The Advancement and Creation of New Culture

MINVRA celebrates the path of human struggle to wisdom in life. It encourages you to adopt a balance: a sincere martial attitude towards life to sustain strong spiritual and moral discipline, coupled with a heartful, genuine love of ancient wisdom, life, art and education. We develop and learn to be wise to the abuses of power, and we study power — from the world of Man to the world of the gods.

Ovid, the Roman poet expresses this beautifully in Fausti when it was written:

“I reigned in days when earth could bear with gods, and divinities moved freely in the abodes of men. The sin of mortals had not yet put Justice to flight (she was the last of the celestials to forsake the earth): honour’s self, not fear, ruled the people without appeal to force: toil there was none to expound the right to righteous men. I had naught to do with war: guardian was I of peace and doorways, and these,” quoth he, showing the key, “these be the arms I bear.” The god now closed his lips. Then I thus opened mine, using my voice to lure the voice divine.”—OVID, FAUSTI BOOK I

Will you work to contribute to the advancement of culture and education, rather than contribute to its degradation? Will you work to gain knowledge in hopes of bestowing that knowledge onto others to raise them up, even in the greatest hours of despair and human ruin? Between all these ideals hold the WISDOM, even history of this entire civilization. Many of our day choose to let it die, while others choose to create. Those who choose to create must battle in the arena of ideas, while others are afraid to. Such fear, division and stagnation have allowed the lowest of the low, in their avarice, to manipulate the masses in accepting their debasement and wretched condition.

“One does not undetake politics, or make history solely by promulgating new laws, creating new institutions, or winning battles, but also (and properly) by developing new spiritual attitudes, new ideas, and creating in fact, new human beings and a new spirit.”

GIOVANNI GENTILE

I believe we can create a new culture and a new people. The great teacher Confucius (c. 551 – c. 479 BCE) defined ‘culture’ through li, — by perfecting culture, and the condition of an ideal-state of being. The scholar studies the minds of the past to become an exemplary human-being. 

The ancient Book of Rites, or the Liji states thus:

“The scholar lives and has his associations with men of the present day, but the men of antiquity are the subjects of his study. Following their principles and examples in the present age, he will become a pattern in future ages.” — LI JI 禮記 BK. XXXVIII