Modern Mythology

I'm interested in Comparative Mythology.  Usually scholars focus on the historical and on a comparison of belief systems around the world.  But there don't seem to be many who have the starch in them to study their own culture in modern times.

Pop culture has an extensive, shifting mythology associated with it; as do all cultures.   In the US it's all taken for granted and unspoken for the most part.  And in the media it seems to be shifting backward in time, to a past age when monogamy and religion ruled almost all of American life.  It's like there's a movement to undo the liberation of the sixties.

So let's list some currently touted beliefs...

First there's the belief that a monogamous, heterosexual relationship is the only path to true happiness and personal fulfillment.  That's an idea from the Nineteenth Century that's being resurrected lately in the media.

I don't think we need to comment on the flaws in that idea.  Even without considering the needs of LGBT people, you should be able to see that this kind of concept leaves a lot of people doomed to a life of misery.  Yet they keep trying to realize this false ideal of human happiness.

My belief is that the concept of a soul mate is total garbage. People seem to find these soul mates most often among those they see on a regular basis in their everday lives...destiny or just the reality of the way humans "fall in love" with people they see often?  I go with the latter.

There are animals who mate for life as a characteristic of their species...mostly birds.  But I don't think humans normally do this. Partners tire of each other, they part, they find new partners.  Face it, that's our nature to do that.  It's far healthier than monogamy, because it spreads genes around...making our species stronger and less prone to genetic flaws.

Some people seem to be happy in a longlasting monogamous relationship.  I don't dispute that.  But teaching young people that this is the only path to true happiness is simply misleading them. It's wrong to lie to young people.  They usually figure it out and become disillusioned, or they try to realize false ideals and lead miserable lives.  Either way, it's just wrong.  We should teach them truth, not lies.

OK, next time I'll attack some other beliefs that nobody dares question.  Stay tuned, even if you aren't ready to believe me. Who knows, maybe some of you will learn something.