LIFE

This is not your fault my friend. What you are running up against right now is an unfortunate symptom of the Style in which we humans currently do business (commonly referred to as Capitalism, the Mainstream, the System, Industrialization, the culture of the First-World or Developed Nations, etc).

Peer into many different crevices of our culturebody and you will find evidence of this symptom everywhere. It is an effect of the colonization of our lives and traditions by the marketplace. Want some dinner? Sounds like your family may no longer have a vibrant style of cuisine to pass down to you, better buy something instead. Hankering for a new story to interest you? Unlikely that your family has a large selection of folklore or heroic tales from the roots of your genetic tree, hopefully there is a good movie at the theater. Want some cool new threads to impress a boy or girl? Your mom and dad may have no idea what looks hip or is currently in fashion, but the talking heads on TV sure know! Don't know how to dance? Neither do your parents, check the music videos. Want some spiritual guidance? Sorry, no family rituals for you.

Almost everything which used to come passed down to us through our families is now accessed via the marketplace. Our styles and habits, sense of security, mating-rituals, and maps for navigating are currently up for sale to the most savvy businesshuman. The tragic effect of this has been twofold:

    The team effort has become downsized. The extended family of the Old Ways has become increasingly fractured and spread around the world in search of jobs. This means most of your family's traditions now come passed down through only two people. You can't expect your mother and father to carry with them the wisdom of what was once spread across three generations! Lack of grandma in the house means less wisdom for you.

    The remaining family you have access to on a regular basis has unfortunately become more irrelevant. One of the most awe-inspiring aspects of our current Style of business is its tremendous power to constantly stay in flux. Thanks to the Internet, new information, trends, memes, patterns, and movements are replacing old ones almost at the speed of our comprehension. This does not mix well with many of the surviving traditions of our families (with the notable exception of food), which once served to help a young person initiate into a social fabric that changed very little between generations. The phrase "you can't teach an old primate new tricks" especially rings true when trying to relate the constantly changing state of our social fabric to people who grew up and were initiated into a society with literally no Concept of personal computing (your parents).

However, all is not lost dear MindOfWinter! You are now embarking on a highly advanced form of culture generation! This is something you should cherish. By being born into a family group with few traditions (good or bad) to impart, you have almost infinite potential to generate your own PURE culture!! PURE culture is much more desirable than Collective culture (that which you are missing) and manifests itself in two aspects:

    Your family! In the past, when life was relatively easy to understand, your genetic family had all the answers to what you needed to know and formed a large group that would protect you no matter the circumstances. Today, the onus is on YOU to form such a group of people. The term family is becoming more nebulous and I find it a more useful definition of the people (regardless of geographics) that you would invite to a hypothetical picnic than those with the most similar DNA. Your family will change its members more often now and since you are a Psychonaut, potential new brothers and sisters will be much more difficult to distinguish at first glance. Look out for them carefully and incorporate them into your family deliberately. Cherish your family with the same strength that your ancestors cherished theirs and protect each member as if they were your own kin (since they essentially are now). Justly defend your family's shared values from those who would challenge them out of ignorance. As you advance along the path, your family will grow larger (is my hypothesis).

    Your maps and ideas! Whether it be visual art, creative writing, sermons, stretches, jokes, songs, funny faces, or (hopefully) all of the above, it is now YOUR job to generate the useful traditions that your ad hoc family expects from you. As you interact with society at large, take from it what you like and need and remix it into something to give to your family. They will like or need it just like you do and remember that culture generation is primarily a process of transmission. As you figure out more of the world, distill it into a map that others can read and benefit from. It is one of your sacred duties.

Finally, I am glad to hear that you will soon travel to Costa Rica. You have much to learn about the old ways there! As a lucky American who has had access to the remaining vibrant traditions of Latin America, I can assure you that everything you miss about the family experience here in the States you have the opportunity to encounter there. Pay close attention to the extended family ties and search for that ease of familiarity in the people you meet for the rest of your life. Look out for each surviving tradition and what makes it still useful in the present day. Learn the culture of the tropics and spread it to your family. Learn to dance especially! and Learn to cook also.

You are living a life of adventure just like you dreamed you would as a little one. YOU know how to be the hero of your travels.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Psychonaut/comments/1cbyyt/are_you_the_black_sheep_of_your_family_too/