Dilution is the pollution of the solution

A worry has been brewing in my mind for years now. It started out as a fleeting thought, then the occasional reflection, and now progressed to a steady fear lurking as a subtext in my mind. The fear is of cultural dilution. I imagine this fear playing out for those in my community, and for those I don’t know.

As generations of immigrants raise their children in what were originally foreign lands, these children lose touch of the very roots and culture that once distinguished them in what by then is a familiar land. There is no doubt in my mind that some changes are a net positive for communities, but those changes often shift from dilution to homogenization with the passing generations.  Dilution begins without most realizing it, because they are often doing what they believe is best for both themselves and their families alike. But how much of one’s culture created them, and how much is lost day-to-day, living as a 1^st, 2^nd, or even 3^rd generation immigrant. 

I assume by the 3^rd and beyond generation, homogenization has pretty much taken its course and, if for example you are an Indian-American, you now identify as American first, above anything else. And eventually, you are only American with the Indian part of you a historical fact. The inevitable change that occurs, largely due to the positives offered by a “Western” lifestyle, may potentially lead to the loss of the very qualities that made immigrants successful in western nations. Now don’t get me wrong; there’s a middle ground here, but where that is still evades me. Cultural dilution is inevitable as communities merge and cultural lines melt, but how does one maintain their sense of culture while continuing to grow and succeed in what was originally a foreign land. 

My thoughts largely focus on the American experience of those around me. Innovation and growth leads comes with its share of Western influences, as can be seen anytime one visits India or any developing nation for that matter. But Globalization’s effects will really begin to become obvious in future generations. The current generation grew up prior to the information age, therefore has some exposure to the world pre-internet. 

Now it’ not all doom and gloom; I’m not suggesting to stifle these changes, but rather, implement progressive lifestyle changes while still keeping intact those cultural traditions that have yielded net positives for indivuduals and society. 

Let’s talk about an example. As a young Indian-American man, born in the United States to immigrant parents, I’ve seen significant changes in our family lifestyle. Some of those changes come with economic improvements – eating out more often – while others come with cultural improvements – being more open minded^[1] and accepting of change”. Those changes occurred through my formative years, so though I’m as Indian as I am American, I know I cannot provide the same level of cultural guidance my parents gave me to my kids. And inevitably, they also won’t be able to do the same. The progression, I imagine, looks something like this:

While there’s no all in-one solution to this progression, interest and knowledge can balance the changes. If one has interest and access to the knowledge, and even why something is done, they can pursue implementing the cultural values that they may not have otherwise had access to. 

The other value of keeping in touch with one’s culture, is that even as you progress in learning of other cultures, one can hold on to what is important to them and spread that positivity around them.

This effort is the first step in helping to build that knowledge, with a first focus on Indian, and specifically, Hindu culture. We hope to expand with time to other cultures, each with their values worth recording so they, too, can be passed on. Much information exists out in the world, but not in a manner that is easily digestible, accessible, and written for generations that are in ever connected world.