“Culturescape” is a word that was coined by Vishen Lakhiani, founder of MindValley.
It refers to the rules that we live by within our culture that don’t really make sense in our day and age but that we still allow to control our lives. Beliefs of a society that are outdated and hold us back from truly being happy and following our passions.
We allow these “brules” (another coin from Vishen meaning “Bullshit rules”) to dictate our decisions in life. Influencing us to “play it safe” with going to college instead of backpacking Europe. Convincing us we need the fancy furniture that we never use because guests may come over when what we really want is beanbag chairs.
Other Examples of Brules from the Culturescape:
- Going to College after highschool
- Choosing a certain pre-approved career instead of what we really want
- Doing things “in order” of graduate – house – marriage – kids despite our own ambitions
- Saying this or that body type / physical trait / etc is what society considers “attractive” and approved.
- Going along with your parents religion for no other reason that that’s what’s expected.
- Dressing certain ways because that’s what society says you should do.
Do you get the idea? Are you living your life by your culturescape brules?
The Geolocation of Culturescape Brules
What your culturescape brules look like are going to depend heavily on where you live. People growing up in India or China are going to be subject to completely different brules than those in the States and even then it varies drastically on which state you’re in.
When we can broaden our vision from the local views, we can begin to see the control the brules have over us begin to breakdown.
If you are able to see a more whole picture of different cultures around the world, the contrasts between them all and how those living outside of our own brules are doing just fine, you can begin to understand how it’s all an illusion.
The Illusion of the Culturescape
The illusion is intended to keep us safe and thriving economically and socially. This was important throughout history as we are social creatures and depended heavily on village living to survive.
In that world, where local was all you had and you NEEDED the locals to like and approve of you for survival, brules were not bullshit but necessary.
In our new world, we’ve evolved into a global society that advances faster than ever. Our mindsets, however, haven’t kept up because people don’t change as quickly as technology does.
We are still living our lives by these brules, allowing them to dictate and influence our decisions as if they are still a matter of survival. They’re really only remnants of our past, though. Keeping us miserable, uninspired and not at all thriving in our new world. Stuck in the preoccupation, unable to move up. Sometimes even sabotaging us.
A New Life Goal
We no longer need these brules to survive. We’ve (mostly) advanced past mere survival and have leveled up Moslow’s pyramid to begin seeking more to life.
Whereas our ancestors were only able to focus on their daily needs: food, shelter, water, clothes. All the basic things we need for survival, most of our needs are pretty well, more or less met automatically.
This means we have the capacity to look past them into higher actualization. Who we are, why we’re here, our individual purpose of life and how it relates to a whole. We’ve landed in a time in history that allows us the luxury of looking for peace, happiness, love, contentment, passion.
This luxury is what has people divided. Some say we’re spoiled and entitled but the truth is that we’ve succeeded in societal growth as a whole to allow for these things to become possible.
Generations upon generations of people working hard and suffering so that their children can have a better life than they did has finally paid off. We’re here. We’ve arrived and we only have up to go from here. That is, as long as we can keep everyone’s jealous egos in check. But I digress..
How to Breakout of The Culturescape
Step 1: Find your culturescape brules
Look around your own life. What decisions did you make for other people’s approval? What have you done because that’s what was expected of you?
Step 2: Question everything
- Have abiding by your culturescape brules served you or held you back?
- Are you truly happy and living life for you?
- What would you have done differently if these expectations hadn’t been placed on you?
- What would your life look like if you didn’t care what people thought?
Step 3: Refuse to accept things just as they are
Did your parents ever tell you to do something that didn’t make sense and when you asked why you received a response like “that’s just what we do” or “That’s how it’s always been”?
Yeah, stop accepting things like that. Don’t ever stop questioning why things are the way they are. Don’t ever stop living for you. We only have this one specific life and it’s OURS to take control of.
If you’re not pursuing happiness and fulfillment, are you living your full potential? What is the point of this life if we’re miserable in it? Life is short. Don’t waste it conforming to other people’s ideals. Especially ideals that exist “just because that’s what we’ve always done”.
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- How to Trust Your Intuition & Give Yourself Permission to Grow & Manifest Abundance
- How to Ease the Grief Process by Normalizing Death in Our Society & Culture
Author
S.S.Blake; Spiritual Life Coach, Yoga + Meditation Teacher and Founder of Earth and Water
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