Hi Ray, Once again, I've taken the liberty of modifying "Downturn . . . " Without wishing to be offensive because you're too nice a chap for all that, but I don't at all understand what you're saying below. Sorry! Keith H At 11:55 28/05/01 -0400, you wrote: >> 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 > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ Keith Hudson, General Editor, Calus <http://www.calus.org> 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England Tel: +44 1225 312622; Fax: +44 1225 447727; mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ________________________________________________________________________
