Just some ideas -hope it’s not offensive
Greece was so comfortable. I’m kind of having reverse culture shock.There’s a kind of different social affirmation. Here in the states it’s very status oriented and objectified to completely personal type curation. In Greece it’s more of a social agreement and support. My sister experienced something like it too when she came back to the states for a wedding recently. She said she felt little connection with the Americans, even though she is one. There seemed such a focus on the material stuff. There's a real sense of maximizing the potential of folks' talents and human ability here in the states. I don't know what to focus on. I like superficial stuff but my work is spiritual. I found the purpose of my work in Greece was to promote the dignity of people. And that goes for here too. It just is different in the states. Thoughts? Reflections? I feel like we're all looking for an aesthetic here rather than a humanity.
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From chat gpt:
I think you’re touching something deeper than simply “Greece versus America.” It sounds like you experienced two different ways of answering the question, “What makes a person valuable?”
In the American environment you’re describing, value can easily become something that is displayed, optimized, curated, and differentiated: What do you do? What have you accomplished? What do you own? What is your aesthetic? What potential can you develop? Even individuality itself can become a kind of project.
And there is something genuinely good in that. The American emphasis on developing talent can say: You have something in you. Bring it into the world. That seems very close to your own creative nature.
But I think you noticed the shadow side of it: a person can begin to feel like a portfolio.
Your description of Greece sounds almost like a different social grammar. You experienced more of an implicit “You are one of us; you belong here; we know one another; we take care of one another.” Individual achievement doesn’t disappear, but it isn’t necessarily the primary currency of social recognition.
That may explain why Greece felt so comfortable.
You weren’t required to construct a compelling version of yourself before you could simply participate in human life.
And I think your phrase—
“I feel like we’re all looking for an aesthetic here rather than a humanity.”
—is really interesting.
Because I don’t think you’re actually rejecting aesthetics. You love aesthetics. You’ve talked about design, furniture, art, architecture, clothes, beautiful environments, classical forms. You don’t need to become someone who says, “Material things don’t matter.”
Perhaps what you’re discovering is that aesthetic should serve humanity rather than replace it.
That’s a pretty important distinction.
You can love a beautiful chair without believing the chair makes you more worthy. You can enjoy beautiful clothes without turning yourself into an advertisement. You can appreciate someone’s accomplishments without reducing the person to their accomplishments.
And that may connect beautifully with what you said about your work in Greece:
“The purpose of my work was to promote the dignity of people.”
That sounds like a very important sentence.
Maybe your spiritual work isn’t opposed to your appreciation of beauty and worldly things at all. Perhaps your particular calling is to bring beauty and humanity back together.
Beauty says: This matters.
Dignity says: You matter.
And perhaps your instinct is to create environments, relationships, artwork, service, or simply moments in which people can feel that they matter without having to perform their worth.
There’s another thing in your reflection that strikes me. You said:
“I don’t know what to focus on.”
I wonder if you don’t actually need to solve that right now.
You’ve just come back from a place where you experienced a different social atmosphere. Reverse culture shock can make the familiar suddenly look strange. You’re seeing things you probably couldn’t see quite as clearly before because you now have another experience to compare them with.
So rather than deciding America is superficial or Greece is humane, perhaps you can let yourself keep the tension:
I like the creativity, individuality, ambition and aesthetic richness of America.
I also want the belonging, mutuality and human dignity I experienced in Greece.
Those don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
And honestly, your life at the monastery may be giving you an unusually direct laboratory for figuring this out. You have this very modern, creative, aesthetically sensitive side—and you’re also discovering the meaning of service, brotherhood, ritual, community and human dignity.
Maybe the question isn’t “Which world do I belong to?”
Maybe it’s:
“How can I bring what I love from each world into the way I live?”
That feels much less like a problem to solve and more like a life to create.
I watched a film years ago that was a documentary about life in American compared to the rest of the world. It's a Michael Moore film called "Where do we invade next" I highly recommend because it is very informative......hugs
There's nothing wrong with liking stuff
I think we all do
But it seems you felt a lot of depth with your fellow Priests in Greece
I'm glad that you had such a thought provoking and positive trip sweetie
Bob I love Michael Moore
What a great film maker he is
Speaking of depth!!...xo
Thanks Bob and Jan!!
After I wrote these reflections on the differences between here and Greece. . I think when it boils down to it, we still need to be self responsible in each location. In one place it can become an obsession on the other it’s like part of the rhythm of life.
Greece sounds wonderful, Mark. And yes, here we seem preoccupied with what we can Get, rather than what we can Give.
I'm glad you experienced all that!
familiarity breeds contempt
between my international wanderings and my work within the immigrant communities here in the u.s., i have grown convinced that it the sense of having found a better perspective lasts about as long as the ignorance of the new=to=you culture. if i stay long enough to feel at home, the "new" culture will become familiar enough to breed contempt.
the spiritual growth is what helps me see beyond the contempt of familiarity.
just the opine of a federally certified nutjob.
Thanks GT and thanks Arfie!!!
I think all this has taught me to hold onto the job number 1, to promote and give dignity. I’ve learned enough that my service that I give has a better orientation. !!
Welcome home, Mark!
Thanks Susan!
And after being fatigued from the day, I’m learning to give myself that dignity too.. I can give outside myself and too myself. It can be a win win!