It is very noticeable that a lot of traditional Appalachian practices have waned, and some have almost disappeared completely. These old cultural traditions are being lost on new generations. Many of us no longer know how to can our own food or plant by the signs. Few still observe long held superstitions, such as “death comes in threes” and “dreaming of bees is a sign of good luck.”

I have observed it in my own children, who have little to no interest in learning the beliefs and skills of our forefathers.

The world at large is becoming more homogenous thanks to the widespread use of the internet. Information is literally at your fingertips, and exchanges with folks from different areas of the country and even the world are common. My son has friendships with people from Peru, New Zealand and the UK. They routinely discuss the geopolitical impact of the War in Ukraine or the upcoming US presidential election on world events.

That would have been unthinkable in my day. The closest I would have come to a similar experience would have been to put a message in a bottle, throw it in the Clinch River and hope it floated all the way to Ecuador.

I see all these rapid changes and think how different my childhood was from my parents. Then how much their childhoods differed from their parents, and so on. Very few people want to be drastically different from their peers, so some of this “Appalachian assimilation” is inevitable.

Television and social media define social norms these days. Today’s youth are all exposed to the same music and entertainment. Whoever gets the most “likes” and clicks sets the cultural pace.

It is odd to me that in a world where everyone is trying to stand out and get noticed, the more everyone acts the same. Few people have the fortitude to be unapologetically different.

My question is: what can, or even should, we do to preserve our culture? Change isn’t necessarily bad, but I don’t relish the thought of Appalachians becoming the new Mohicans.

The best answer I can come up with is that we need to make a renewed commitment to value and appreciate these traditions. The way we talk, the way we dress, and even our core values are worth preserving and passing down. It starts with us.