Mystics and Oracles
Jason Kuznicki on Jun 27th 2008
Hundreds of artists, scientists and visitors from three wildly different cultures — Texas, NASA and the isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan — converged Wednesday at the opening of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall. . . .
The traditional arts contrast sharply with the high-tech innovations nearby in the NASA exhibit, which celebrates the space agency’s 50th anniversary and gives a glimpse of planning for future lunar and Mars missions. While it may seem odd for the folklife festival to feature a government agency, organizers said they have often focused on the cultures of specific occupations, including the White House and the U.S. Forest Service. They said NASA offers many stories and contributions to the wider U.S. culture.
“You’re dealing with something that’s almost a mythic occupation — exploring the heavens,” Kurin said. “If this was another society, you’d be talking about a cult of mystics and oracles.”
That is sort of a meaningful difference, isn’t it? Not to be a cultural chauvinist or anything, but in our culture, this stuff isn’t make-believe anymore. That’s what’s great about modern technological culture, whether it’s space exploration or just curing diseases down here on earth. We do the stuff humanity’s always wished it could do. It works whether you believe in it or not. And it’s open to people regardless of gender, race, language, or metaphysical belief system.
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