Reality!

So, the reality of what I have taken on is a real job. I have completed, successfully I might add my first two classes. This has overwhelmed my life in such a way that I have not been able to update my blog. I have turned away friends request left and right. I have even considered that I may seriously have learning disabilities. The fact is that I probably do, I'm just learning to work within them.

Although it may appear as though I am complaining, the truth is that I have enjoyed every moment of this new personal growth. Earlier in my post I have written about my fears and concerns of the expense of this program. This is still the case only I see and feel the reward of my successfully completing the Global Leadership program. I love it!!!

My first two classes have been World Religions and Religious Perspectives. Our professor was Dr. Wayne Perkins. I have no words to express how grateful and blessed I feel for having him as our instructor. Dr. Perkins brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom that I suspect goes unmatched in over 90% of the universities in the United States today. He has taught at UE for 43 years, never missing a day. I will try to locate his CV and post it at some point.

We focused very intensly on the major religions of the world begining with Judaism, the begining of Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church as well as the reformation and Protestantism. We learned about many of the Christian Cults and their effects on society.

In the Religious Perspectives program we were introduced to the religions of India. Our focus was in the major beliefs and practices of Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. We were then lead through the history of and major beliefs of Buddhism.

The next section of this class focused on Chinese Perspectives, Taoism,and Confucianism. We finished up with a study of Islam. We reserched and earned a great understanding of their major beliefs as well as the two major sects of

Wow!! I haven't written anything in four years, this needs to change!

Here is a story that needs to be told, I have had it on my heart and in my mind to tell publicly for some time, I just didn't have the right words or know of the proper venue, so I'm just going to spit it out right here. A few years ago, while I was still in property management, I used to work out nearly every day in out fitness center. One of our residents, Dr. Shadood, would be in the fitness center the same time as me. After a few months of casual hi's and hello's, we began to talk a little bit more. I was working on my master's degree and usually reading or listening to podcast as part of my study. Dr. Shadood and I began to talk a little more over time, he learned about my life and I learned more about his. He is Syrian, and left the harsh regime with his wife and other family members. He also was an author for an underground news organization in Syria, he wrote satire opposing the government as well as helped to empower the oppressed citizenry of Syria. He knew things were getting progressively worse and worked hard to get his family out of the country. Here is the thing about Dr. Shadood, he is a wonderful and caring soul, he always showed passion in his work, especially towards children and the less fortunate. I once asked him if he would consider being a guest speaker for a cultural class at the University of Evansville, he told me that sometimes people have difficulty understanding him and thought that it would not be productive. A few days later, he seemed he seemed especially morose, knowing that his newborn son has recently been ill, I asked him if everything was okay. He first responded that he was just tired, we exchanged a few words and went on with our workouts. Afterwards, I thought he seemed to have tears running down his face alone with the sweat from his workout, so I asked again if everything was okay. He told me a painful story that I hope never leaves my mind, he had a horrible incident in the ER and it was affecting him so strongly, he couldn't shake it off. He told me of a father (no names, of course) that had brought his young daughter into the ER with a very severe case of head and body lice, he had treated the young lady weeks before and was surprised to see that her condition had worsened. She asked the father if he had followed the medical advice that he had given previously only to discover that the father had not followed any of the instructions to heal his daughter. He told the father that this condition would never go away without proper treatment. Then obvious tears began to pour from his eyes, he continued to recount the story by telling me that the father began very combative, he began yelling into the hallway of the ER for them to get rid of this "sand n---er, towel head terrorist...". He told me that the hospital handled the situation properly, he removed himself from the case, but not without being shocked and personally damaged. We talked a bit more, and I told him that we have a nationalistic problem in our country that keeps us from seeing the best in others. We continued to see each other in the fitness center without speaking of the incident again. A few months later, I was checking something in the fitness center in the middle of my work day, Dr. Shadood was working out, we said our hello's, but as I was leaving the room he asked me if I had a moment. Of course I said "sure", then he told me something else that I will definitely never forget EVER. He told me that he was very proud of me, to work under stress, as I pursued a higher degree...without even knowing if it would ever benefit me finically, etc. I thanked him as I greatly appreciated the compliment. But that wasn't all, he told me that I had motivated him to further his education as well, I was shocked to even hear that from him. He went on to tell me that his dream was to become specialized as a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, even though he carried a heavy load as a husband, father, somewhat heartbroken doctor, he still wanted to become a better provider of medical care for others. He cared for others regardless of race, creed, religion, etc., my words not his. He eventually was accepted into a program in Memphis that would require for him to be a full-time student, an ER physician, along with being an exemplary husband and father. I congratulated him, and eventually we said our goodbyes. About a year passed without ever hearing a word from him, then on a most stressful afternoon, I had actually been sitting in my office crying, wondering why and how I had ended up in the miserable position that I had. I loved my job, cared greatly about my residents, but could not under any circumstances please the person that I answered to. I was humiliated to the point of nearly feeling worthless. Dr. Shadood walked right into my office, he bypassed my leasing agent and assistant without any concerns in the world. I gave him a hug, excused myself to step away and ensure that my face was as presentable as it could be. When I returned, we exchanged pleasantry's, his wife and family were well and good. He was still pursuing his dream of saving the lives of children with heart defects. He was very serious, as though he were on a mission. I asked him if everything was okay, his response was, or rather is a story that needs to be told. Yes, all was well with his family, his school, and his work. However, he had a life changing experience, that he wanted to be sure that I knew about, so sure that he went way out of his way to personally see me and tell me in person. After many hours of school, followed by many more hours of being on call in the ER, he fell asleep driving home and had a horrible accident. His car went off the side of the road, flipped, and left him stranded with no ability to move or even reach his phone to call for help. Fortunately for him, a lady had seen the accident and called for help once she got home. The woman had difficulty remembering where the car went off the road, which further delayed his rescue. Once the medics/rescuers arrived, they cut open his car and reached in to pull him out, he told them that his ____ was broken and that they should not pull him out the way that were were trying to. Not knowing that he was a doctor, they didn't listen to him and pulled him out in a manner that further damaged his body. He didn't really care, because he was thankful to be saved. He was taken to the ER of an affiliate hospital of the hospital and school that he worked for and attended. He was not treated with kindness, there were comments made within his ability to hear that he might be a terrorist etc. He told them that he was a doctor and to check their database, but it didn't happen, at least not for several hours. He laid there on a gurney for several hours. He made a promise to his God that he would feed a thousand people if God would get him through this. Obviously, that had happened, or he would not have been in my office that day. He also told me that he had already fed over 400 people to honor his promise to God. He wasn't in my office to offer me a free meal, I didn't need it, he was focused on feeding those in need. I thanked him again for being an inspirational person that I felt blessed to know. He reminded me of the importance of helping others, and I told him that I would do my best to do the same as long as God allowed me to be on this earth. What is the moral of this story? There is no moral, it's just another story of life, a story of awareness of the kindness of those around you that you can only experience if you strip your vision of prejudices and assumptions about others. This is a story of a blessing from God, a story that can only be seen through eyes of kindness and understand, I have been able to enjoy experiences such as this, because without really thinking about it, my nature is to see the soul of others. You might have figure that Dr, Shadood is a Christian, after all, he did pray to God for his life to be saved, I didn't say whether his God was named Allah or not, because it should not matter. Obviously, God is in reference to an Abrahamic religion, period.

I did it!!!

Somehow all of my efforts have began to pay off, I managed to graduate summa cum laude and I was given the opportunity to participate in a contest to address the entire University of Evansville's graduating class of 2012. I was lucky enough to make it as a finalist and would like to share some of my final thoughts on my blog. The winner of this contest gave a wonderful speech and she was certainly very deserving. As my speech in many ways summarizes my personal experience, I decided to share it with you. Hope anyone that happens to read this is inspired to take any and all steps towards making your dreams come true. Thanks for taking the time.

University of Evansville 2012 Commencement Address May “The Journey” Never End Thank you President Kazee, faculty, proud parents, and to all supporters of our class who in many ways have in part earned the degrees that will soon be presented to us. Congratulations to my graduating counterparts, The University of Evansville’s Class of 2012! It is an honor to have the opportunity to speak at our commencement and to share a few thoughts about the voyage that we are beginning today. If I look a little bit older than many of my fellow classmates, I can assure you that there is very good reason for it, this year I am celebrating the 31st anniversary of my high school graduation. As a wife, mother, and grandmother, I am here today as proof that it is never too late for any of us to make revisions in our lives, and it is never too late to become what you thought that you might have been. Many years ago as a young single parent living just a few blocks away from the University of Evansville, my son and I would take walks around the campus appreciating the beauty of each changing season and always taking delight in the ringing of the campus bells. Never did I ever consider that I would become a graduate of this prestigious university. Thanks to the very strong insistence of my husband Ron and my son Jeff, who earned his undergraduate degree from UE in 2009, I stand here today as a soon to be graduate following in my child’s footsteps. I am proud to say that Jeff continued with his education as well, in fact he just earned his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School of Business. Yes, I am a non-traditional student…and a very grateful non-traditional student at that. Many of us have made the decision to earn our degrees for different reasons, for me it was out of fear, the fear of missing out on career opportunities that I knew I was deserving of. But soon after I began as a student in the Global Leadership program something within me changed, I began to fall in love with the process of learning. I can assure you that I am far from the smartest student in my Cohort, yet the desire within me to learn became so strong that I have been able to achieve successes that were beyond anything that I ever dreamed possible. I have been an honored to work closely with many “traditional” students through various classes and honors programs. I have been inspired by listening to and learning from each of you. In today’s society we are so fortunate to have your brilliant young minds positively influencing the trajectory of our world. Having so many intelligent, compassionate, and highly motivated young people prepared to take on leadership positions in so many different fields is something that our society should take great comfort in, and for this I commend each of you. As we move forward on this momentous day, it is important to remember that each of us is more than a citizen of our community we are all citizens of the world. Through recent major advancements in technology and mass transportation our world has decreased in size. These changes have created greater opportunities for those of us that are willing to fearlessly experience and embrace other cultures. Even more so when we are accepting and appreciative of the diversity of our global society. Please remember that the wisdom that we take away from this experience is more important than any “Tweet” or “Facebook” status that we will ever post, even more important than any amount of money that we will ever carry in our wallets. Financial successes are great, in fact very necessary, but wisdom and compassion will carry us through the difficult times that we are each certain to face in our lives. Wisdom strengthens our faith and allows us to become our authentic selves. If we fail to become authentic it will be very difficult to experience the true joys of happiness. This is a lesson taught to us as children through reading books such as my favorite “The Velveteen Rabbit” which fully explains the importance of becoming real. It seems as though everyone is asking me “So, what are you going to do now? What’s next?” trust me, these questions are not asked exclusively of traditional students. Although most of us can give some sort of decisive response, I can personally relate to the stress involved when trying to provide a truthful answer. I recently discovered an honest answer to give when asked about my future plans without deflecting the question. My new response is simply that I haven’t written that chapter of my life yet, but one thing that I can tell you is that I am working hard to be completely prepared by becoming the happiest, most honest, and best person that I can become; earning my degree is a very important component of my preparation. So, don’t fret if you don’t know exactly where you are going next and what is to come of your life, fretting should be left to those that are failing to become prepared. Spend your time and energy becoming a leader that others can trust and put their faith in. Be courageous, and passionately follow your dreams. I hope that your dreams are bold, because if your dreams do not scare you perhaps you are not dreaming big enough. Most importantly, as success becomes yours, remember to throw a rope back, reach behind and give a hand to another. The greatest successes are best when shared which makes our world a better place for everyone. The degrees that are being presented to us today are powerful things; they are tools for us to use to create better opportunities for ourselves. They should also serve as examples to others of what can be achieved if the desire is strong enough, with dedication and hard work anyone can attain their goals. Education should be our lifelong partner, in the words of Plato, “You are young, my son, (or daughter) and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters”. I think Plato might have been explaining that education is a journey and that we should never let the journey end. That’s great advice we all can benefit from. I promise, it is never too late to revise and it is certainly never too late to become anything that you desire to be. Congratulations and best wishes class of 2012. Here’s to a lifetime of joy and happiness! Thank you.

"I'm Halfway There!"

On this New Years Eve, I cannot help but to think about the blessings that I have in my life. I overlook so many of them and often take them for granted. When I started this journey to earn my bachelors degree at the University of Evansville, my thoughts were focused on building my earning potential and securing better opportunities for my future. I made this decision out of fear, fear of not being able to live my life to it's greatest potential. With this fear consuming me, I walked up the steps to the administration building at UE and began a journey with no real understanding or appreciation of what was to come.

There were so many important factors that got me to those steps, the loss of my father, the health concerns of my husband and his desire for me to have a secure future, the kick in the rear that my son gave me...over and over again, and probably the most important factor was the smiles of two beautiful little ladies that I know will be my legacy, my granddaughters Kylah and Kennedy. So the plan was being laid out, earn my degree and move on. Get that piece of paper and maybe another to add to it and just move on. What was not included in the factors, I am finding to be the most important reason to not only take these first steps, but to make each and every step of my learning experience be successful. I am that reason, the future of me depends on me. My happiness depends upon it.

My only child, the only person that has been a real consistent for me in my entire adult life has made the decision to earn his MBA in Pittsburgh. He has taken his family over 500 miles away from our home. In case you hadn't noticed this yet, I'll say it loud and clear...my greatest joys are so far away that my heart has broken. Why do these things happen? It must all be a part of some evil scheme to take me down. No, I don't really think that at all. I am happy for my son and although I see his family facing many struggles to achieve the goals that they have set, I know that they will be stronger and wiser once they push through.

In case you have not noticed,(I sure didn't for quite some time)this is about me. I will stand up so fast that I will bump my head on nearly anything without a single thought or concern, in defense of another being faced with any type of injustice. Where I have always been weak is that I fail to stand up for myself. Why? I am still not certain of the answer to that question, but I am learning that I am worth standing up for. I have great value, not just to others, but to myself. So here I sit early morning New Years Eve, December 31, 2010. What have I learned thus far? I have learned that I have a great ability and desire to learn. I have fallen in love with learning, in every subject I am finding so much value that I want to delve deeper and gain a better understanding. What has changed? It is not so much about my changing as a person, but so much more of who I am that has been revealed to me. I have been told that I am such a compassionate and loving person so many times in my life. There is one person that I have really been overlooking and failing to share that love with. It is I, it is me, I matter. I had a great plan to learn about the world, what it is made of, why we are here, what are we to do with our lives, and what is to come of us. I also had a great plan to earn more money, if you have been reading my initial post you would understand the reason for this need.

I am learning to be a better person, to be a better listener. Someday I may even achieve the lofty goal of controlling my speech. I tend to talk too much and I know it. I love to talk to people, I love to learn about them, I love to share my thoughts and feelings about life. Where does all of this come from and where will it lead me? This has become the most interesting question that I am trying to answer these days.

I have made wonderful friends as an adult student. There have been difficulties, and personality issues that I have never really faced in my life. Although my heart has been heavily burdened by some of these difficulties, I have treated them as opportunities for me to learn and become a stronger woman. The best part of this aspect of my college life is that I have learned to deal with adversity without treating others poorly. I have in my past been so concerned that I might hurt another that I would accept the pain for myself. Now, I am learning to protect myself and in the kindest way possible free myself from the confounds that others may place on me.

I am learning to accept others, students and professors for what and who they are. I have learned to adjust my learning patterns to make sure that every experience is the best learning experience. I am happier than I have been in a very long time. I feel almost as free as I did in my youth when I would run through the woods behind my grandmothers house and climb the trees without fear. I have allowed my life to take me somewhere that I had become so fearful of myself, of my perceived ineptness, that I held myself back and truly devalued myself. It is true that others can bring you down, it does happen. What matters is that we learn of our own self worth, to hold our heads high, to lean forward, and to start taking the steps that will take us where we need to be. Some people will lift us up and others will try to knock us down.

I have realized that it is me that has the true control over what is to come of me. It is me who decides what kind of parent I will be, it is me who determines what my grandchildren will think of me. I alone can decide to collapse, to give up, or I can stand up for myself, do what is right and have complete confidence that the right things will happen for me. Where will I go from here? I am still not certain, I have developed some really good thoughts and ideas about it. For the most part, I am happy to be where I am today. I am grateful for the opportunity, and confident that it will be worth it after all, because it already is. I am beginning to love and respect the new me a lot. I appreciate from where I have come, my past is helping to guide me into the future that I am still dreaming of.

I pray for peace and love, the happiness of my family, for heartaches to mend for all of us. I pray for the future of my grandchildren to be lead by themselves with confidence and the knowledge that their family will always hold them up high with love and gratitude and most of all with the respect that they do and always will deserve. Onwards and upwards! Jeff and I will both graduate in the spring of 2012. We will surely live in the same city again someday, I so miss him and his wonderful and very strong wife, my daughter gifted to me by him. They are a very special family and I love sharing my life with them. 2012 will probably be my favorite year, and it is getting closer every day.

May 2011 be another year of learning and blessings for each of us, happy new year!

Globalization

Globalization is a term that I hear frequently in many aspects of my everyday life. To better understand globalization, I felt that it would be best to conduct a little personal research into its true meaning. The term globalization has a futuristic ring to it. I have always found that the best way to look forward is to first look backwards. As we have all heard so many times in our lives, history is cyclical. Although we continually progress, most of the core problems in our society tend to reappear in one form or another.

To further understand the meaning of the term globalization, I opted to first look into the past. I have a favorite dictionary that was given to me by the owner of a company that I still am employed by today. Unfortunately, Mr. Kenneth Haynie Sr. passed away about ten years ago. The Winston College Dictionary that he gave me, which was printed in 1947, did not list the word. The word global was listed and defined as follows, “Sperical; taken as a whole or in a lump; as global tonnage of a navy; pertaining to the world as a whole or to the whole surface of the world; as a strategy of war” (Winston). I can only assume that the fact that this dictionary was written and published shortly after WWII might have had some influence on its definition of this word. Next I looked up this term in my husband’s desk dictionary printed in the seventies, only to find the term global defined succinctly: “Worldwide, comprehensive, general globality.” (Miriam Webster) Finally, I turned to a current dictionary and found the following definition of globalization: “The process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade, increasing the connectivity of the world” (Miriam’s world dictionary 2010). This gave me a better understanding of the term.

I conducted a quick search on the University of Evansville’s library multi-search engine for globalization. The results were overwhelming. This simple entry turned up over 28,000 academic options, over 15,000 electronic journal options, another 35,000 options from JSTOR, over 1,000 options from the New York Times, over 10,000 options from Project Muse, and World Cat offered over 97,000 articles. I would say that over the past thirty or so years the topic of globalization has become a hot topic (Libproxy@evansville.edu).

With this information, I felt that I could now take a closer look at the theory of globalization. Is this really such a new theory, or is it simply newly defined? I am inclined to believe that although globalization is a relatively new term, its meaning is as old as time itself. My first thought is that travel and forms of communication regionally, as well as throughout the world, have existed as long as there has been the any form of life on our earth. We are the newcomers on a planet that has a history yet to be fully discovered.
I have taken a brief look back to about forty million years ago, a time that, as we are now aware, whales were freely swimming in our oceans-perhaps I should say their oceans. Science shows us that these early mammals instinctively migrated over 12,000 miles round trip to ensure their survival. They were certainly successful. Indeed, they are still in existence today. This very early example of globalization shows these mammals fully understood and utilized this entire planet as their home. They only took what they needed for survival and left the rest untouched.

Humans contemplate many questions regarding their race: Where did it all begin, how did we come to be the stewards of this great world of ours, who is responsible to teach us what is best for our world? And finally, what is it really all for? Although these questions are important to ask, more often than not they only complicate our lives. The answers to our questions are all around us. Nobody can really survive as an island, we must connect with others to flourish. It is important that we find ways to use our resources. We must be willing to change and grow with the times to preserve our future. It is necessary that we show respect and take care of our mutual home, because it is the land that we share. If things were as simple as the life of a whale, perhaps our world would be a little less complicated.

As humans we have developed and adapted to our environment socially, physically, economically, and emotionally. We have adopted a variety of beliefs and faiths that are of great importance in our lives as well as an important part of the diversity that makes our world rich with culture. Perhaps we have worked so hard to build and perfect our own cultures that we have lost focus of where we have come from, the human race to which we all belong.

Pointing to our past connections, current studies suggest that the American Cherokee Indians may have migrated to North America as ancient Hebrews. They have been referred to as “The lost tribes of Israel.” The web site www.history.com is currently documenting an ongoing study involving DNA testing. However, the DNA has become so convoluted, making it very difficult to either prove or refute these theories (www.history.com).

I propose that globalization is not as much about the connectivity of our world, but the re-connectivity of our world. We need to find the best way to reconnect for the betterment of all of the citizens in our world. As we have developed cultures and nations in our own right, we have further divided ourselves as a people. Some have grown to be very powerful cultures, while others have maintained a simpler way of life showing a moderate amount of progress.

In order for each of our individual cultures to grow, we have had to organize. Some have become far more complex than others creating strong political systems such as the type of democracy that we as Americans enjoy. Other cultures are very basic, such as a small tribe that organizes with a single leader at a time to protect and preserve their way of life. Each would have established rules and penalties to maintain order and stability. All cultures have a plan to protect themselves against any outside threat. Some use a modern military force, while others resort to less sophisticated procedures to protect the future of their culture.
Globalization is not neutral and unproblematic as many would believe. It stands to reason that as each society grows many see a need for an increased amount of land to not only sustain themselves, but to grow stronger and more powerful. As cultures assimilate they build power. A goal of every society is to have a stronger economy, military, and political system. One society grows at the expense of another resulting in many being left in impoverished, vulnerable conditions, and virtually forgotten by the rest of the world. We all have the responsibility to view the effects of globalization both analytically and critically. We have a responsibility to look beyond the propaganda.

We are not all a part of the same global culture with the same values. It is unfair to diminish less powerful cultures and religions to create a super powerful global culture. Humans disagree, become contentious, and even kill one another over religion. It is wrong to eliminate other religions or to ignore traditions that have been a basis for any civilization. This is necessary to ensure a stronger global economy.

As some nations become more powerful than others, it only stands to reason that a lack of balance regarding opportunities for the citizens of the world is the result. When respect and understanding of other religions and cultures are overlooked, who then can we depend on to ensure that we are each kept free of the manufactured controversies that are created as a result of globalization?

Every successful society has a propensity for discovery and growth. Currently we are faced with wars without end, economic problems, and huge cultural changes within our society. The world economy is changing from industrial, to technological, to global at a very rapid pace. The state of the economy tends to set the tone for the citizens. Real power comes when the natural desire to dominate another culture is curbed. The focus can then be to learn from one another and find better methods of building and improving the quality of life for all people.

In the seventies Coca-Cola, a major international corporation had an advertising campaign depicting people from around the globe singing “in perfect harmony” while sharing a coke and a smile. This is, I believe, to be an unrealistic blending of cultures, not the “real thing.” The reality is that a high and influential number of people refuse to be accepting of others who are different from what they perceive themselves to be. A Hasidic Jew holding hands with an 80 year old rape victim from the Congo, holding hands with a Lakota Indian gang member, holding hands with a severely deformed victim of war, holding hands with an openly gay HIV positive individual, all singing in perfect harmony would be a better representation of true respect and acceptance of one another. In today’s society, we are clearly lacking in this regard.

Our global economy is suffering. It is believed that greed and social imbalance has been a major factor in our current failures. These imbalances have further divided the classes of our world citizens creating an environment of mistrust and blame. Who is feeling the greatest effects of these failures in our world economy? Without a doubt, the poorest of the poor are suffering more than ever before.
In prosperous times most would agree that nearly every progressive society has benefited from the labor of immigrants. According to The Christian Science Monitor, an article entitled Global doors slam shut on immigrants, “The number of people living outside of their country of birth is larger than at any time in history, in part because it has never been easier to communicate and relocate.” “The United Nations Population Division (UNPD) estimated that the world has about 200 million international immigrants. If they created their own country, it would become the fifth largest in the world” (Christian Science Monitor). This is quite remarkable, as so many of the people in our world see themselves as living in a heterogeneous society. Most of us tend to have an innate and somewhat natural propensity to project nativism reflecting a desire to live in a more homogenous society. The article goes on to state, “Much of the resistance to outsiders stems from familiar fears: that immigrants will take jobs, tax services, increase crime, and alter national identities.” (Christian Science Monitor)

Most economist agree that we need immigration. Some say that it is the lifeblood that drives our countries. More often than not, we see a very open sentiment against non-white immigrants. These fears have ebbed and flowed throughout our history. Currently however, we are faced with two major problems; one being that our economy is nearly as bad as it has ever been in modern history, second being that we have the highest number of illegal immigrants within our population than ever in our history.

I recently attended the University of Evansville International Speaker Series presentation of a conversation with Dr. Khaled Hosseini. Dr. Hosseini is the author of the “Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns.” He was born in Afghanistan and at age eleven relocated to Paris and eventually moved to the United States. I was very impressed by his passion for humanity. He and his family are citizens of the United States, but would love to visit his homeland as a family. Although he travels to Afghanistan to provide humanitarian assistance, he knows that his birth country is very unsafe and chooses to not take his family at this time.

Afghanistan has been wracked by wars for many years. The lack of stability has forced a great number of its citizens to leave the country seeking refuge in nearby nations. As Afghan citizens return to their homeland they are finding themselves exposed to numerous dangers that threaten their very survival. Many are faced with the tragedy of not being able to provide their families the most basic necessity of a roof over their heads. Dr. Hosseini explained that Afghans are very proud and caring people. They love to invite visitors into their homes, no matter how modest their living conditions may be. To share simple cup of tea with good conversation is very meaningful in the Afghan society. Not being able show this simple gesture of kindness is humiliating to them.

In the notes that I took during this conversation with Dr. Hosseini I quoted him as explaining: “Most people would prefer to be in their native homeland if the opportunity existed.” Not being able to fulfill the basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, and a safe place to rest creates a necessity for people to cross boarders and become immigrants. As odd as it may sound, many people think of immigrants as imperialist. This is not a realistic viewpoint. Most immigrants don’t leave the land that is home to take from another their motive is usually for survival. The imperialist are the “Great Nations” that take over and oftentimes wreak havoc on other countries, usually in the name of humanity.

It is easy to see why people are frustrated. When we are faced with high unemployment and poverty rates, most natural or naturalized citizens feel that they should be taken care of first. I propose that we take a look at what it takes to be a great leader. If we are a stronger nation then perhaps we can lift up other nations to be stronger and self sufficient as well.
As listed in the book “Lincoln on Leadership” by Donald T. Phillips, some of Lincoln’s principles for leading with integrity are listed as follows:
* Refrain from reading attacks upon yourself so you won’t be provoked.
* Remember that truth is generally the best vindication against slander.
* Do the very best you know how, the very best you can, and keep doing so until
the end.
* The probability that you may fall in the struggle ought not to deter you from
the support of the cause you believe to be just.
* Give your subordinates a fair chance with equal freedom and opportunity for
success.
* When you make it to the top, turn and reach down for the person behind you.

Leaders lead best when they are servants and when they are willing to give back to others. An effective leader will take the time to completely listen to others, even if others are not comfortable expressing their personal point of view. A truly effective leader will take the time to ask others to fully explore options that can contribute to their collective success. A leader who leads with integrity must be brave and unafraid of confrontation, for integrity shows greatest under pressure (Lincoln on Leadership).

I have faith in mankind, I may not always agree with “the man,” yet ultimately I believe that our world will continue to improve. I am aware that we cannot impose social change, as change has to come from within a society. By being a good example and by sharing the tools that we know will create success, perhaps we can assist in the improvement of our world. Our globality ultimately depends on this. A strong sense of community and an attitude of caring about today and all of our tomorrows can make our world a better place. We are all citizens of the world and that is just as important as being citizens of our own community. Nothing that we do is too small, everything matters. This I believe to be the real thing.

Root and the Meaning of Culture

A summarized definition of culture is the specialized behavioral patterns, understandings, adaptions, and social systems that make up a group of peoples way of life. Culture is learned, not biological. The level of learning is affected by age, sex, status, or occupation. We are all born into certain, already defined cultures based on learned behaviors ranging from the language spoken to the tools used or games played. We, as the human race, have historically seen the possibilities of improving or utilizing the natural landscape that is our environment to make the quality of our lives easier to manage.

Our ancestors in the Paleolithic ages struggled to survive using basic skills as hunters and gatherers, and then advanced to the Mesolithic ages transitioning to a culture that produced many of their own sources of food by domesticating plants and animals making better use of their natural resources. Our ancestors were progressive and formed the viewpoint that they as people, not the environment, were the forces to bring cultural development. This brought about the innovative period known as the Neolithic ages. With the use of new innovations to make daily survival less difficult they were afforded more leisure time to accelerate the development of culture.

Over thousands of years we have had a desire to improve the quality of our lives. By making these improvements, we have had to communicate with and learn from others. We have found or designed shelter to protect us from the natural elements of our local environment. We have buried our loved ones either above or below ground as our environment would allow. To be successful and coexist, we have learned for the most part to understand and respect the diversity of people within our society. I have always felt that we must be aware that we are citizens of the world as well as the communities in which we live. We must learn to take care of our natural resources and be mindful that there are limits to the carrying capacity of our environment. We require food sources and safe drinking water to meet our most basic needs. For success in the advancement of our world, we must be mindful to use our moral compass as well as a mechanical compass for proper direction in our world development.

As there have been generations before us, there are sure to be many generations to follow. We must accept as our responsibility the need to protect our planet earth and to preserve all that is valuable as a necessity for the survival of mankind and all of its diversity.

"All the Single Mothers"

As I was once a very young single mother, I completely understand the limits faced by any single parent. We have a responsibility to offer improved opportunities benefiting the children of single parent homes. Our society should provide better and more affordable childcare for those with the greatest need. Nearly everyone wants to be self-sufficient and offer the best opportunity for success to their children. It isn’t always a case of having a lack of ambition; in many circumstances it is a lack of opportunity with far too many obstacles in our way.

According to the most recent U.S. census data, working women under the age of thirty are out-earning their male counterparts. The caveat is that most of these women are childless. These statistics create or perhaps confirm a new form of inequality, not so much regarding sex but familial status. The responsibility to be the sole provider of the basic necessities of life requires a much higher than average income for a single person. If a person is also a single parent, on top of the additional financial responsibilities, he or she has the added emotional and physical pressure of all daily decisions and task that will impact their family. Many times these decisions and task have to be managed with fewer and less desirable options.

Although I am frustrated when I see discrimination and biases against single mothers, I do understand the hardships that having a single mother on staff can present. There tends to be a higher absence rate, which can disrupt the productivity schedules within most companies. Many metropolitan cities offer numerous options for public transportation to their citizens; and more companies currently offer on-site childcare programs making life easier for their employees, both allow for greater possibilities to a single mother. A highly determined single mother would benefit by improved laws in place offering greater opportunities for success rather than by simply adding entitlements.

As a society, we oftentimes fail our children by overlooking their basic needs. I feel that the absent parent should be held accountable both fiscally as well as emotionally to support their children. Our country is facing a crisis caused by the high number of fathers that walk away from their families. When a father fails to live up to his responsibilities, first his children, then our entire society suffers. My hope for the future is that educational opportunities are made available and presented to young women creating a greater awareness of the difficulties faced by single mothers. Being fully responsible for our own lives is a serious matter; the added responsibility of an innocent child is beyond compare. Our future depends on the decisions of our youth. It is our responsibility to offer the best opportunities giving the children of our country every tool available to ensure a stronger, more prosperous, and secure nation. This is our moral responsibility.