> To paraphrase Woody Allen who said most of life consists of just showing
up,
> maybe the most profound social change will take place when people don't
show
> up.
>
> arthur
That is the reason for immigration. When the second and third generations
would refuse to work for garbage or tolerate a polluted or unsafe
environment or demand an aesthetic that was truly encouraging of individual
freedom, expression and personal excellence then we bring people in who
don't care particularly for those things when compared to their love of
family and desire to send dollars home.
Then we write books about modern American "culture" which basically means
everyone means different things when they use the English language which in
return makes us paranoid about learning or using other languages since
English means so many different things to the "citizens." (Who needs
another language when English can mean everything in the hands of so many
different ancient groups?) Religion becomes just another Messiah to be
contemplated as the only reality and sold like a new car to replace an old
"pagan" or just anachronistic jalopy. And then we have books like "Culture
Matters" which basically means that culture is in the way and therefore it
is better to mix them constantly to make sure that they don't stop and
involve such things as altruism or sharing or a balanced environment, or a
common outlook or too much demand for individual excellence.
"Americans" look at us very confused when we tell them they can't "become"
Cherokee if they want since such things come so easily to them. Immigrant
Americans are especially confused since we have the same ancient connection
to our ways as they do to theirs. They get upset when we say that they
must assume a past debt with their "American" citizenship like reparations
or stolen property. That was "someone" else's debt even if it is moral.
Of course a recent "immoral" debt like the 500 billion dollars or $10,000
for every U.S. citizen paid to the banks in the Savings & Loan "Bait and
Switch" is fine even though it resembled a 19th century Indian Treaty.
They equate our processes of equality, balance and sharing with "being"
Cherokee and therefore they can't "do" them unless they "are" Cherokee by
conversion or immigration.
But Cherokees are taught that ideas and processes are universal and belong
to those who practice them. They could begin (but won't) with the
awareness that knowledge means competence and that competence is the only
real power. Then they could proceed from that to the awareness that you
"earn in order to make learning and realization of potential possible" not
you "learn and realize potential in order to earn." That is a big one and
I don't think we will have many non-Cherokee "brothers" on that one anytime
soon. "Scale" is so built into non-Cherokee thought that we lost our land
because we didn't practice it in 1880 when we were accused of being
"Georgists." A word so uncomfortably close to the "Georgia" (and
Tennessee) volunteers who murdered our ancestors on the Trail of Tears as to
be absolutely Freudian.
Today is the day when we remember our War dead. It is also a time when I
must work to remind myself of the paradox of why it was worth it to save
those abroad while practicing the ways of our enemies at home against our
own "others."
Ray Evans Harrell
