Much of our recent foreign policy is guided by the notion that spreading democracy will naturally result in a state of peace, and respect for basic human rights. While seeking peace and human rights are notable and essential goals, the idea of using force to set up a system claiming to foster true freedom is a farce. Let me tell you a … [Read more...]
Sunday Poem: A Fence or an Ambulance by Joseph Malins
July 11, 2010 by 1 Comment
Explore the Sunday Poem archives here. Contribute your thoughts on the poem to the community by commenting below. A Fence or an Ambulance Joseph Malins "Twas a dangerous cliff,” as they freely confessed, Though to walk near its crest was so pleasant; But over its terrible edge there had slipped A duke and full many a peasant. So the … [Read more...]
What Does it Mean to Be “American?”
July 8, 2010 by 7 Comments
Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann once accused Barack Obama of holding positions that are "anti-American" (and she was not the first). What did she mean? In order to define what it means to be "anti-American" we should define what it means to be "American" and use examples from history to see if our judgment is fair or even … [Read more...]
The Power of Independence
July 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Have you ever caught yourself waiting for someone to do something for you when you could do it yourself? Or had someone bring a problem to you that they could easily solve? Look at the picture above. Someone could have easily gone and bought a stamp and done it for themselves. What makes this really funny, but also sad, is the nickel at … [Read more...]
Sunday Poem: Bury Me in a Free Land by Frances Harper
July 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Explore the Sunday Poem archives here. Bury Me in a Free Land Frances Harper Make me a grave where'er you will, In a lowly plain, or a lofty hill; Make it among earth's humblest graves, But not in a land where men are slaves. I could not rest if around my grave I heard the steps of a trembling slave; His shadow above my silent tomb Would … [Read more...]
Type of Tribes, Part 5: The Future of New Tribes
July 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment
This is part 5 of a 5-part article. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 2 Here Read Part 3 Here Read Part 4 Here Few people realize how widespread the New Tribe revolution has become. The many examples of online New Tribes show how rapidly this trend is growing. But there is even more to it than that. One cycle of business growth says that … [Read more...]
Type of Tribes, Part 4: Level Four Tribes
July 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
This is part 4 of a 5-part article. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 2 Here Read Part 3 Here The sixth type of tribe is the Information-Age Tribe. We are all still struggling for the perfect name. The term “e-tribe” is too narrow, since many of the new relationships are not online. I’ll settle for calling them the New Tribes, and let the … [Read more...]
Type of Tribes, Part 3: Level Three Tribes
June 30, 2010 by 1 Comment
This is part 3 of a 5-part article. Read Part 1 Here Read Part 2 Here Indeed, by the 1990s America was deeply into the Industrial Age. Industrial tribes (no longer really Tribes, but rather tribes, small “t”) were built around career. People left the farms, and the communities which connected them, for economic opportunities in the … [Read more...]
Type of Tribes, Part 2: Level Two Tribes
June 29, 2010 by Leave a Comment
This is part 2 of a 5-part article. Read Part 1 Here Agrarian Tribes began, as Ken Wilber describes it, when we stopped planting with sticks and hoes and turned to plows drawn by beasts of burden. The change is significant in at least two major ways: First, pregnant women can plant, tend and harvest with sticks and hoes, but often not with … [Read more...]
Type of Tribes, Part 1: Level One Tribes
June 28, 2010 by 1 Comment
This is part 1 of a 5-part article. Subsequent segments will be published daily. NEARLY ALL OF THE WEAKNESSES I listed here are found in many traditional tribal cultures. In our day new kinds of tribes are emerging with huge potential influence, power and popularity. Indeed, the 21st Century may be the era where tribes become the most … [Read more...]
