Introduction
It is important to note that cultural expressions play a major role in my life in order to reflect my beliefs, customs, and way of life. The given assessment of these elements will be centered around photography, religious traditions, and films. The former is reflected in the minimalism photo, which reminds me of my values, whereas religious traditions are mostly about mindfulness and meditation on the basis of Buddhism. I am also a fan of Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU, which is why the studio’s films are cultural expressions of my belongingness to this community. Therefore, the selected cultural expressions reflect my values, which prioritize wellness and mental health, avoidance of excessive consumption, and focus on the joy of experience shared among like-minded individuals.
Who, What, Where, When and Why
The first cultural expression is a photo, which is shown below in Figure 1. It is a minimalist photo, which I use as my computer desktop as well. Its purpose is to remind me of my stance on the consumerism of modern life and how I am opposed to overconsumption, which I believe to be the root cause of all sickness and misery on the planet. It came from the inspiration after reading a book about the given notion, where modern society puts a great deal of emphasis on consumption and purchased goods. I have been using this photo for almost two years because I want to be constantly reminded of the pressures of consumerism due to marketing. Large corporate interests and industries spend billions to convince people to become consumers of their products or services, which are not necessarily healthy or helpful. The photo allows me to be attentive to these forces because I used to be a compulsive shopper.
The second cultural expression can be categorized as a religious tradition from Buddhism. Although I do not consider myself a Buddhist or religious in general, I regularly practice mindfulness meditation due to its proven benefits. The practice became an integral part of my life after reading Sam Harris’s book titled Waking Up last year, which revealed that spirituality and religion are not necessarily the same thing. Meditative practices focus on controlling one’s attention and relation to one’s emotions, thoughts, and inner conversation. The main reason why I adhere to mindfulness meditation as a cultural expression of religious tradition is that it greatly helps with my overthinking problem. I used to regularly overthink and cling to negative emotions, making them a larger problem than they really are, and thus, being aware of my detachment from these arising thoughts and emotions brought a greater degree of mental health and clarity.
The third cultural expression is comprised of all Marvel films created by Marvel Studio. It can be categorized as a cultural expression because it has a massive community of fans around these stories of fiction and fantasy with its own strong sense of cultural element. I have been interested in comics since I was a child and learned how to read. Now, I regularly visit Marvel Comic Cons whenever I can get it since it is a big part of my identity, my interest, and my community of friends. Therefore, it is worth keeping this cultural expression since it is mostly about my values in life.
Who You Are, What You Believe, and How You Act
All three cultural expressions help define who I am by reminding me about my approach to life, where I sincerely believe that only experience and memories make one’s life worth living. In other words, I act in accordance with the fact that life is a limited window of opportunity, where one should focus on enjoying as much as possible by experiencing a variety of positive aspects of being alive. Although I understand that the accumulation of wealth and consumption cannot be fully avoided, it seems that many people spend their lives collecting material possessions at the cost of their limited time on the planet. If someone saw only this list of cultural expressions, one might think that I am spiritual, avoidant of consumerism, and a geek. The incorrect assumption would mostly be made about my interest in MCU because the real reason for my obsession with the brand is a sense of community and belongingness rather than the films themselves. However, the other two cultural expressions would most likely be correct and accurate because they are straightforward in their message.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the selected cultural expressions include photography, religious traditions, and films, which are represented by minimalism, Buddhism, and Marvel. The list is reflective of my value of experience over consumption and chase for material wealth. The first expression is an image or photo of a minimalist interior, which reminds us of the dangers and negative aspects of the modern consumerist lifestyle. The second cultural expression is the religious practice of mindfulness meditation, which is derived from Buddhism, and it allows me to improve my mental health. The third one is comprised of MCU films, which are about my belongingness to a community where I found many friends.
