Flourishment of a Culture

Changing your lifestyle is one of the most difficult tasks to do specially if those changes involve more people than just yourself. In newly discovered journals, Lauren Oya Olamina reveals the potential people have to completely shift a community’s culture to make beliefs such as Earthseed become the new hegemonic culture. Olamina is the leader of Earthseed; a religion that managed to take over the world. Originating in the 2020s after huge chaos struck California due to a severe drought and the pox epidemic spreading, Earthseed flourished. Earthseed is based on the belief that “God is Change.” Olamina’s popular verses and writings were collected into a book titled Earthseed: The Books of the Living as she travelled as a highway convert along with many others from Southern California to what would soon become her first establishment as an Earthseed community. As the first Earthseed community Acorn was progressing well until a dominant religious group called Christian America led by President Andrew Steele Jarret tried to overthrow it. Through this act of violence toward Earthseed believers, Olamina lost her baby daughter, husband, close friends, and the community that brought all of them together through their contribution in building it. Christian America invaded Acorn and remained in control for a couple of years causing her to counter and bring Earthseed to the forefront of a culture. What was done to replace Christian America as the leading religious organization? These journals reveal that once she rediscovered her love for teaching, Olamina altered the dominant ideology in society.

First, Olamina distorted a hegemonic vision that turned chaos and violence temporary to people. The strategy that set off this vision was to target people with the same beliefs and experiences in order to strengthen or start their devotion towards Earthseed. On Saturday,June 27,2036, Olamina wrote: “ I met a woman named Shelby who also lost her husband and children in hands of crusaders. She began to question her God, and I told her about the time I was losing faith in Earthseed. She then asked me what Earthseed was and immediately showed interest” (Olamina,2036). Her main goal was to relate to people who she had similarities with, these similarities created a bond that people would value, and will help them to better understand what Earthseed is and believe. Most people who learn about what Earthseed is join, but for the other people who don't Olamina tries to figure out the reasons why. For this reason she creates new Earthseed verses that can be relatable to anyone but in a way that Christian America wouldn't be able to offer to them. On Tuesday, June 30,2036 Olamina writes: “Come as you are, with all your flaws, with all your worries, with all of you, you are the change we have been waiting for. Believe.”(Olamina, 2036) This verse demonstrates an unconditional love Christian America wouldn't offer. Earthseed doesn’t judge, its arms are wide open for anyone no matter what the background, Olamina believes everyone has a great gift to add to their community. Olaminas vision is to accept as many true believers who are willing to help transform the violent culture they are dealing with at the moment. Only with true believers by her side is how she see’s Earthseed picking up from the dust and grow.

Secondly, Olamina spread this vision through the usage of narratives that influenced people to believe in, and accept, the Destiny. Her strategy was not only a good way to spread Earthseed but it was also a hobby. She began to write a new book in which she included her own verses as well as verses from Earthseed believers. On Tuesday,September 30,2036, She wrote: “ In this book I will still share my verses with the world but I will also be adding verses from other people. This will show skeptical people that Earthseed is truly life changing not just for me but others as well. The more verses there is the more Earthseed will gain followers from all over the country”(Olamina,2036). Olamina’s goal was to publish her book and distribute them to various people in all the cities she travelled to. She left a piece of her anywhere she went so that her books containing her and other follower’s verse could engage many other followers specially the ones who were following the common sense: believing in Christian America. But surprisingly enough, the more people that obtained this book the more they accepted the Destiny. The verses from