The Individual

Many people have written and theorized about “the individual”. They have used the term “the individual” to discuss each person in a society and how that person interacts with the rest of the society and his/her environment. The reason the debate of how the individual interacts in the world is so important is because how we view “the individual” will change the way we view every aspect of life, government, and religion. And, American society’s view of the individual has always inspired and developed the direction of Americas progress. The fight for independence from England, the CIvil War, and the fight for Civil Rights are all examples of when America has acted upon it’s core view of the individual.

The question of how we feel about the individual goes deeper than just whether or not to honor and respect each person. We must ask ourselves: what do I believe the individual is capable of. Do I trust the individuals ability to care for one’s self, and make his/her own decisions? Or do I believe they are not capable of these things, and thus society and the government is responsible for the people? When do I value one individual over another-if ever (a women’s right to choose or a baby’s right to live)? These answers will shape our core values, and how we act upon those values. In turn,
how we answer these questions will develop our future as a country and as a people.

I believe these questions are fundamental when deciding who should be our next leader. And with the answers to these questions it will be much easier to answer the question of who to vote for.

Deviant Child II

I was much older in my second memory that exposes me-I was probably 12 years old (not that I was never “a bad girl” before then). On my mothers side of the family I have dozens of cousins, of which I am in the “younger” bunch. Most of my cousins close to my age were boys, but I had one female partner in crime, Janice. Where I grew up in a city setting, she grew up in the country close to my grandparents-Henryetta, OK. So, whenever I went to visit my grandparent I had a chance to bond with Janice.

Janice and I had developed quite a bond because of the mini ongoing conflict we had with our male cousins. The conflict wasn’t because of any particular experience; but somehow it was understood that girls were suppose to be against the boys and vice versa. Now, at the same time this conflict had been brewing, I had received a shinny new Daisy BB gun for Christmas. Going to my grandparents was the perfect opportunity to break in my gun with the help of Janice. We decided that we would build a fort that we could use for shooting and sleeping. My grandfather’s truck was the perfect location. It was an old green rusty truck that has racks for ladders, so we could hang blankets and sheets around the bed of the truck, thus creating a tent teepee. From inside this tent we had been shooting cans.

The problem was that our cousins kept invading our territory and we were getting angry. Well, as I recall, Janice and I had had enough. We tried tattling several times and it wasn’t working. So we decided to take matters into our own hands. I don’t remember what the last straw was, and I don’t remember who pulled the trigger-but I do remember that we meant to pull the trigger (note: I was aware that it shouldn’t do much harm). We shot my cousin Joey...I am pretty sure it hurt.

As you can guess he was screaming and running. He didn’t run to us, as I would have expected. He ran to tell my Granddad, hoping that we would get more than a talking to. My Granddad has been gone for a long time now, but I still remember the smell of chewing tobacco and coffee on him. June Allison was born in a small town in the south and had never ventured far. He was a country boy who lived through the Great Depression. We had a farm and worked in the smelter factory until he was diagnosed with emphysema. As you would guess, he was bigoted against everything that not like him-including women. So when my screaming, recently BB shot cousin came running into him I expected to be in huge trouble.

It went differently than both Joey and I expected. My Granddad proceeded to explain to Joey that girls can not shot straight. If we hit him with the BB, then we must have been aiming at something else because if we were aiming at him we would have missed. I didn’t realize what my Granddad had done at the time. And it didn’t surprise me that a man would have that type of opinion of girls. It surprised me that a bias against me would work to my advantage.

Somehow in life I have learned that the barriers in my life can be a way to catapult me forward in life...could this have been the first step of that process.

❑ For help developing these thoughts read “Failing Forward” by John Maxwell

Deviant Child I

As a child I was very compliant. Most of the time I felt guilty for thinking about doing something I shouldn’t, less likely actual doing it. It is a rare memory when I remember being deviant with intention. There are occasions that come to mind when I think of being deviant.

First, when I was three years old I was in pre-school. Being an artist today, I can see why at three years old I was a proficient colorer. I would carefully stay in the lines with my beautiful bright crayolas. However, on one morning I remember a desire to go faster and break the lines drawn before me. I did the unthinkable, I scribbled all over the page. As I recall it, I used big fast circular motions. Well, as you can imagine, that did not bode well with my classmates. One of whom ratted me out to the teacher. The teacher, without a second thought, reminded me that I had skill to color in the line and I shouldn’t scribble again. Today, I realize what a profound early memory in my life. A simple statement that I was to stay in the lines, or stay in the boundaries. I shouldn’t deviate from the picture that was drawn for me. I was to become a “docile” citizen. Interesting...

❑ read for more information on the “docile” citizen: “Discipline and Punish, the Birth of the Prison” by Michael Foucault

The Angry Worker

As I look at life, I have realized that there are two types of people in the work world. There are lovers, and there are narcissist. What is a lover? This person really empathizes with the people around him. He has bad days and good days, but in general he is a kind person. He seeks to do a good job and work well with the people around him. In contrast, the narcissist is very different. This person is seeking after his own good at all expenses. This could mean sucking up to the boss, or it could mean that he will degrade the people around him for his own benefit. This person blames others for everything that goes wrong, and takes the credit for everything that goes right.

The point of confusion:
When a lover has so many bad experiences, or such a hard life, that he starts to appear as a narcissist. If you are close to this person you can tell the difference, but if not it is difficult to disseminate between the two.

...for me, I want to believe that no one is a narcissist. I want to find an “out” for the person who is an “B-hole” (that is butt-hole for those who don’t know the phrase). I want to find the bad experience that justifies the bad behavior and give the person a break. At the same time, I am a Realist. And as Machiavelli would say, the prince makes all his choices -kind or unkind- for his own benefit. However, my dear professor Pengree taught me that I could be an optimistic Realist, and have hope in humanity. Maybe that is why I love Jesus.

❑ For future reading: “Good to Great” by Jim Collins
❑ The phycologist definition of narcissism per my mac dictionary:
extreme selfishness with grandiose ideas of one’s own talents and craving for admiration, as characterizing a personality type.