Last Blog

So, this is my last blog post for my Honors 240. I came into the class excited to take my first American history class. Growing up in Canada and Switzerland I'd never learned about the founding, about the constitution, the civil war. I knew only what I had learned from my personal media consumption. Sometimes I wonder if the class would have been easier if I had started at the same level as everyone else, with the same upbringing. I suppose I had less biases this way, or at least a completely different set of them. I see the world differently than most. I've traveled across the world, visiting countries on every continent except South America and Antarctica. I've ridden camels in Tanzania and elephants in Thailand. I've surfed the French waves and I've swam under Cayman waters. I've played games with some of the poorest of the poor and gone to school with royal blood. I've seen the sunset in both the East and the West and I've felt the wind blow in all directions. While I have Canadian/American parents, my views have been shaped by the international community. I often question what it means to be American. Does it mean watching MTV while gobbling down a burger? Does it mean buying whatever you want, whenever you want it? Is it something you can see? Some tangible thing you can grasp onto? Or is it an embrace of American ideals? Is it a thirst for freedom? Liberty? Justice for all? I fear that far too often we get caught up with the material definition of America. Sometimes I'm sad to admit that I am indeed, American. The word is often treated as a swearword outside of the US. Taking this class reminded me of the less tangible aspects of my heritage, the side that I can hold my head up high in support, claiming that yes, I am American.

Now if only we could remember upon what we have placed the foundation of our country. If we could be unified and act as one--one group of individuals, working together to fill each gap left behind.

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I posted on Jessie Riddle's blog :)
http://jessielaughsalot.blogspot.com/

The Great Awakening

Being an active member of the LDS church, religion is a topic which commonly runs across my thoughts. I think about Christianity has changed throughout the ages and how it is changing still. Reading about how things once were--how devoted people were to their faith, a devotion that ran so deep many were willing to die rather than deny their beliefs.

Even within my own LDS heritage--those who went before me suffered off sorts of persecutions simply because they knew the Book of Mormon was the word of God and were not afraid to declare it. I often wonder how many of the Lord's children would do the same. How many of those who have the truth would withstand torchure, beatings, mocking--all manner of persecution to defend the truth. How many of us would shrink and deny what we know to be true simply to protect ourselves? Would our youth stand for what's right? So often I seem them struggling to stand for the truth even among those who should, in theory, have the same beliefs as they do. What happened to our examples? What happened to those stalward, believing people?

The Role of the Government

With all this talk of stimulating the economy and how best to do it, I've been wondering what the role of the government really is in our society. I've always been taught that while the government should be there to help and support it's citizens, creating laws and regulating them, that in the matters of the economy we as Americans support a free market style. Anything with high governmental control begins to stink of socialism. The government has control in our schools, our health care, how a significant portion of our money is spent and now, they've begun to move in on our banks, our companies, all in the name of economic stimulation.

Is this a bad thing? Quite frankly, I don't know. I am not going to claim to have wisdom in the subject of the economy. Logically, it makes sense that it is better the government put its own stakes in companies rather than have them go under, claiming bankruptcy.

I begin to wonder what the Founding Fathers would say about President Obama's economic policies. Would they congratulate him on his initiative or would the give him a word of warning. How I wish that we could talk to them, learn from their wisdom. How much closer were they to God than our leaders of today? Were their policies more guided by the hand of the Lord? Are President Obama's?

No one can deny that Obama means well. It is obvious that he cares highly for the country and will do all that is in his power as leader of the free world, to turn around the current dismal condition. I also support what he's trying to accomplish. I agree that our education needs improvement, that we need a more green and conservative energy system--theses are all good things that I fully support. I, however, still have an uneasy feeling about it all. 3 trillion dollars is a lot of money. What happens if things don't turn out as planned? I hope Obama's policies work as well as he thinks they will but I will not deny a fear of the reprocussions of their failure.

What really is the role of the government? Is it the place of the government to step in and take over if need be? Like a parent trying to right the bad choices in their child's life, or should it be left open, to the private sector to deal with. The private sector doesn't have the same kind of budget or power individually as the government does. While the climb may be shortened, so will the fall.

Slavery

I've never been a slave. I've never had to fight for my freedom. I've never been beaten into submission. The harshest treatment I've ever faced was the bullyings of my brothers while I was growing up. I've never know what it was like to be truly hungry. I've never been particularly afraid of or intimidated by anyone. The greatest consequence I've had to face for disobedience was a scolding, a spanking and an expulsion to my room. I've lived a pretty cushy life.

I've never been a master either. I've never robbed someone of their freedom and I have never beaten someone into submission. I've done my share of teasing, even a bit of bullying but never anything very severe. I never withheld food from another. I've never been particularly frightening or intimidating. The most severe punishment I've ever inflicted on another was a spanking or time out.

I was never directly involved in the slave trade.

I am the descendant of Scottish coal miners on both sides of my family. My ancestors were never directly involved in the slave trade--in fact they lived more like slaves themselves, exploited, working in unbearable conditions until one day they died from it. At least that was until they emigrated to the land of the free. How ironic that name sometimes seems to me.

Although nor I or my ancestor were involved in the slave trade, I experience it's effects everyday. The United States of America would be a different country today if our forebearers had treated every man as equal, just as they are in the eyes of God. I wonder how different our nation would be. Would it be more or less economically developed? Would there be great equality among the races? Would we still have stark differences between social classes?

Sometimes I wonder what my opinion of slavery would be if I had lived at the time. It's easy to look backwards and make judgements--hindsight bias makes it easy to orientate one's moral compus to due north. Would I find it as repulsive as I do today or would I see it as just a part of life? I'd like to say that I would have risen above common belief and done what I could to improve the situations of those so harshly abused for the profit of the white man. But would I really? Living now and here, having so many incredible blessings and opportunities, I have decided I want to dedicate my life to improving the opportunities of those who would otherwise never have any. Would I of had a similar outlook then?

Sometimes I wonder...

What Would They Say?

Reading the thoughts and ideas of those who have gone before us often prompts me to wonder what our forefathers would think of the world in which we live today. What would John Adams and James Madison, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin think of the America they left so many years ago. Would they be proud of us? Saying we have stayed true to what they envisioned or would they be gravely disappointed, thinking we were lacking in either sufficient intellect or judgment. Or perhaps they would have mixed feelings. Maybe there are some parts of the sculpture they began that they would be thrilled to see are still there, while other parts might leave them heartbroken with frustration. Have we let our Founding Fathers down?

Then my mind turns to the fifteen prophets that walked the earth as representatives of our Heavenly Father for so many years in the past. Although the man himself may change, America has had a prophet for a great portion of her political life. These fifteen men have watched, sounding warning trumpet calls as the world began to spin out of control. What would they think of America, or even the world today? Would they be shocked at how sinful we've become? And in the scheme of things, by comparison how sinful really is our world? Are we as ripe with iniquity as some of the wicked societies of the scriptures? I can't say I'm sure. Would the hearts of the prophets wrench apart if they saw the ways in which temple ordinances are being desecrated, scheduled to appear on TV? I know mine does. Would the 42 million world-wide annual abortion rate bring tears to their eyes like it does mine? Would they lower their eyes and shake their head, like a worried parent thinking "Can't you see what you're doing to yourself?"

Have we lost sight of the possibilities that once stood before us?

Development: Is it all it's cracked up to be?

In Year 12 (that's my junior year to all you Americans), my geography teacher showed us a picture of rural China. It was green and luscious--a beautiful country side. Later we were looking at pictures of Beijing and other more developed areas of China. The cities were gray with pollution and the only sign of anything green was in the neon lights. I remember thinking--why is it that we view what has come to be called development as the world's ideal? We put industrialization on a pedestal when really, mother nature knows much better than any man what to do with her land. Reading about the development in the United States has brought similar questions to my mind. Are big cities really the better way to go? Sure, there are closer access to things like hospitals, grocery stores, a wider selection of just about anything one could ever want but is it truly a better way of living?

In my Soc 310 class we have been talking about Durkheim and his theories on solidarity. One theory, Mechanical Solidarity, based more on a pastoral setting, states that humans are unified in doing the same thing--everyone grows crops, everyone harvests etc. In a large industrious city people are unified by Organic Solidarity--people begin to specialize and then fulfill the needs of others. Instead of everyone growing crops just a few farmers do, instead of everyone making their own bread we have bakers, instead of everyone learning to make furniture we have carpenters. While we as a society can probably get more done, does this really bring us closer together? Does it truly unite us? I think not.

As American began to industrialize it became increasingly individualistic. Everything was about me and only me. As time wears on this is only getting worse. Is development really the goal we should strive for? Maybe not