American Exceptionalism and the rise of Esoteric knowledge
It goes without saying that Americans grew out of the age old tradition of accepting gods and monsters, a long time ago. Even though our nation was founded by men who believed In a god that would bless this nation and grant it the power to redeem all other nations.
Fast forward to our age of talking cell phones and virtual worlds and the only monsters we believe in are the ones we find on cinematic screens. And yet across the globe gods and monsters still hold weight in other nations .
So where did our disbelief or refusal to accept old world beliefs come from? Do we blame it on science? It is my opinion that our American Exceptionalism is the driving force behind our reluctance to believe in the unseen.
Go to any other country, from Spain to Russia and you will see that UFOs and their existence is non debatable. In some countries monsters dwell in forests and witches curse crops.
In america, zombies rule the television screens. We refuse to believe in things that will make us seem uneducated, gullible and maybe even vulnerable.
More and more americans believe in extraterrestrial life and ghosts than previously thought and yet you'd be hard pressed to find a scholar recounting his personal face to face encounter with the hairy man on his last camping trip.
It is an American pride that makes us think that believing in such things is unamerican. Let the other countries stone people for witchcraft. We are far too civilized and far too superior to believe in witches.
Let that country advertise its fear In a monkey man on the streets because they're just not educated enough to realize how ridiculous that sounds.
Across the globe, those that adhere to traditions older than america itself are frowned upon while Here on American shores paranormal encounters continue to persist.
I am often reminded of a scene in M. Knight Shyamalan s film SIGNS, in which the eventual defeat over the aliens in various countries around the world is explained away as ancient methods.
We may embrace a certain pride that we are above such beliefs and that we are too superior to except such childish notions of ancient world long since buried in the sands of all time, but let us suppose what would happen if the monsters declared their existence.
Who would survive then? The barbarians who have clung to ancient wisdoms or the new world with its false sense of security?
