a difference that matters

  When our differences no longer matter we will have succeeded. I wrote yesterday about differences and from comments I received I felt like I hadn't really explained what I was thinking. And so after spending the day celebrating my grandsons birthday, and letting my thoughts percolate some more I'm going to try once again. I was saying how we should concentrate less on celebrating our differences and concentrate more on finding our commonalities. The more we separate ourselves by those differences the less united we are going to become. It seems a rather obvious statement to make but one I feel necessary. Consider your family, those closest to you. Each person is different but we barely notice that and when we do we laugh about it. We don't hold a celebration, just a simple acknowledgement. The differences really don't matter. 

 The danger inherent in that is apathy. Apathy is when you just don't care. The opposite of that is, of course empathy. The first allows us to do nothing at all and the later inspires us to action. The issue being allowing emotion to rule your life. It is possible to empathize with others while not accepting their feeling as valid. Yes, I know it feels valid to them, I get that, which I why I also stated that belief is far stronger than fact. That doesn't mean I have to accept your belief. I can empathize, experience and understand your feeling, but remain detached from that as well. That's what mentors do. We have professionals we call psychologists that do that for a living. Yes, they go to college for that and with that training get to pass judgement on your mental health. Strange isn't it? They are often admired and indeed consulted and when they say you have a mental disorder that is taken as fact. They aren't called names or accused of lacking empathy. That's true even when there is another equally qualified expert saying just the opposite. The list of recognized disorders is periodically revised. Yes, what was crazy yesterday is perfectly fine today. It's a part of the morality of convenience that I have noticed emerging over the last decade or so. The book doesn't specifically say it is wrong so therefore it is right. But I've written about that in the past and I will revisit it in the future I'm sure. It is different from the way I was raised and I don't accept that. It's a difference that matters to me. 

 Difference and division. I believe we have progressed beyond appearances. Oh it is often used as an a reason, an explanation or excuse but I think that isn't as prevalent as it was in the past. What we are experiencing now is cultural differences, Much harder to see and to define because culture is rooted in belief. America is struggling with cultural differences. Culture is defined as the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people or social group .It is the cultural differences that divide. When we first formed this nation there was a commonality of culture. We welcomed people from all lands and became for a number of years known as the great melting pot. That was simply because those coming here adopted the culture of America, Yes, they became Americans with a past that included another cultural experience. They did not impose that culture upon the existing culture however. I'm not sure when that ended exactly and I'm certain it does continue on some level anyway but it isn't the norm anymore. That's why all the hyphenations. African-American, Mexican-American, etc. etc. The other culture being placed first. But it extends even beyond that to ideological culture. As Americans we are losing our cultural identities! It is now Americans that are being melted in the pot! Something different will emerge. There's no guarantee it will be better. For me, it marks a beginning of the end. The Republic itself is in jeopardy. It was Americans that formed the Republic. That was the culture. Today all we hear is it's a Democracy. Democracies decline into despotisms ( Aristotle) He went to say, " The real difference between democracy and oligarchy is poverty and wealth. Wherever men rule by the reason of their wealth, whether they be few or many, that is an oligarchy, and where the poor rule, that is democracy. Who controls the government today? The wealthy is the answer. Whether through their lobbying efforts, control of the media, or by direct payments they are in firm control. The differences they create ensure they retain that power. Do not allow the "poor" to unite. No, division is all important to their cause of total control.