During a wide ranging conversation some days back with a few white friends spurred by our past Martin Luther King Holiday, an interesting comment was made. When we were talking about the Civil Rights Movement here in the United States, and the time that has since passed, one person thought that some minority groups still believe they are inferior.
I thought that was a funny observation, but after the conversation ran its course, I understood how and why the comment was formed. It is possible many who feel this way will take those beliefs feelings to their graves. We can make speeches, conduct marches, hold rallies, and pass laws. What we can not do is change the mindset of people most affected by these limiting beliefs.
It is my understanding that Share Cropping was ‘created’ when it became obvious that newly freed slaves were not emotionally or financially equipped to leave their old lives behind and go out into a mostly foreign world and create new lives. Newly freed Americans who knew little or nothing of life as independent persons. People who could go anywhere and do anything, did what most of us would do in the same situation. They reached out for the closest life to life before emancipation. It was a bad choice with little chance of success, but it was comfortable.
For any people having family members who were once not free to make their own choices about their lives, is a hard to understand those choices. For some people whose forbearers lived in those circumstances, life today is not too far removed from those times in their minds eye. Some of the older people alive today have almost firsthand knowledge of what life was like in those days. They were raised with limiting thoughts and feelings around them each and every moment. They were or are people not to likely to change their thinking.
 Some more recent peoples coming to the United States feel as if they are shut out of main stream culture for other reasons. They may feel others think they are not ‘American’ enough by the standards of those around them. Some over compensate by going overboard on American culture. Others live deep within their old culture, or whatever adaptations of it exist around them in the United States. Others do their best to become part of American Mainstream as best they can.
Living apart from what some non-white Americans perceive as American Mainstream Culture, from my perspective is their view of American Mainstream culture does not exist anywhere other than the eyes of the beholder. American Mainstream, sometimes thought of as ‘White Culture’ as some view it, is no more a cohesive group than people living above the Arctic circle with those living in the Amazon Rain Forests. Religion, perception, politics, nationality, and economics continue to fracture and reinvent the American Mainstream.
Not being outside of the ‘American Mainstream’, I can only give my impression of what it is like on the inside. I believe there is not much difference between being inside the American Mainstream and looking in at American Mainstream from a perceived outside view. Imagine living in New York, or any densely populated city with most of the population living somewhere between self sufficient and wealthy. Whatever city picked must have mass transportation as the major form of commute. Now place yourself in that population going and coming from work, shopping, and generally living in that city.
People appear to be insensitive, blunt, rude, all socially derogative behaviors one sees in a large city. That to me is a snapshot view of the American Mainstream. If you feel you are not part of the Mainstream, you probably are. If you feel like people ignore you, they probably do. If you feel that people are willing to take advantage of you, they probably do. Everything anyone considers roadblocks to joining ‘Mainstream America’ and their trying to be a part of it is likely true. Welcome to Mainstream America, you are likely experiencing life in the primordial plasma of the American Dream.
If you want to change Mainstream America, you have to get off the sidelines and join in. You can help shape the culture, thinking, and mannerisms of your community. You have to be willing to give of yourself for that to happen though. Programs all over your community need your help, and not just your money. If you don’t jump in make changes, don’t expect for change to happen. Join in and be an active part of the American Mainstream.
John Meunier’s blog in this article, makes a case for the distinction of traditional Christian marriage, and other forms of union or marriage. You may read his thoughts here, “Forsaking All Others [is] Necessary For Marriage”.
As adults in America we have the right to choose how to live our life. We are the proverbial butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers – and everything else under the sun, moon, and stars. We all have differing interests and passions in the living of our lives. Sometimes our beliefs, passions, and endeavors merge, and at other times we and our interests are tangential.
Some people view marriage differently than those holding a traditional view. Unless one lives in isolation, I find it hard for anyone to imagine alternative relationships, whether one chooses to call them marriages, unions, or shacking up, were invented in the last few years.
A few facts and thoughts:
According to Divorcereate.org , the divorce rate for first time marriages in America is a fifty percent.
From what I read at ReligiousTolerance.org, the percentage of population in America that can be classified as Christian was 76% in 2008.
I think it is safe to assume that a majority of first time divorce claims are filed by Christian couples.
The divorce rate does not concern itself with those people who stay in failed marriages because for whatever reason they do not feel they can not end the Marriage.
Unfortunately this does not leave a lot of wiggle room for the Christian community unless one allows that while Christianity tries to take the moral high ground, the moral high ground is a slippery slope wholly attainable and sustainable by very few. Most of us are mere fallible mortals doing the best we can with what we have to work with.
 People do marry or form unions for reasons other than love and fidelity. Some people marry or form unions for money, some for companionship, others for as many varied reasons as there are hobbies. Not all people need or want traditional marriages, and all the encumbrances that comes with it. Nor do all people want the stigma and isolation attached when a formal marriage fails.
It has not recently been openly acknowledged, or close to obvious in the recent past, but these types of relationships have been happening as long as there have been formal communions between men and women.
My hope is our thinking and tolerance is maturing. We in America have matured our opinions about women’s rights, children’s rights, animal rights, and skin color.
We are maturing our opinions in other areas of life, such as caring about where our food comes from, how it is treated, where our fuels come from and how they effect the environment, sustaining the earth for a few more generations, and trying to help the worlds poorest people without making their plight worse than it is now.
Is it really important how two reasonable adults choose how to form a relationship as long as they are not harming each other or those around them? Whose business is it how coupled adults spend their private time? Are we immature enough to believe same sex relationships were confined to the Mediterranean a few thousand years ago then recently, some deviants became activists and went public with their life style, contaminating a percentage of our population?
I have yet to meet any balanced, moral, ethical person who controls who they like, love, and what they believe when they have enjoyed exposure to the real world, and know why they think what they do. How wonderful it must be to be a real Christian, and know of no one who is not ‘normal’ like themselves, their family and their friends.
I can not guess what God really prefers, but there does seem to be a prevalent thread that God does want us to be happy. God also demands we intentionally cause no undo harm to others. The Christian world, or parts of it, want God in all adult relationships as long as the same Christian world controls both the participants and the confines of those relationships.
 I heard it as I walked. I saw its shadow slide into dark corners when it thought I was not watching. Every now and then I could see it move from the corner of my eye. It followed me for blocks as I walked down one dimly lit street after another.
I wanted to walk faster to get away from it, but I knew that was impossible. It was keeping a distance from me so maybe it was not sure yet. Maybe it was waiting for a moment when there were no lights and no cars.
Then it would strike. The noises it made grew louder as it grew bolder and moved closer. It was hurrying to get into position to strike. Now almost beside me. No, wait it was to my right. A few seconds earlier it was on my left. It can move very fast when the streets are dark.
I walked faster. It was no longer trying to be sane. It knew I heard it. Had it decided I was it? I could feel the hair on the back of my neck starting to stiffen. I wanted to yell out, but who would hear?
If they did hear would they bother to go to a window or door and look out? I doubt it, they would not want to be involved. They would choose to remain distant. They and theirs were safe and accounted for, what did I matter.
It was a mere feet behind me now. My heart was beating wildly, and I was beginning to pant from moving ever faster. My feet seemed to barely touch the ground, but it wasn’t fast enough. I could hear it catching its feet on the uneven surface. Maybe it wanted to raise my fear level a little higher?
Through the fog of my panic I had a thought. They don’t like the light, and they don’t want to be seen. If I could just make it to the light I would be okay. Only another one-hundred feet and I would be safe. Could I make it? It sounds like it is right next to me!
I gave up walking fast and started to run. I could hear it starting to move faster too. Its feet hitting the pavement as it hopped towards me. Only another few seconds, that is all I need to get to the light!
I reached into my jacket, pulled out my cell phone, and fumbled trying to open it. In mindless terror I pushed the camera button. It was taking forever. It was inches away from me. I could feel its closeness like hot foul breath on my neck. I threw my arm backwards and prayed I pushed the camera button to make the flash go off.
It hissed loudly sounding only inches from my ear! The flash worked! It slowed and loped off into the darkness. Temporarily blinded by the light of a neon flash on a cell phone! I made it to the light. Traffic was picking up, and I knew I could get away from it before its eyes healed from the flash of light.
As an after thought I looked to see if I got it on camera. The rational part of my mind said it was the leaves falling from the trees. The rest of my mind knew what it really as because it remembered ten thousand years worth of well founded fear.
As you cruise into your thirties, you start to notice that possibly you are mortal like everyone else. Nothing specific happening between you and your body, but now and then there are little signs that you are not a teenager any longer. Some things unlike childhood days where you played all day long. You can not multi-sport unless you do it all the time. If you eat as if you are seventeen, you pay a price later in the day or night, or the next day.
One other thing you may have noticed is you start to pay a little more attention to your overall health. You may decide it is time to see a doctor for a first in a long time checkup. Perhaps you really aren’t feeling as good as you used to and you want to find out why. Want to or not, sooner or later you find yourself making that first phone call to the doctor.
Initially when you visit your Doctor, he or she will may some pretty firm ideas on how you are tending to your body. You will be quizzed on what and how you eat, exercise, sleep and a few more intimate questions. It is a good idea to do some thinking about your life style before you are asked these questions. Your doctor can only make decisions on the information you supply. Lying to your doctor, or letting your doctor guess is not the best course of action. Your doctor has heard it all and there probably nothing you can say that will be a surprise or shock.
 In my experience we tend to lie to our doctors. We modify our life story as we tell the doctor what we are doing or not doing. If we drink every day, we tell the Doctor we have a few drinks a week. If we live on coffee and doughnuts we modify that to two small cups of coffee and an occasional doughnut. Our fifty step daily walk from our car to the job, or store becomes a twenty minute stroll, or perhaps a daily mile jog.
While it feels good to tell our doctor we are living healthier than we do, it is a mistake to do so. First off your doctor will order up blood tests. These tests are thorough enough to separate fact from fiction of your story. At the very least they are precise enough to raise some doubt about your real life. The downside is, when your doctor questions you again, and you again fudge how you are living, you are painting a picture of your over all health that is not accurate.
It is no secret that we tell little half truths and partial omissions every day. Mostly we do this to keep the peace or save someone’s feelings. We all do it to some extent and we all except that everyone around does it too. There are too places where you need to be brutally honest in what you admit to. The first place is between your ears. If you can not be true to yourself and acknowledge what you know to be true, your life is less than should could be. If you are not truthful with your doctor, your doctor can not be as effective in helping you as they could be if you tell the truth.
As your life progresses from this point on, you will discover there are things you never knew about until now. Suddenly pizza gives you heartburn, and too much sitting makes one knee stiff. You may discover are more serious problem, as in a ‘health condition’.
Welcome to the real world. Like it or not, all of us as we age, discover body problems we never knew we had. We slowly start to fall apart. We share this with everyone who ever drew a breath. Most health problems you will have are not new problems. In fact they have probably been present since the day you were born. Until now they stayed in the background unnoticed. It is a tough thing to accept at first that like everyone else, you are slowly getting older, and eventually like everyone before you, you will get old
Acceptance is taking a positive approach to a life situation you can not change, denial is putting off until tomorrow what is easier to start accepting today. Be truthful to your doctor and yourself when it comes to you. It is natural that sooner or later, something about your body will not work as well as it used to. Do yourself a favor at the Doctor’s office; tell the truth about you.
Living in a capitalistic society at times seems as if it is the responsibility of everyone else to help others part with their money, in a way that is a benefit to themselves. Capitalism has intruded into personal areas of life. In nature and in old primitive societies of the past, some African, and Eskimo cultures as an example, when someone became old and felt they were of no use, or a burden to the family, the elderly or the family took care of the situation.
In Africa, an old sick person would be taken outside of the village at dusk and left. In the northern tiers where Eskimos lived they were pulled out on the ice a long way from the village and left. I am sure every society around the world had a system that worked for them. Whether it was cruel or violates the importance of human life, it was how things were done.
 Today I see an artificial value on human life prompted by greed. Medicine has progressed to a point where if you have health insurance doctors can fend off heart disease and other potentially quick death diseases. What this does is keep someone alive as the odds of developing cancer become an increasing possibility.
I don’t know if it holds true any longer, but I read the odds of developing cancer go up one-hundred percent each year after the age of seventy. Cancer by its nature is expensive to treat. Many insurance plans require individual financial participation on top of the premiums paid monthly. If the going rate is perhaps twenty percent of the cost, the cost of cancer treatment could cost one individual tens of thousands of dollars.
Arriving at the age of retirement, cancer is a growing concern added on to other health concerns. Diabetes and high blood pressure appear as prevalent health issues starting around middle age. So what does this have to do with capitalism? The cost of living as long as possible has everything to do with capitalism.
It seems medicine has moved away from, or perhaps never really was well rooted in, a deep need to help fellow humans. The cost of becoming a doctor, and practicing medicine, to include use of hospitals, and belonging to HMO’s has made the cost of receiving medical care so incredibly expensive, doctors are now as much accountants as they are practitioners of medicine.
Colleges of medicine, hospitals, doctors, and HMO’s, medical equipment makers all make a profit. Not profit to live on, but as large a profit as the receiver of their wares will bear. The business of medicine has no primary goal of curing you. The new medical business model revolves around making you a patient as early in your life as possible for as long as possible.
This focus on your current health is about your future worth. If, or recently when you are diagnosed having Type II Diabetes, or a heart or artery condition, emphasis is placed on your prescribed medications. Other health promoting choices are almost an afterthought. Serious diet help is for the most part window dressing. You are now an income stream for the business of medicine. The whole system would collapse if you opted out, or recovered to the point where you did not require frequent doctor visits with expensive tests, etc. In other words more of your income spent on your health each year.
Some medicines being touted in commercials, have possible side effects much worse than the disease; if any side effects occur, a new income stream is created by your [now] more serious health condition. Once you are depleted of your liquid assets, the cost of keeping you alive moves on to the state. The state at times has very deep pockets which capitalistic medicine takes advantage of.
This is my perspective and opinion, of course, and you are free to disagree. I feel we have been coerced, or maybe influenced that our life regardless of the quality of that life and the financial consequence does not matter. There comes a time towards the end of life when the cure is not worth the price of admission.
I was reading some fascinating ideas about our future. It is nothing new that there are secret groups of powerful people working towards a global government, global economy, and global food supply. I suppose it is nothing new about any global businesses as they have been around for some years now. Businesses that have their roots in many countries and their reach goes into many diverse areas.
The most recent, or possibly the first real global business model I have noticed is the business of South Korea. Without going into detail about how South Korea is doing it, they are becoming a diversified company reaching into many facets of our daily life no matter where we live or what we do. Of course there are nay sayers who think the Korean manufacturing machine may fall on its face, and be gone in the wink of an eye.
Looking a little south of Korea is mighty Japan, who has mega businesses in place who are very successful. Companies such as Toyota, who may be owned by a larger company, or in itself owns many smaller companies. Changing direction is Nike, who has gone from a floundering second rate shoe company into a company who not only provides shoes for the world, but clothing and other branded products as well.
Nothing new so far in what I have written. Anyone who sits down for ten minutes thinking about huge companies will understand the same things. What about the long range though? I have no doubt, watching McDonalds moving into the Coffee boutique business, Dunkin’ Doughnuts selling coffee through grocery stores, Phillip Morris quietly moving out of the cigarette business, what else is going on in the big business world that you and I are not aware of?
 How many companies have fifty or one hundred year business plans that melt, solidify, but always change as the decades roll on. Will we a century from now be buying our goods from one of a few hundred mega companies who will be selling everything from wheat and rice to electronics, and energy? Is there a new world order lurking out there on the horizon waiting to launch a new government and a new economy?
I doubt a new world order as world government is a possibility as far as my vision carries me. I think there may come a time when almost everyone in the world will be working for a behemoth of a company that produces and sells everything from mops and brooms to state of the art luxury items. I see a time in the future when business will be the world government. What I find ironic is everything is in place and people are being trained to not only accept the idea, but welcome it.
You are reading this right now because you own a computer and purchased a connection to the internet. Some company, a very large company provides you and me, and a large part of the country where you live with this same access. They try to make it as convenient as possible to never have to leave their home page.
Watch the local news each night at dinner time and monitor news on more than one station. You will notice the news is almost identical. Mega portals such as Yahoo, MSN, network news, and your local news feed off each other. News papers and news magazines follow suit. Giant network news is vanilla flavored pudding. Watch all ‘world news’ programs and see how similar they are. They all may be a story or two apart in what they report, with their biggest difference in the order and the potential story slant.
But that only scratches the surface. What really is important is what online role playing games have in common. To be the successful in an online game you have to join a guild, or something like it under a different name. A guild is a loose group of people who have skills that are needed by the group as a whole. The more diverse and needed are the skills, the more powerful the guild becomes. The more powerful the guild becomes the more it can collectively accomplish.
Something interesting about our brains to think about. Our brains do a poor job of separating reality and fantasy. Whether we dream it, daydream it, play it, or live it, it makes no difference to our brains. Belonging to a guild in a fantasy game is no different than being an employee at a mega company.
Being an employee at a mega company, is not much different than joining a new type of political party. Joining a new political party is not really that odd. Millions and millions of gamers out there, slowly having their idea of what is acceptable and what is not modified each hour they play gaining levels or status in their alternate life inside their online game. Then they go into the real world, or do they?
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Some more recent peoples coming to the United States feel as if they are shut out of main stream culture for other reasons. They may feel others think they are not ‘American’ enough by the standards of those around them. Some over compensate by going overboard on American culture. Others live deep within their old culture, or whatever adaptations of it exist around them in the United States. Others do their best to become part of American Mainstream as best they can.
