with tyrannical power systems. The latter sense of culture is what you're supposed to get from the great academies, and it's mostly self serving delusional bullshit, and the result is set before us in conquest, slaughter, world wars, weapons of mass destruction, ecocide, and the impending exhaustion and collapse of industrial society as we know it.
noisepuppet amazing description. Can you explain it to me in a simple way? I really want to know the idea behind this . I’m sorry it’s my lack of knowledge of words I couldn’t articulate your words . It be nice if you explain it to simple words. ✌️❤️
Very Nice!!! Now lets get off Facebook and RUclips
Straight to the point.
To those saying culture is "good" or that we "need" culture, I say no. I live just fine without culture. I don't participate in traditions or holidays, I don't eat food based on my community, and I don't prescribe to norms. As you would expect, I don't have much of a social life, but as an introvert and an intellectual, that doesn't bother me much. I do, however, consume art, but I believe there can be art without culture (or at least without multiple cultures).
There are ways of doing things that work (based on science) and those that don't (based on religion). There are governments that work better than others. There are economies that work better than others. There are diets that work (health wise) better than others. Not all cultures are equal and culture itself is highly overrated and over-respected.
At best, culture gives us different art (stories, paintings, architecture, fashion, etc). At worst, it breeds hate, intolerance, ignorance, and the never-ending "us vs them" mentality. I think the latter holds more weight. Culture also brainwashes us to do stupid, destructive things like eat meat, drink alcohol, and believe in superstition. Ideally, there would be a single global culture, global language, global economy, and global government based on models that are morally superior (considering human and non-human animal rights, environmental preservation, non-violence, an education system based on justice and truth, and a secular government and government policies, to name a few things). The world would be a much more peaceful and productive place if that were the case.
There’s also a difference between your heritage (where your people are from and their history) and the different levels of culture within your town/province/country
you cannot live without culture any more than without air or water.
@@mrniusi11 and yet it's still nobody's friend
@@spicehedge it is absolutely important. Culture isn't just holidays and cuisine…
Culture is laws, morals, ethics, norms.
@@spicehedge High winds (air) can cause destruction. Torrential rains (water) can cause flooding which can cause destruction. Cultural values and family values are important. You cannot have a long term functioning society without them. But like the wind and rain analogy, too much of it can be destructive. Most cultures have pretty much the same core values. Most things deemed good are connected to selflessness like sharing, helping others, humility, while most things deemed bad are connected to selfishness like stealing, greed, manipulation, etc. Family values exist because families are micro societies that collectively make up the whole society like atoms make up an object. But when such values are taken as gospel, they often overlook the complexities of life and invalidate many people. Examples would include if a person comes from an unhealthy family, the family values will invalidate the feelings that individual has for the relationships in that home. Additionally, culture gets hijacked by narcissistic people to either manipulate and control others as would be the case in a family where one or more parents is narcissistic, or even between members of a community, coworkers, classmates, neighbors, etc.
So while culture isn't in an of itself bad, it is the one dimensional thinking of the masses that makes it bad.
I find it fascinating that there are people out there who dedicate their lives to building and designing weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and other gadgets that are designed to kill other people. How could you live with yourself?
i also cant see how people live with themselves when they sign up for a superpower army to kill there own human inhabitatants. its like people dont have a brain anymore
There are also people who spend their lives killing harmless animals for food when meat consumption is not a necessity. We all have blood on our hands. No one is innocent.
Austin Texas Thats capitalism and patriotism, if you pay to much money to someone of course can build weapons
you cant spread a net of opinions defining everyone when thats not true youre apart of it too so arent you everyone? what are you doing to make a change of what you want to see in the world, making comments on youtube are very minor actions.
other animals kill their same kind too its not a foreign idea
Terence McKenna was a visionary genius. He is sorely missed.
incredibly
Thanks for sharing and for providing the year, place and lecture title so as I can reference this for college :)
Lainehh You are welcome. Did you play McKenna in your class?
Omega Point I'm doing an assignment on drug culture and using Terence's wise words to back me up.
Lainehh Awesome. Explore the the rest of the videos on the channel as well, you might find some good stuff. And also I made a video a year ago but was removed due to copyright problems. Somebody has reuploaded it though. The title is "Profound Psilocybin Experience by Harvard Professor, Ram Dass aka Richard Alpert". Search for it on RUclips and check it out.
Omega Point Cool I'll have a look! Thanks :D
+Lainehh good girl and all the best with good luck x
Another absolutely amazing speech - thank you for sharing!
I wouldn't say we're run by the least intelligent necessarily, but least noble for sure. You don't run the world solely by being born from the right family, it often takes a devious cunning and a vision, to own the billions of workers yet have them think they're okay
***** sorry Mexico, but they mean the exact same thing
huh? u said we're being run by the most smart, not intelligent. the words mean the same, why is that difficult for you to understand? im muting this convo. Good luck with English
Culture is the substratum of politics. I believe McKenna chose to use the word culture because he was well aware of that. The politics of any given epoch is molded by the culture of that time.
A powerful statement. Culture, along with everything else we identify as "culture" and hold continuously in our forebrains, is actually more like an operating system - and, unlike that of a personal computer, the 'operating system' of culture is often deleterious to the hardware it is meant to direct, and which makes its continued life possible.
People say my generation is "destroying American culture", and if that's true then I'm so so happy. The rising of subcultures to the point where people are choosing their jobs based on their lifestyle rather than the other way around. I hope we keep going this route of dissolving boundaries
People in the comments section are completely missing the point. We don't need culture to progress as a species, we don't need social taboos, cultural addictions and faster cars. The aim of this game was never about the domination of physical matter, and even if it was, we'd still be going about it in the least effective way of all. Culture is not your friend, never has been and likely never will be.
We are led by the least among us because they are the majority and they value money and materials. The least among us will spend the most money and the rich will continue to take that money at all costs as long as they keep spending. It's hard to see much hope when the least among us are the one's breeding like there's no tomorrow.
That is American democracy. A man doesn't need 80 houses, 20 boats, etc while his neighbor (maybe from another neighborhood) can't send his child to a school trip
This is one of my favourite speeches.
. . . Dis is uh legendary video rights cher . . .
original sin is an apt explanation. His view of culture/the world, just seems like an echo of some scripture as well.
He had interesting ideas and knew how to articulate them. Contributing to western culture a great deal.
I love this video. The only failing (to me) is perversion and objects are misspelled.
More truer words have never spoken in this day-age.
Thanks... that's so much appreciated! I'm doing what I love and I'm seeing a lot of good responses from people. I believe things are going to get better for me so I can keep making videos, but even if I end up having a full-time job I will still spend my weekends to do this. It might slow down but I will keep this project going.
There is nothing more important in the world today than to spread awareness, as most, if not all the problems we are facing are due to lack of consciousness & awareness.
Маккенна гений! Спасибо, автор 👍
OmegapointProject: You are making a great contribuition making these videos..spreading all this words n knowledge of people like Mckenna...i hear a lot lots of hours of mackenna's conferences an videos and you extract parts of those conferences and make ur videos with a very nice treatment.. and the art direction of the videos are very very cool and interesting..keep doin it and thank u for this.
we are here to ferment the culture, these are alchemical terms. they have double meaning. culture can be grown with the right mediums. we are those mediums.
In all fairness Mckenna did teach others to make up their own mind about the things he was saying and not just to accept his teachings or anyone elses. What good does it do you if you don't understand them for yourself, to the utmost level of understanding, and then still leave room for a change of mind.
Preaching truth
Awesome, thank you for creating.
Absolutely glorious! Namaste!
boom. gentle man goes into beast mode and breaks it down
i love him so much
I thoroughly enjoy this video.
"Terence McKenna - Reclaim your mind" - wow. i'm quite certain that i never have read a title that sounded more interesting to me.
So true!
it would be great if you could enable me to add subtitles in other languages. I would love to share this with my Romanian family and community but many, especially the older ones speak no English whatsoever :(
We are led by the least among us....
The message, I think, is simply this: abandon the predetermined pattern of behavior that is being handed down from culture.
Now, please elaborate on how sex falls under the category of "bad culture." I understand that sex is a taboo in our culture. But why is sex bad? Anyone who has ever had sex knows it is one of the greatest experiences you can have in life.
McKenna is saying this is the kind of cultural boundary / social programming we, as a species, need to discard.
...Man, I'm surprised he never got shot or something.... Thank God for that.... This man was an open minded genius...
r.i.p McKenna
By culture I think he was referring more to the culture the Government has established for us little people; as far as do your 9-5shift, buy your new car then be happy.
Stay Cool! Wir haben inzwischen die Antwort entdeckt die Terence nicht finden konnte, auf Umwegen zwar, aber immerhin.
more relevant than ever
What's he's referring to is the hierarchical structure and the manner in which those in the hierarchy, those with a monopoly on power, those who can profit from the system, treat humans as a means to their own success, thereby de-humanizing them without caring about social consequences. Marketing exploits how easily humans are to condition - and profits from it. Politicians & religions exploit human emotional appeal and fear, they treat people like machines that should serve them/their ego.
fair point man, but really we should be thanking the creator of this planet; from which grew wonderful little plants, then were consumed by great minds like mckenna and now we are watching neat little youtube videos of mckennas awesome insight mostly gained through his psychoactive experiences.
thank you
Thank you
Who subtitled this? It was amazing but they misspelled "object, and im pretty sure its swirly not squirrelly.
Come at me.
***** ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
I noticed the same, which is the reason I like the video ...but will definitely not share it due to there being couple of spelling errors. :/
Call me a grammar nazi if you will, I say I'm mellow but good grammar still counts. Maybe now even more than ever. :)
squirrelly is correct. It means morally dubious , or questionable
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squirrelly
Well then what is happiness? Because from my understanding throughout my entire life, happiness seems to either come in the achievements of goals to create thrill, through the bonds of others if the vibes sync or out of care, or by losing track of time in general, which, as a child growing up until I experienced my first death of a loved one, many times felt timeless and for the most part satisfying if not for the sometimes petty mishaps of tantrums and things not going exactly my way but adapting to experiences and time, I became more depressed over the years. I grew up with the notion that happiness will come from love and success (success being the brainwashed constructed consumerism instilled within the american subconcious), but it's hard to find happiness knowing where all roads in time lead to in the end of this physical realm, as well as with everyone I know and don't know. If there is an afterlife, then I might still have a chance for anything I do to matter. Otherwise, all life degenerates unless I reproduce in eternal stagnation (my child, child's child, child's child's child, so on until entropy). Why would I bring a child into this messed up world to orchestrate a false ignorance of happiness while living in self denial of the negatives happening around me? The negatives of having to consume life to keep living, as that weighs on me in guilt as the days roll on, while also finding less meaning, and more questions in everything, while I also feel like overall I'm running out of time. I'm trying to appreciate every breath, every moment I experience, and every bond I have, but how do I not feel like I'm taking life for granted when my efforts are finite and every moment I put my time and attention into neglects everything else that's consistently happening around me? Everything is non stop while I, unless all life is infinite thru infinite realms, am finite trying to process the infinite. They say appreciate the little things...and to let go, but that just entails appreciating the warm sand slipping through my fingers until it's all gone permanently, while it only feels good to run my hands through the warm sand knowing I can do it again and again if I wanted. But life isn't what I or what anyone truly wants right? So then what is happiness if my idea of happiness is the hope (not willfully ignorant self denial) that I can once again experience from the beginning? Like making a hot fresh meal before it's cold. After I've eaten, no longer hungry, and then hungry again, I crave a hot fresh meal again. Or when I play a game, I always want to play til the end if my time doesn't break up my attention and memory, and then at a later time be able to, if I want, re-experience that in either the same or an alternative way? Or, overall, am I just dwelling in my own egoism and a past I can never return to?
Excellent
There seem to be so many questions about "what did McKenna mean?" ... and I simply don't get it. He meant what he said in these 2 minutes. There's no ambiguity here.
Yes, quite. If one imagines 'culture' in terms of the things he describes here as a metaphorical jungle within which we are all lost, these insights are the machete.
Thanks bro!!!
nice, i kinda like this series
after 2001 he would have been called terrorist and possibly sent to Guantanamo. Thank God he left before that.
+doubl3m1nt Yes indeed, i still hope that someone like him comes around during this time frame and revolutionize our current situation
"teaching their kids to hate white people"
Where does this happen?
@@Meccarox Liberal College.
Jesuren Quintana
Nope.
It's hard to understand this properly out of context. I wish he would define "culture" better, as there are many microcultures and social connectivities which are absolutely essential to any variants of good societies. I'm glad you made this qualificaiton!
This is my first meeting with McKenna, but I suspect he makes much sense. However, this bare argument could be taken (by those least among us) as an extreme Libertarianism of the selfish sort, which I think he does not espouse.
I own about four of his books. Does anyone know if Terence McKenna ever wrote a book on a topic like this?
My favorite is Food of the Gods.
And the invisible landscape
Perfect, thank you for this excellent piece! *perversion though :)
falacies, the tea party could suscribe "that culture is not our friend"
I really miss Terry.
Right on Right on. ;)
"Culture is not your friend" is misunderstood. He's describing *A* specific culture, not the idea of culture itself. This isn't a postmodernist roar, it's a specific call to action.
In the relatively unedited clip he says that the solution is art. I don't know, it seems like he's not really doing anything new with that, and nothing that would really solve huge problems. It just creates a new culture, and in the USA this subculture seems to run right alongside capitalism.
@@tonbonthemon And you're suggesting socialism is a better culture? LOL! There's a reason why America is the land of the free and it ain't because of socialism. LOL!
@@northbay4619 No, what I'm suggesting is that his call to action won't lead to satisfactory results; there will still be the familiar trappings of consumerism and capitalism. His call to action isn't really clear.
Then he would have said "the culture", not "culture", wouldn't he?
It's important to remember that culture is nothing more than a set of shared mental concepts amongst a certain group of people. Those shared beliefs can be positive, but many times they are unquestioned, and perhaps that's what he was getting at.
It’s dark and light Ying yang. Good Bad Hot Cold. Etc
what about culture of weed cocaine night club are those bad.plz can any one answer me
thanks to share :D
Thank you for posting.
I've learned a lot from TM in the last several years. I didn't even know he existed up to a couple years ago. Gee I wonder why that is. I think I know, culture is not TM's friend. TM should be required study in High School. We need to get out of the box of culture it's halting progress in many ways if not every way.
Rise.
i truely believe this theory this fact some how i just knew
I just think of all the money wasted on business suits and dry cleaning. Oh and wedding dresses. I despise the whole process of getting married.
The European Super League (via Russel Brand) brought me here!
This is 21st Century... As regards Religions, Cultures, Traditions, Languages: they have no reason why they should be protected... They are not the things that need to be protected, but the people... With materialism and self becoming more important in human life, Culture is becoming an Old Fashion... Culture is not your friend, it's your enemy...
Not all true. Humans have reached the pinnacle of success due to culture. The pyramids, international trade, music, food, international and domestic scientific cooperation are all a result of culture.
Human culture.....life culture. Aren’t all things connected?....I’m on a piece of land but I can consume and enjoy anything that I obtain from this giant ball of dirt. Everything is connected therefore I believe culture is simply what you do as an individual. Simply actions.
The key word in your theory is "humans". The key word in McKenna's is "your". There's no necessary contradiction between the two. What's beneficial for a group might not necessarily be best for a single person - individualism and collectivism dichotomy. Anyone who espouses utilitarianism for other people and not themselves (same as any collectivist ideology, et al) prove to be no more than empty sophists.
Hes talking about western culture
Do you know where in Seattle he gave that lecture, by chance?
Well, which culture? He is talking about culture in capitalism and patriarchy and coloniasm. This is not only what culture is
😗💨 *Cheers* 😗💨
Echoes of Clarity
Echoes of Clarity
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Echoes of Clarity
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Is there anywhere where I can download this audio file?
Lets not forget millions of farm animals also being tortured daily worse than any human
Omega meg a v tech.
This is more poignant today in the USA than ever!
culture was grand there for a while, probably the neolithic chaps were having a great time. deep appreciation of nature, close relationship with plants and animals, mythology inspired by the cosmos and an understanding of self/world that was rich and full even if you died before age 40. still though, iphone 5 is coming out soon, so its not all bad. cheer up for fuck sake, i mean COME ON!
It's 2019. How do you feel about that statement 😂
Kwatz!
Man, yours videos have not enough views
I disagree 100%. Culture is what made our world today. From music, architecture, art, food, religion, and so on. Without culture we would not have evolved the way we have. Culture is to be cherished and shared by all people. Western culture is a mix of all cultures. That is what makes America great. We are a melting pot of all walks of life. Without culture life would be boring as fuck. Without culture you would't have the Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, The Statue of Liberty and so on.
Our American culture is dorky and stupid.. To be popular you have to wear dorky clothes, and listen to trashy music. Just last night we had a block party and the bar everyone was dancing to stupid songs where the lyrics were just about people's rear ends. I'd rather listen to folk music from like yugoslavia than hear another verse of our cheesy pop music lyrics
Dylan D Fleck then isn’t culture being redefined? Culture is simply what we do. Can’t all humans simply do? I do. I do when I eat sushi but wait anybody can eat sushi. I do when I watch movies. I do culture when I wear a sombrero. I do culture when I go trick or treating. But wait those are simply actions. I think I will just try all cultures because I want to do all kinds of things within my desire and abilities. I am not of Egyptian origins but anybody can build a pyramid.
Culture is still culture. America destroyed the cultures it did not wish to understand or was standing in the way to its ends. Cultures aren't soup ingredients to end up ingesting, cultures grew up in special circumstances, times and locations and mixing them especailly with opposite cultures is just a brutal act of a dumb 3 years old or a very evil old man. If you care for a culture you let it be. The western world right now has no interest in letting things go out of their "control".
Saw a woman eat live octopus fucking destroyed me tbh.
As much as I agree with this I find it impossible to over come. Greed has always been and will always be the cornerstone of humanity. To accomplish the goal of coexistence will mean to destroy what makes us human. It's sad but true.
I believe that it is inherently in us, from the first caveman that had one dino bone and looked at another that had two. I would love for it to be different but I don't think it ever will.
Deicide1985 Believing it doesn't mean it is true. Human's are instually greedy when simple basic needs are not met. We have the power to give those basic needs to every human on earth. Give everyone a chance at life and you will be amazed at how positive, helpful, and loving people can be.
The problem we have now is everyone caught up in the rat race. No time, just enough money to survive, and materialistic delusions taught to us by the few in charge.
People will always want more, it doesn't necessarily have to be material. It's been the cornerstone of our advancement and survival but unfortunately one of our greatest flaws.
Deicide1985 Maybe you a speaking from personal experience? I don't always want more... in fact, my entire immediate family never wants more. We want things to just work, to live, to enjoy life. We don't want more. So you are wrong, people don't always want more. People just want to be happy, and when people are taught that happiness comes from friends, family, and a stress free life, they realize they don't need "more."
Yes you are right but also wrong. You and I might not want more but some people, it's what I should have said, will. To think that absolute equality will destroy greed or envy is wishful thinking but not reality. Not to mention there are other people who are only happy being miserable and tearing others down regardless of materials or wealth.
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#161
#1312
Capitalism culture isn't your friend, ok. Local culture is your friend, without culture (antropological definition) you can't live, and adapt your self to your envoirment. Terence are wrong, the correct name about that (antropologicaly) is aculturament.
+Libey Albert You are correct we do need culture to help us grow, however his perspective comes from the perversion of culture, when you know something is flat out wrong and no one does anything to change and revolutionize the decaying culture then that is when culture is no longer your friend. He also lived in the United states where cultures come to die and morph into something atrocious. Hence your statement of capitalistic culture. You can put any specific culture in this capitalistic environment and it will perverse itself more that it might already be. We are given no freedom to love ourselves rather to feel empty and needy of more material things and to dehumanize others by appearances or thought processes. Etc i hope you get the point
samv31260 great point ;) that is why we have to enjoy diferents cultures
Brilliantly stated good sir
Language is not prescriptive, it is descriptive and context dependent (internal or otherwise). You can play semantics but you and everyone else knew he didn't mean ALL culture in this clip. He was talking about passive consumer culture.
Not just consumerist life, new age and esoteric culture has its own weaponized dogmas.
Wow shrooms gave him this insight?
Archaic revival!@!
the money!!!!?!!!STOP USE MONEY!!MONEY KILLS YOU!!
!!!
I don't think burn boy was able to distinguish culture from institution. Or perhaps he was intentionally confusing the two.
I really don't trust this guy.
Was he a wealthy or well funded man?
Because well funded people like to say "will do, thank you for your support".
But I think of it as 'accepting the bribe'.