Benefit and duty

 The creation of the desire to assimilate is the largest task of mankind. As long as there are differences, there will be conflict. Many are trying to co-exist where the action should be acceptance. The minority must assimilate to the majority. although that is the primary point of contention. To assimilate is to submit. To allow yourself to be absorbed by a foreign culture is to abandon the past. An action contrary to the " celebration " of heritage. The assimilation to a culture is the only way a society can be formed, or maintained.
 We are having growing pains in America as a result of this. It is further complicated by a shift in majority. The race that is the majority is being replaced. It is a cultural upheaval. It is predicted by some that by the year 2046 that race will no longer be in the majority. Troubling if you belong to the race, hopeful if you do not. Along with that is a redefining of the culture. This process has been likened to the melting pot, a fusion of races and culture. Like a melting pot the quantity of specific ingredients will naturally define the alloy. A new product is created. The new product must be tested to prove its' worth.
 To those of us born to the culture, those that have benefitted from that, are the most resistant to change. That is a natural thing. It is not a race thing, but a cultural thing. We speak of diversity but demand other cultures to assimilate to ours. That is only because we have found the formula we are using to be tried and true. The status quo must be maintained. In America, the trend has always been one of assimilation. The " foreigners " joining our society adopting our ways and customs. Now we are seeing a rebellion against that practice. Not only are those immigrants to our nation protesting that action, there are factions within the nation attempting to define their own separate culture. Perhaps that culture has always existed. For those that identify themselves as African American it has only been five generations since their enslavement ended in this society. The desire to assimilate to that society did not exist then and is resented to this day. Understandable ? Certainly. The real question is should a culture base itself upon that resentment ? The we against them mentality is being taught, promulgated and reinforced. Indeed an entire culture based upon " reparations " is being created. It is this ingredient added to the pot that is weakening the structure. How many generations are responsible for the actions of past ? That is the question of the majority.
 We are what we chose to become. It is not an abandonment of the past but a moving forward. You cannot live a productive life in continual conflict. You must find peace within yourself and with your fellow man. The formula for that is what is under contention today. What ingredients should be added or eliminated from the cultural melting pot. It is a struggle that began thousands of years ago. It shall ever be so, just as Abraham Lincoln pointed out, A nation divided against itself cannot stand. It was cultural differences that precipitated a civil war. And what is civics ? The rights and duties of citizenship in order to maintain that civilization. It is the duty of the citizen to assimilate to the civilization. This applies to those born into the society as well as those wishing to join.  To do otherwise is to create division. One should not expect to enjoy the benefits of citizenship without complying with the demands that citizenship incurs.