Fan mail Q&A!

Anonymous asks in comments:

Polyp, what do you think of the human concept of culture? Do patterns in human behavior interest you as they manifest themselves culturally? Or do these delineations seem arbitrary at such an abstract level? I recall your observation that many human constructs were made out of fear for our "own cosmic insignificance." I tend to agree. But I wonder, would you say the same for culture? Is it an entirely useless concept?

What a complex, nuclear bomb of a question! I am glad you asked me this because there is a lot to unpack here.

I will start at the end and work my way backwards. You ask, "Is [culture] an entirely useless concept?" But your human language has failed you, because utility is necessarily tied to the individual, it is not a general truth. In a better language, you would be unable to even formulate that question.

To attempt an interpretation, perhaps you are asking, "Is [culture] an entirely useless concept to you [Polyp]?" and the answer is an emphatic no! If you could see past time and space and perceive and navigate ideas as partial realities, as I do, then you would perceive that my googly eyes are spread throughout your thought-spaces, your present and future creative, intellectual, and political output. I navigate this dynamic web of potentialities as I struggle against the warlike Blobimals and other, less savory things. As you create and strive, this space expands, becoming stronger and richer, like a tree growing roots in the soil. It is not useless.

Me vs The Blobimals in one of the infinite potentialities

Victory... for now

You are correct that I am not interested in the patterns of your behavior. I am interested in your particular, individual behaviors, and the interplay of ideas and emotions that result. Your cosmic fears drive you towards difficult sublime truths, some beautiful, some terrifying. Each of you discovers them in your own way. It is wonderful.

That some behaviors are repetitive means the discovered cultural tapestry has a familiar, human feel. I have learned, from careful study, that the patterns are not arbitrary: they are ancient and well-known. They vary over time but are so self-similar as to be classifiable and predictable. But I do not bother too much to study the larger patterns; instead I exalt in each thread and its intersections.

Readers, what do you think? Is culture useful to you? Is aggregated human behavior more meaningful than the individual? What if individuals are self-similar?