Archive for July, 2012

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It’s a White World, After All

07/06/2012

There’s no denying that tacit racism is everywhere because it’s human nature to spot differences in the environment. I think it is a survival instinct. Anyone who wants to argue with me about this never went to high school. That wonderful fish bowl/rat maze designed by educational geniuses who think they can simultaneously teach and socially acclimate adolescents. That’s right, the place where every difference (clothing, lunch selection, musical taste) is scrutinized by your peers and the best strategy for survival is to blend in with the walls.

The majority of kids mature and become adults who understand that differences are not a reason to discriminate but the lines were already drawn and the distinctions burnished in their minds. We are all trained to identify people different from us and this is where tacit racism comes from. Differences in skin color, hair type, accents, and vocal inflections are much easier to spot than fashion trends so the habit of preferring what you know is easy to fall in to. This is in no way saying that people can’t or don’t see these differences and then embrace them. That happens more often than not. My point is that, because tacit racism is all around us, it only takes a little push to send someone in the wrong direction.

These little pushes are happening as you read this. In the news this week, some people in Alabama are holding a “whites-only” pastors conference that culminates with a cross burning. To quote from the article:

“Yes, we believe that the Europeans and their descendants are the chosen people of God. We believe this, not because we think that the white race is superior, but because there is overwhelming proof in support of this belief. We do not back down from this belief, because we are certain.”

Proof in support? Aren’t these the same morons who think that Creationism is science? What in the world do they know about proof or the scientific method? Evidently, the Mayor and residents of the town are upset but to what extent? Recently, a Swiss official was forced to resign because he suggested that Muslims should be subjected to a Kristallnacht in Switzerland. Shouldn’t the governing body of whatever denomination these pastors belong to excommunicate them? They may be certain that their beliefs are correct but I’m also certain that examples like this are only the tip of the iceberg and that we have an entire below-water disaster waiting to sink our culture.

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I Want More Life

07/05/2012

When health concerns strike friends in your age group, it always makes you think about your own mortality. For a lot of people, this is the impetus for the creation of bucket lists. If you’re like me, its time to sit down and do some serious contemplation about the meaning of my life and what Iʻm doing to ensure continuation. Just as importantly, I will obsessively reflect on what I have accomplished, what I havenʻt done, and what I have yet to accomplish. Although I love making lists, my goals are fluid and not goal-oriented so I refuse to robotically scratch them off a list.

 

I often wonder how people choose what goes on their lists. I hear about things like sky diving, rafting in the Grand Canyon, and hiking the Appalachian Trail and, while I can appreciate wanting to do these things, I just donʻt understand the significance. I seriously doubt anyone makes a list with only 3 things on it so, with a list of 20 items or more, how do they prioritize? Is the satisfaction merely in the scratching off so it makes no difference what order theyʻre done in?

 

I guess that the achievement is the thing that counts for me. The personal satisfaction in a job well done or in helping others. And even then, I can never scratch off something like gaining the trust of someone I respect because that trust is ongoing. Does this mean that I’ve set myself up for failure? Have  I become a modern Sisyphus doomed to roll my boulder uphill just to see it slip and roll back to the bottom? Camus tells us that trying to make sense of the senseless is a waste of time. For me, it comes down to doing something for the sake of doing it well and deriving satisfaction from the effort.

 

If the people with bucket lists were doing their “tasks” for the pure joy of the accomplishment, I can see their point. However, if they do it merely to be able to cross something off their list before they die, that sounds like a waste of valuable time on this Earth to me. My goals are more interconnected and completing one task usually is a part of another. Life is one big circus and I just want to keep the show going as long as I can. To quote Roy Batty, “I want more life“.

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