The Culture of Today and the Dionysian Society Essays

Foreseeing the future, pain, drugs and alcohol. It all sounds like elements in the plot of a Hollywood movie. These elements, however, are not of a movie, but of the past of a society. â€Å"The Pueblos of New Mexico†, an essay written by Ruth Benedict talks of these different societies. Dionysian, derived from the Greek god of wine Dionysus, perceives values through â€Å"the annihilation of the ordinary bounds and limits of existence† (517). The Dionysian culture holds values that approve recklessness, glorification, states of emotional excess, and a general passion to break through the usual routine of everyday life. This society is one that has very similar characteristics to the societies of today. The frequent use of drugs and alcohol,†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"They valued all violent experience, all means by which human beings may break through the usual sensory routine, and to all such experiences they attributed the highest value† (518). Dionysian cultures did many horrifying things to themselves. Cutting strips of skin off of their arms, cutting fingers off and going without food and water for days were some of the things that the people of the Dionysian cultures did. Today, violence is a major part of one society’s existence. Gangs today rely very highly on violence for survival. Not only do they hurt the people outside of their gang, but they also hurt those inside of it. In order to be â€Å"initiated† into the gang, one would have to suffer through the torturous beatings of his fellow gang members. â€Å"†¦if he was seeking his vision by torture†¦someone had to go out with him to tie him to the pole from which he was to swing†¦ his helper did his part and left him alone for his ordeal.† This resembles the rituals of the gangs. The gang members recruit the new members in, and lead him before the rest of the gang, and then leave him alone for his ordeal. Drugs and alco hol are a huge part in the lifestyles of the Dionysians. The experiences that they wanted were â€Å"†¦often sought openly by means of drugs and alcohol.† (521) Many times, the Dionysian cultures used mind-altering substances in order to getShow MoreRelatedWestern Civilization and Happiness and Justice829 Words   |  3 PagesHow can Western Civilization avert decline and promote happiness and justice? In a world of political and celebrity scandals from the raunchy to the greedy, our culture is full of corruption and an obsession with fame. Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and Sylvia Plath’s â€Å"The Colossus† both explore the West’s moral blindness and our paralysis of feeling and thought in the twentieth century. Western civilization is becoming a wildfire fueled by tragic ignorance, societal norms and corruption. 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