The Cultural Ream

Everything that I do for me.

Remember an activity might have several layers of motivation or purpose, but that part of an action that is for your personal benefit is happening in the Cultural Realm.

That includes health, education, religion, entertainment.

You can't be told to get better, you can't be forced to learn (that's the tricky bit about it), you can't be forced to believe something, and you can't be made to enjoy Abba.  You do or you don't, or perhaps (like me) you didn't, and then you did!  It was that "Dancing Girl" track that started it off - I was in my 30s, I'd had nothing but contempt, and then... one day... "what a fab song!" was the thought I was thinking.  Anyway, that's getting off the track.

A doctor, a teacher, a priest or an artist are all engaged in helping people with the "cultural" aspects of their lives.  Traditionally the Three-Fold doctrine puts all these activities in the Cultural Realm.  I've noticed however that although the consumtion of their services is in the Cultural Realm, the delivery of them is not entirely.  More on that later...

The point I'm making is that in engaging in Cultural Realm activity we are free - we can not be forced.  This is obvious in the case of illness, and less clear in the case of religion for instance.  However, although you might be forced to attend Church (if you're Catholic - Eccliastic Organisation, Mosque, Temple etc otherwise), no one can force you to engage inwardly.

Tim has brought a very interesting aspect to my understanding of the Cultural Realm as he has located competition in it.  Competition brings with it an assessment of quality and a decision about which will be chosen (will win the competition). Decisions about quality and which should be chosen are a necessary and major part of life.

Competition brigs with it striving to do better.  Where this striving starts to desire the destruction or anhialation of the others in the race the competition has slipped and has become rivalry.

These are the basic concepts for the Cultural Realm:  I, free, liberty and competition.

The way in which the word "Free" is used here is not the "without cost" meaning, it is the "not imprisoned" meaning.  If a child feels imprisoned at school, chances are the child won't be learning.