I believe there are many Americas, all of them separate, but simultaneous.  As I work to understand the culture in which I live, each step that I think I am taking closer to the center of the issue only takes me in another circle around it.

While I might have a problem with how much TV some of us watch, the application of capital punishment, the advertising media culture, or the current state of pop music, I do not believe that any of those things are inherently bad, nor should they be eliminated or made to be scapegoats in our search for a place to lay blame for all that has gone wrong. However, I do believe that in practice, much of what we value and do in the U.S.A involves extremes that make it very difficult for any of us to live a truly happy, authentic life. There needs to be an adjustment in our culture's overall system--our economic, religious, legal and political institutions.  

© Salahub 2003