What is the importance of culture? What does culture even mean? According to the dictionary culture is defined as “the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group.” which is not a half bad definition. When we talk about culture we’re talking about what makes a nation, tribe, or society unique and special. The first thing to understand is that not all cultures are equal. For many people that’ll be a hard pill to swallow but it’s the truth.
When we look at most modernized cultures we can see that they’re not headed in a healthy direction. They have cultures that are heading in a more and more unhealthy direction that’ll eventually lead to their destruction. Many are blind to this or choose to ignore it because of how much power their particular culture has enjoyed for the past coupled hundred years. But even the healthiest body will rot if the right, or wrong, things happen for a long enough time period.
In order to get the most out of life you want to live in a healthy and positive culture. One that’s strong and virile and headed in the right direction. One that uplifts and helps the community, not divides and destroys it. Look at the majority culture around you. What does it hold as high? As lofty? What does it reward? What does it encourage? What is considered bad to it? What is considered base? What is considered noble? You can learn a lot from a people and where they’re headed by answering those questions.
How To Fix, Change, & Heal A Culture
Now if you live in the Western world, which is going to be the majority of people reading this then it’s no surprise that Western culture is headed towards the gutter. Right now Western nations have enough wealth and power to coast even when doing everything wrong. However those wrong actions and beliefs always catch up. No matter how much of a head start a people have. But even if you don’t live in the Western world, the Western world’s values and infections if you will is spreading beyond its borders and engulfing the entire world. No one is safe, not on a long enough time line.
So what’s to be done? How do you make sure that your culture, your people, your nation, your tribe, remains safe through of all of this. Remains strong, healthy, and happy? Remains so in a world that wants them the opposite? I’ve talked before about how one man can’t change the world and that’s true. However there is a way that a man can reach beyond himself and affect change on a large scale. There is a way to win the culture war.
Now this doesn’t negate what was said before. Being an example, a living example of the ideals that you hold, is the best way to change what’s around you. However there are some other skills as well that make a huge difference. We’ll talk a little about these skills and then finish with the end all be all of changing a culture but first let’s talk about the cultural change skills.
The Cultural Change Skills
These are skills that almost all leaders have and that it pays to know. The first part of the cultural change skills are the money skills we talked about before. Sales, copywriting, and marketing. With sales I’m including what are commonly called “soft” or “people” skills. Having an understanding of human nature and how it works. Knowing what persuades and influences people and how to use that to your advantage. After that you have what we’ll call transmission skills. And that is using those soft skills and the like to influence and change the hearts and minds of people.
Reading, writing, and rhetoric are the best ways to do this. Reading because you’ll need to constantly gather more information and knowledge and learn all that you can about the world and the people the inhabit it. Whereas writing and rhetoric are two transmission methods. With writing and public speaking you can influence many people, you expand your circle of influence greatly. Your rate of influence goes up, if you want to look at it like that. Reading, writing, and rhetoric.
We addressed it in sales but I want to reiterate to never underestimate the power of people skills. People sneer at those that get to the top through having good people skills but it’s one of the most valuable skills that you can ever learn. It pays to put practice and study into it. You study and practice so much that does so little for you. Why not put some time and effort into what is essentially the most valuable skill that you can have?
One Skill To Rule Them All
However with that being said, as important as being able to charm people, persuade people, and organize an argument logically, there is another skill that has far more power than all those above, at least when its used right. And that’s the skill of story telling. Culture is not changed and forged through essays, studies, dissertations, or factual arguments. Though all of those things have their role to play and are essential in the grand scheme of things. But they pale in comparison to the arts, especially story telling.
The culture war is won with art. Cultures are forged and changed by art, stories in particular. If you want to have a true and lasting impact on a people, tribe, or nation tell a good story. Novels work great at this, movies even better, but even just sharing personal stories has tremendous power to it. Stories are how people learn. Stories cut through the conscious brain and got straight to the subconscious. Which is why they’ve been used since the start of man to teach, instruct, and ensure a healthy way of live continues and prospers.
Of course like any skill story telling can be abused, but don’t let that distract you from its power. Good stories told in the right way have more power than you could possibly imagine. Wars have been fought, lost, and won because of good stories. Policies have been changed, good cultures have grow for hundreds of years, and revolutions have happened because of story. Whatever you do, do not underestimate the power of story and how it can change, influence, and shape a culture.
Story telling is a single person’s only hope of every changing a culture as a whole.
Becoming A Cultural Leader
There are things that are worth fighting for and there are things that are worth fighting against. There are things that are noble and things that are base. There are things that should be encouraged within your tribe and there are things that should be discourage. Now what these things are differ from culture to culture. It’s only through wise, strong, and good men that strong, happy, and healthy cultures are not just created but passed on from generation to generation. Look at your answers to the above questions.
And learn the skills required to transfer that knowledge to others, to transfer that understanding and wisdom to others, to members of your tribe, so that they may benefit. And good worthy things can continue. Without strong, wise, and good leaders a society cannot flourish. It will decay and eventually be wiped out. Without strong, wise, and good leaders a culture will die. Good things will die.
Learn the skills and reignite the fire of things that are worthy and do not let the darkness win.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
