Reflecting Shadows: Culture
Humankind is the pride of creation. At least, that is what we like to think.
How do we justify that claim? Nature has given us an intelligence vastly different from any we see in other animals. We have developed not one, but manifold complex languages. We dedicate ourselves to sophisticated forms of faith. We have created elaborate works of art. We cherish abstract values. For short, we have developed culture.
All that clearly separates us from other animals, but does it make us better? Does not the very culture we appreciate sometimes prove a trap to us? Do not some parts of it prove to be fallacies at times? Is not much of our misery man-made?
Culture by itself puts us neither above or below other animals. Culture by itself does not put us in paradise or misery.
The short stories below tell of tragedies connected to some aspect of our culture, but all of them reflect on its benefits and drawbacks.