Do you know of any kind of dialogue going on which applies the analogy of the settlement of the Old West to the postmodern spiritual experience?
Since this analogy really does provide a real historical model of community building, it would seem to have potential for giving us greater insight into a whole process that is presently being repeated, only in a different context. I can identify the trailblazers, the pioneers, the settlers, the transients, the establishers, and the builders, the maintainers, and the modifiers.
Each group requires different tools and perspectives and faces different challenges in the process. Each has their own assets and deficiencies. Their triumphs and their tragedies. It seems to me that for the most part the post-moderns would fit into the pioneer group.
Answer: Great point. At the same time – the fact that they were all displacing Native Peoples proves a bit of a problem, eh?