We as a nation are in a transition where the old ideas are clashing with new ideas. Darkness and lower order values are restricting the acceptance of higher order values. The vision has been a universal democracy for a longtime where people are treated civilly and the laws appeal fairly across society. Universal democracy encourages a highly competitive nation that provides opportunities through dispersed capitalism and appropriate democratic governance.
At least in theory.....
Then we sort of see what is happening across America with slightly different rules for different people.
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Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States, by Howard Chandler Christy, 1940 |
The laws are important but they are often applied in one direction in a way that creates existential risks for a large portion of society.
We could fix this problem of course but without the will there is no way. We must first believe that its important to treat people fairly based on some sense of rule and honor driven system. If we do not agree with some basic ground rules then we don't have meaningful paths for national reconciliation (parties and people).
In the U.S. there is pressure to update our institutions and ensure we are maintaining the freedoms that we have earned through generations of blood, sweat and tears (Just FYI, I have a long history of people who served their country and community. Its not your place to judge someone's "Americaness" based on shallow and superficial distortions. Our history in this country and area is substantial.). Likewise there is also "water cooler" social pressure to circumvent the rules in some social circles to maintain inappropriate relationships with the public. Unchallenged, such behaviors lead to problems on a national and on a local scale.
We of course could just say its not true but it would be hard to ignore the shared phenomenon across a wide swath of society (We have tried to ignore and pretend its not true but issues are mounting. Its a growing problem and it has entered the conscious of most Americans. This is where we can get back to who/whom are the stakeholders of such institutions*). It means that while we were going through stages of national growth we made some mistakes and carry the legacy (Not unfairly so.) In many ways, we continue to make those mistakes consistently (Its more about fixing issues then focusing on the past. I leave the past to others in this respect as to what is appropriate. I'm focused on fixing the problem going forward.).
(*In any system problems are seen as a feedback loop. While there are fads that come and go persistent problems should not be ignored as they are in need of solutions. The only way such problems persist is if leaders don't have the perspective, the competence, or the ability to change and find solutions.)
Our national competitive rests on maximizing our human capital. There is no lip service in that and there are no "do overs" if we as a nation slip behind our adversaries (That's probably why people like Congressman Santos shouldn't be a forerunner for Presidential nominee or the Committee on Small Business and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology just because he turned Google from his garage into a major company right after he invented The Internet. General trust is leadership is low and we seem to not be veering in path. ). Such mistakes cost us and cost us in a big big way in the long run.
Politics needs to become a little more pure and truth/solution oriented to make it through the difficulties of the future. As our world advances with new virtual technology and global intercommunication there are going to be changes and adjustments based on information flow and environmental pressures. We have seen global influences and trends before not only oversees but also the U.S. (Arab Spring type movements of U.S. Extremists that led to the sacking of the capital with a risk at the end of it all we cold find an attempted coup. That comes from low levels of trust, unwillingness to respect the rights of others, and easily exploitable grievances much of which is based around racial and religious perspectives of America.)
As a nation we can hold to our principles and values and make it through those transitions because in one way or another we all believe in life, liberty and pursuit of happiness as the legs of the liberty stool. We agree because they are shared principles. There are some who have no issues kicking out one of those legs by circumventing our democratic values (i.e. extremists who attacked our capital and their sympathizers and supports that we often have to deal with on a local level who create toxic environments and circumvent the law as 'We the People' voted on it and its intent. In other words, its a crime to circumvent the law intentionally and with malicious intent. Mistakes can be trained and forgiven but intentional criminal behavior is challenged directly.)
When we do overcome the disparity between word and deed, as well as truth and enlightenment, we will begin to see higher levels of national performance as the system prompts its citizenship that America is leading in the opportunity generation business (See innovation theory on transactional clusters as one idea. It might be a good or dumb idea. Again ideas that would not come forward if I bought into the hate narrative and/or allowed extremism to intimidate me or my family. There are differences between right and wrong, accountability and a "blind eye". )
Here is a generic example of vision, sell and enact might apply here.
Vision: A universal democracy that hedges the best and brightest no matter what their background.
Sell it: All Americans are treated fairly and treated as though they are valued members of society.
Enact: A continuous process of self reflection purposeful change that removes roadblocks and promotes value based leadership.
I'm not sure what everyone else hopes for but I'm sure there is some variance in the population and of course some differences between what is said and what is done. By in large I think most would sort of agree with the broad example above. Those who don't, well......time will tell if America will veer into that dark path or continue forward to a universal democracy (As a simile a type of of Axis Mundi if you are open to Buddhist Culture. I wrote a poem about it in my 'cheesy' days. Its a little silly but enjoy. Truth isn't a place its a state of being. HERE. In hindsight I actually think the poem is pretty good. I should get back into it as a way of solidifying teaching just like in many was we are here.)
(** This article is designed to help you think, learn, relate and most of all come to greater awareness of your personal responsibilities to our democracy, to your community, and to yourself. Most people recognize we struggle with extremism in some of our hometowns and that can spill over into some police departments. Before you run down that mental line of thinking of "What a bastard! I'll show him!" I say this because I have a conscious and am willing to try and support those values even when its not convenient.
My feelings toward police are relatively positive but somewhat skeptical based on the actions of a minority {In the rational world we call this the ability differentiate between right and wrong as well as between a good officer and a bad officer}. Likewise, I have a history of helping police and I don't need to justify that at this time and place. I don't act on racial and religious preferences but because we need a society free from as much crime as possible. That means understanding the bigger picture of policing.
With that being said, I should not be silent when I also see inappropriate behaviors that damage the institution of policing and look like patterned mistreatment of people in the community. Neither should other officers stay silent within those departments to simply follow a code of silence {I'm talking about two departments of which 3 departments appear to have wisely veered from their path when they found out they were being duped by some "local" clan members and their supporters}.
This is how I see it for right or wrong and better or worse. Generally, I'm treated pretty well by most officers and some of that is because I'm white, clean, knowledgeable and have a descent nature. Things sort of change for some when they find out you have a Muslim sounding name and Black kids{Some of the local clan members call them "nigga babies" and put them at risk because they wanted to support their friends.}. For the most part its not an "in your face" change but its a change. For those good officers in which I positively relate its because we recognize our shared sense of purpose and race and religion are not big factors in that {See difference between highly charged extremists and their negative impact on the environment and good people and their positive influence on the environment}.
At that such moment 6 out of 10 are still very nice, 4 out of 10 change automatically. Their faces change, their attitude changes, and you can tell they not only start to discount you but also begin to associate very negative things with you. {i.e. terrorism, crime, theft, dishonesty, "problem", etc.} To those 4 it makes almost no difference if you served your country in multiple capacities, your contributions or your merit as an individual . BTW it also doesn't matter that your kids are good and in school and doing the right things because they are thrown in the undesirable and criminal "other" category {i.e. pulled over 2X in an unmarked car and multiple other documented incidents. Ostracized and targeted by some adults.}.
Out of those 4 there will be 2 that don't want issues but they will avoid you because they don't want to be disliked by their social groups. The remaining 2 are generally an issue with one being the primary toxic catalyst. There is usually an aggressive and distorted personality that encourages others to have an issue with "the problem". Most of the time people know who they are but often they keep pushing {i.e. multiple department heads talking "water cooler" style about the dangers of having people like that involved in the community. No one asked them to get anyone involved in their distorted beliefs and what appears to be criminal intent of targeting and cleansing. Maybe not. It should be looked into by objective eyes to be sure.}.
The 1 extremist in the group seeks to influence others and create pressure to cause harm on the minorities and others within the community. They will circumvent the law, be dishonest, support bad behaviors, turn a blind eye, etc. Because of the current fear of being labeled a "whistle blower" and being ostracized by their own departments nearly every officers turns away from seeing obvious behaviors {Where we see this we also recognize this culture of silence was in hindsight}. They do so with knowledge the behaviors are inappropriate and damage community trust. (FYI because I care I encourage them to say something before being tapped on the shoulder. Silence on crime isn't something in the employee handbook and it makes one a hypocrite when they tell little kids and the community to report the crime they see. Aha! We get back to a definition of "community"}.
We then must rely on the larger system to do the right thing. This is the discussion that I'm involved in on a more national and perhaps in some ways a global level. I want a free universal democracy where we work together on crime, we together build our human capital, and we as a nation focus on being global leaders in the economic and civic/moral arenas that only the achievement of a universal democracy can provide. Not everyone agrees with that sentiment {Some will park their cars in front of your house and others will try and block civic engagement by encouraging cleansing type behaviors.}.
There is one thing we can bank on as a society and that has little to do with what I'm saying here. We will change and we will adjust either upwards or downwards. There will be voices that will encourage us to be something greater and there are voices that encourage us to be something smaller. Each time we give a free pass to anti-American and ant-Democratic behaviors we hasten that change; no matter which way we adapt.
It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. Voltaire
Take a broad based historically supported perspective on societies as it relates to sociological change and how we are consistently moving toward greater freedoms during every major societal upheaval and transition. You just need to go study the history of democracies in Western Civilization. If our wise and all knowing leaders opened a few books about other cultures they may find complementary changes in the non-Western world. There are trend lines that sort of let us know what to expect in the near future.
Now research technology and change. Think about what our world will look like in 50 years which technology has developed significantly and how science will answer many questions {i.e. solving cancer or tech to reach habitable planets}. Further look at how genetics are increasingly being mixed up and that is leading to the adaptation and resilience of our species in an shifting ecological environment {no reason to hate mixed race kids if we actually want to encourage variation and adaptability on a very neural level. In other words, the bigots and racists should understand that the next generation has genetic superiority and that comes from people push the genetic line. In other words, some mixed race children may have found their cognitive niche with what looks like two diagnosed geniuses and one undiagnosed one. Too bad we allow less intelligent people to "get rid of the problem"***}.
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| I included some of the DNA stuff because it helps learn that race and racial superiority are highly subjective and often inappropriately used. Source: Genetic Study |
While I understand how the ability to hate others temporarily pushes away the deeper feelings of powerlessness, the best place to deal with that is in a counseling session and not directed toward those you 'love to hate'. 💁 {There is more to patriotism then skin color, religion, or surface symbolism. America is an idea and I'm more afraid of saying too little than the consequences of saying too much. It was an idealist's oath.} At the end of the day, we are either becoming all this or all that.
Let's not relive the past so let me highlight some of the words for those who forgot....."brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." The Gettysburg Address 1863 Lincoln. When you stand in front of that flag with hands on heart....do you know what your saying and why you are saying? Think about it deeply for a second before screaming in self-righteous anger "That dirty dirty Muslim opened his mouth about freedom!" or "What does that crazy _____fill in blank________ think he is saying and why should he talk about 'my country'" I earned my spot to live here, enjoy its freedoms, and challenge those who are polluting its values. My kids and their kid's future rely on people just like me putting their hand up and say, "no".
Let us respect the past and live for the future. (What I will do is contribute to ensuring our democracy doesn't perish by holding close to my oaths and encouraging others to stand for theirs. Beyond that, I will be positive, polite, and engaging but I will not sugar coat bad behavior no matter what powers of darkness shall overshadow the nudging of my words or the tempest that whirls just beyond the earshot of rumors and whispers. {<<<<That's a little practice on poetry. I thought it was good. 🤷) If it doesn't apply to you don't worry about.....they are just words and an opportunity to think for yourself (At least until someone says you are not allowed to talk so openly with an opinion 'radically' different then their own. Freedom religion has already been a problem and perhaps Freedom of Speech may also become a problem; even when its helpful. It does sort of upset established good old boy networks and risks exposing some of the bad behaviors that some might consider corrupt in orientation.)
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