What's wrong in Nacirema? Make war to make peace.

Medieval times were gruesomely violent. So, the European monarchs had the idea to send the most bellicose and fiercest knights to a war outside their territory to calm down and take it no more against their own countrymen but against the infidel and try to establish peace somewhere else… for a good cause: religion! The pursuit of spirituality can always be used as a good cause for war…rarely for peace.


So they decided to go on the Crusades… for more than two hundred years! Approximately from 1080 to 1300.


Does it sound familiar?

Right, duty or privilege?

Do I live in a country where we need to reward kids for attending school so they would want to attend? What is my future when I’m “elder”, “senior” or any other euphemism I can think of it?
NPR broadcasted a news about paying students for good grades.
Acting that way, what are we teaching the future generation of adults, those adults that are going to be our community leaders tomorrow?
• All you do, even if it is for your own direct benefit should be rewarded.
• Education is not worth unless there is a reward for doing it.
• “Please, come to school because without you we won’t have enough money to continue this business”
• Yes, education is a big o’business!! You are the client: no client, no money, no job!
• Make sure you do business with us, so we can keep our jobs.
• We are willing to do whatever in order to keep you. Give you a video game box, TV, computer, feed you junk, so you feel really “comfortable” coming to school. In other words, we are willing to spoil you, feed your addictions, make you obese, and let you be on the couch watching TV like a potato, so we can run our business.
• Do nothing (even if it is for you) unless there is a value to it. Make sure you expect a reward, otherwise, don’t move a finger.
From this context, is education a right, a duty or a privilege?

What's wrong in Nacirema? AC matters

Even though I suffer the coldness more than other people, either because of my genetic nature, my lack of fat in the body or my Reynaud condition, many people agree that AC in Texas is exageratedly cold (freezing). During the hot weather, business, schools, stores, work places, hospitals, etc. set their thermostats near 58º F.

I hear teachers say that it's a good way to keep students awake. I thought that bears slept through the winter because of the cold; they avoid moving to be able to protect themselves from the cold by using their energy to maintain the body heat.



I hear that hospitals use the cold to maintain the germs numb. I thought that the common cold, allergies, cough and other respiratory conditions have their origin in virus that strive with lower temperatures, exactly because the cold kills other germs and those are able to take over!



I hear store owners say that the cold keep shoppers comfortable. What shoppers? At least for me the cold is not "comfortable", I suffer it and avoid the stores that are too cold. When I can't avoid it, I enter, buy what I NEED strictly as quickly as possible and leave as fast as I can.



I hear people say that they don't want to sweat, and the cold keep their glandular system asleep. Common sense says that sweat is GOOD, it cleans and detoxifies the skin and helps the body get rid of poisons. The body is meant to sweat, and avoiding it is against the nature. It could get people very sick the same way that not urinating can get people sick. People who have ever run or exercise in any way, know how well it feels after sweating. Especially when they took a subsequent good shower! Fresh and renewed, clarity of mind, calm, and energized. Most of a good life is made of chemical balance. Sweating can help.

Then, winter comes and the same people who where happy @ 58ºF, cannot get comfortable if the thermostat is lower than 75 or 80ºF. ¿? Of course they have a whole new battery of reasoning and justifying factors they will give to explain the unexplainable behaviour. Because some people go out of their minds to make themselves feel better!

Redefining peace

listening skills by telesales magic

Announcing the Peace Nobel Price award to President Barack Obama, the committee stated that: "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future". Given the short time in office, President Barack Obama has not had the chance to show much results from his intentions, efforts and projects for peace. Most people agree to this fact. Some people would even say that he has not done ANYTHING, which could be considered a relatively true statement also if only speaking of results.
However, there are two factors to take into consideration. One, that peace is achieved when both or several parties reach an agreement for peace. It is not enough to obtain peace with just one side lifting a white flag. Am I right? The opposite party needs to accept the lowering of arms. In this case, there is no much Obama can do, but provide the opening and the offering for peace. Not does Obama nor anybody have the power to change others' attitudes.
Two: at least peace has a start when there is one party that lift the white flag, offers the possibility for communication and opens the door for peace. Doesn't this offer 50% of the relief? Doesn't this humble attitude start a process for peace? Peace starts with absence of enmity, absence of pride, and an attitude of humility and receptiveness, a new way of communicating, listening to others' viewpoints and taking others' opinions into consideration. Peace is being able to state who I am and what I want without thinking that I am the only one right in this world and everybody needs to do things as I want them. Peace is acknowledging other peoples' statements, recognizing that there are more than one solution to a problem and sometimes applying many different approaches may be more effective in solving some problems.
I believe that Obama has DONE much for peace with his ATTITUDE of openness to discussion, will to seat down and listen, humility to give in to better ideas.
He has actually changed the perception the world have now of the USA. Whenever someone tries to impose his or her opinion on others, others shut down, when you ask them their opinion with the intention of listening and maybe taking it into account, others change their attitude, they may even open and share what they think. However, they have to decide if they also want to share, listen and lower arms.
Obama has reached out, asking "what do you have to say?", at home as well as in the world. He is a door opener. But it takes time and a long process of building trust, forgetting the past and forgiving shortcomings, wrongdoings and offenses until people would be willing to walk through those open doors. He inspires the hope for goodwill. Hope is the seed of an attitude that calls for transformation. Peace is an ATTITUDE that generates the transformation PROCESS. That is what Obama has done for peace.

Nacirema

For my readers who may not know what Nacirema is, make sure to read the original essay by Horace Miner, called "Body Rituals Among the Nacirema Tribe".

What's wrong in Nacirema?

Public restrooms


I enter the ladies room and there is a woman bent over looking thru the hole under the door to find out which stall is free. None; all of them are taken and she’s looked under each door. “Terrible!” I think. And I wonder if other people feel like me, how wrong are the public restrooms, how bad are those big gaps under the doors and walls of those cubicles, how bad are those cracks between the door and the wall, almost an inch at the place where the lock is. By the way, what’s that lock for? Really?!!




Is it just that I’m a woman and we have our own special privacy concept? I know, men share their peeing with no apparent problem… or else? Am I right? Any man on this? I haven’t traveled a lot, but in every country where I’ve been, come on! They have real rooms (closed top to bottom) for the restrooms. Civilized countries from the First World (like France and Switzerland) as well as Third World countries like mine, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile or Brazil.

Whereas in Nacirema, where people have their privacy rights written in the Constitution, they go to the restroom in public! Is something wrong?

more roundabouts in Haute Savoie & Provence

Please read first the post after this.

Near Faucigny in Haute Savoie

Rond point à Saint Julien, Haute Savoie.

Rond point Cousteau.

la porte d'harmonie, Annemasse, Haute Savoie.

What's wrong in Nacirema?

thanks to this grandma's blog for this pic

STOP signs and roundabouts
Have you ever wonder whose turn is it at a STOP sign, especially when there is an ALL WAY STOP and there is one car at each of the 4 corners? Sweet moment… While you figure it out, you make figures of how much gas is spent (wasted I mean to say) if all the STOPs in this country are counted and multiplied by the amount of cars that stop at each. Although very popular and easy to install, you consider them a great pain in the b… without even talking about the time of the day (usually dark) when there are no other car but yours in the whole neighborhood and you just brake and wait there like a Martian just arrived on the surface of the earth, or you just decide it’s too stupid to brake and don’t. From the bottom of your heart, don’t you really hate STOP signs?
Let me tell you that there is much to be learned from other peoples in this world, believe it or not, especially from the French. Don’t you think so? You know: vaccines, antibiotics, precursors of the Internet, TGV, baguette, super good cheeses, and … eureka! Roundabouts! I’m not sure if they invented the roundabouts but they have found out that they are the best way to save gas and time, and avoid accidents.
I accept that for us in Nacirema, it’s really weird the way the French have installed their stop lights at the corner of the streets actually.

Yes, you stop right next to the red light, it’s not across the street from where you stop, it’s right next to your car, if you can imagine what I’m saying. When French people come to the USA, they need to pay close attention where they stop at the red light!!! Very dangerous situation! Please stay out of their way if you can!
Not only did the French popularize the roundabouts but they take advantage of the opportunity to do something with them, beautiful gardens, sculptures, flour or pebble designs, jokes, science and more. I visited the south of France this year and took some awesome pics of really creative roundabouts. Take a peak.

Le chat botté à Annemasse, Haute Savoie

Rond Point à Saint Tropez, Provence.

There are roundabouts everywhere, and French people get tired about them. Austin has some peculiar roundabouts like the one next to the Long Center and two on South 3d street at the corners of W Mary and W Annie streets. I don't have pics but you can see them neatly in maps.google.

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

I read the books by the real Cyrano de Bergerac before knowing about Edmond Rostand's play (it's usually the case in Literature classes that you start studying from the old days on to modern days). The real guy lived from 1619 to 1655 and he was a rebel. He hated the writers who published whatever would please the nobleman à la mode. In order to control him, Richelieu offered him to be his sponsor, so he would not be able to broadcast his thoughts. Cyrano did not accept and he kept writing whatever was in his mind, which of course brought upon him persecussion, and ostracism. In fact, his life is extremely interesting; the political issues at stake are very much alive still today. He's satirical and caustic. I had much fun reading his "Les états et empires de la lune et du soleil" where he criticizes the monarchy from a common sense point of view. Highly skillful! Very talented!

Edmond Rostand imagined a love story around his controverted personality and inspired on the only surviving portrait of Cyrano, where he's depicted having a disproportionate nose!

Since the first time I read the play and saw the movie (Cyrano played by Gérard Dépardieu), the story became my all time favorite, I can watch the movie a hundred times and come back to the book a thousand and never get bored. It's such a fascinating story of unrequited love, self pride, honor, integrity and courage (which Cyrano calls, "mon panache"). The spectator feels automatically identified with the character because, who can say that hasn't had the experience of having loved without being loved in return? Who hasn't missed the love of the lifetime because he or she loved someone else?

I learned that the Mary Moody Theatre at St. Edwards University is showing the play in English this month of February and I can't miss it. I've been a Cyrano all my life, I have Cyrano's syndrome, I am a Cyrano de Bergerac. Like him, I always find ways to show off my courage, my strength, when in reality, my ugly nose makes me cry in front of my real friends. But I still hope that one day, someone will change the story, make Roxane cleverer... and bring comfort to Cyrano.

touched by compassion

I'm overwhelmed by the compassion of one person. I had shown my shortcomings and this person was so gracious and benevolent towards me that my heart was swolen with gratitude and sweetness. How good life would be if people knew how to forgive with grace and love! I've always had this person in high regard, but now I am convinced that is regal.

The incident, instead of the expected guilt, invaded me with inspiration and hope, willingness to be better, an injection of innocence and reverence only comparable to meeting Christ. Do all of us have the potential of showing divine qualities, or is it just sporadic and exceptional? I'm going to experiment with it. There should be an answer to that question. Somewhere ... inside myself...

slumdog millionaire

I was glad to see the theatre full to watch a foreign movie. Are people actually becoming more aware of the world outside? I hope. America (meaning U. S. of America) needs to look out the window to learn a few survival skills from other cultures. Especially now.
A journal radio article on NPR today talked about India becoming the future second world power. Is "Slumdog" an allegory? Has India learned all the answers yet? And for that matter, have the developing countries learned the answers by now? It's all about taking advantage of the learning opportunities, isn't it?
Although my childhood was not in a slum or in deep mysery and corruption, I know how hunger feels. Deprivation, uprooting, abandonment, treason, ignorance, abuse and some other visitors came from time to time to visit us. However, the circumstances in which we are born don't trace our future. We are placed in the right situations, we meet the right people, are given the right opportunities to develop ourselves into what we are supposed to become. No matter what happens in life, the decisions we make determine the outcome. We are always in charge, because we are the agents. The energy of our gear meets the energy of our realization.
Jamal and Salim prove it. Even though they had almost the same experiences, their reaction to them and actions differed much resulting in opposite outcomes.
I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it.

stop button

I'ts First of the Year 2009. This space shuttle is going too fast, please, someone knows where the stop button is? Speed regulator button? Slow motion button? So, if none of those are to be found, carpe diem! Happy New Year!