Only in America...

I went to the Prudential Center today to take some pictures of the reflecting pool and the Scientology Church (incredible building). Having no classes and after getting up at one I had a pretty good time, I had a good walk and went to grab some lunch at Legal Sea Foods in Prudential. 

I had been to LSF before but, I don't know why, I thought they didn't have a free-refill policy. I basically chugged my first Diet Coke down and ordered a second one thinking it would be the last one if I had to pay for it. Lo and behold, the waitress returned with three sodas and places them all on my table: "I'm sure you'll end up drinking them" and walked away. 

I couldn't help but laugh. Since it was around threeish the place was more or less empty and I got a chance to make some small talk with my waitress. The service was so good I ended up speaking to the manager about it and leaving a pretty good tip. 

Every once in a while I'm surprised by this country, we have so much to learn from the States. The idea that people deserved to be greeted with good manners, a smile and good service when they pay good money to eat out is unknown in Spain. The equivalent of my fantastic lunch back home would have meant not getting a table in at least thirty minutes, not because the place was full but because no one would be at the entrance to assign tables, let alone greet anyone, followed by another significant wait at the table before being served by a rude person who wouldn't stop scratching their head or would have the four first buttons of his shirt undone. Of course, you would be able to order as many sodas as you wanted, paying $5 for every one, that is. While here good manners are a given, because even if you think about it from the most materialistic, greedy, money-making, point of view, good service keeps customers happy and giving better tips, we don't see that in Spain. 

There is a completely different philosophy in the workplace in this country and it is truly admirable... unfortunately, back home we much rather treat people impolitely as if we were doing them a favor by taking their money. Sin comentarios...

Prayer

Much as we do with everything, we have rationalized religion to the point of taking the idea of a merciful, wise and loving being and waging wars in his name because we don't agree on specifics. Starting with a common ground, we have tried to analyze every specific facet of that idea and inevitably come to opposing conclusions. Furthermore, we have profited off exploiting the name of God...pathetic.

This only speaks to our nature as humans. Even though we claim to stand for certain values, it is discouraging to see that even those who, in theory, represent the source of those values are equally or more morally corrupt than us. 

Seeing that spirituality has rotted into religion, it is not surprising to see that our priorities are...skew, shall we say. Our values have become bumper stickers and we are now materialist worshippers. Even though I don't believe materialism to be an immoral practice in itself, after all we have evolved towards it naturally, when it replaces our principles we have a problem. It would be nice to see that we still stand for something...

Individual faiths notwithstanding, every once in a while we should take a step back and pray; be grateful for what we are and just stop. We are terrified of introspection, perhaps because we fear we may not like what we see, but we should realize that we are extremely fortunate, and appreciate that. 

Kinship and convictions

Perhaps because of my individual experiences I have become a firm believer in the idea that family is not created through blood. This is not to say that it is not often the case where those to whom you are related by blood make up this group. It goes back to the debate of whether or not blood implies love and, more importantly, respect. Must these two values be unconditional no matter who our relatives are? Are they a 'given' when it comes to blood ties?

I consider people to be part of my 'family' when they follow the saying that 'they are the ones that come to you when everyone else is running away from you'. When someone gives you their love and respect, not unconditionally and as a given but because they believe in you and think that you have earned it and when it is equally the case vice versa, a bond which can only be named family is formed. Thus, in my opinion the concepts of family and friendship blend and only the ideas of love and respect create ties, which in many cases combine friendship and family. 

Therefore,  when, through the process involving the creation of bonds, this group of people becomes a reality the security that you have a safety net as well becomes a reality. However, unlike in cases where blood is the only uniting factor, in this situation there is no such thing as blind faith based on lineage but a conscious appreciation of what you have done for each other and how that ensures the safety net. 

The question begs to be asked: is blood enough? Inevitably when a child comes out of his mother's womb and she has carried him in her for nine months (sounds familiar? refer to emotional blackmail 101) and is the product of his father's seed, there is a connection. Nevertheless, are there issues which can make all bets come off? When our convictions oppose those we supposedly love unconditionally, is blood enough?

One might argue that, because of the preconceived idea that blood creates unconditional bonds, in families where this is the modus operandi, so to speak, there is no room for the possibility of rupture, no matter the circumstances. 

The fact that we exist is purely statistical, our parents have the same probability of being wise, loving parents as they do of being horribly selfish human beings. Even though it may sound cynical, I don't agree with a binding contract based on chance, meaning that since we have no way of choosing our parents, how can we promise anything to them unconditionally.  This is not meant to imply that respect should be lost. However it does argue that, even though we must be thankful for our education and upbringing, safe under our parents watchful eye (hopefully), there will be moments when our own convictions will come head to head with those we love. When this is the case, if that love is based on the understanding and respect of those convictions, it is easier to follow them than it would be if the love and respect were based on obligation due to genetics rather than values. Again, this issue can't really be simplified to this extreme since we inevitably share a period of time with our family, before we are even remotely sure of what we believe in. During this period of time, however, we do get the chance to know who our family is, to examine whether or not blood implies love. 

If we believe that we are our own person and grow up to completely discover it, we must make room for the possibility that this individual will not represent our parents' ideals and that there might be conflict. If we choose to think that because we are born to certain people we are in debt (common adage) and therefore unconditionally bound to them, we are attaching ourselves not only to people but ideas, hence thwarting our own individual growth and freedom. Obviously the issue at hand would have to be core to our values to imply that there could be some kind of rupture between us and those we love. The chance that such a conflict may come up is drastically reduced, in my opinion, when our bonds are made up of genuine affection and respect.

Can we?

Yesterday Barack Obama became the fourty-fourth President of the United States of America. In a predicted, yet nevertheless explosive victory, the new President promised change, but demanded sacrifice. After millions have followed him cheering "yes we can", the rubber meets the road and it is time to see if this administration truly mean business. It is easy to become elected in a time of crisis with promises of change, but now is the time when he will have to live up to his promises. 

Obama was right on the money when he said that this election represents the idea that the American dream is alive and well. This man's journey from his birth to the Presidency is truly representative of this dream. He has become a leader to many and will now direct the nation in what is most definitely a decisive moment in American history.

The task that lies ahead is a colossal one: repairing eight years of what many have seen as the most oppressive and misguided period in modern American history. Seven years after 9/11 it will be interesting to see if this new President will take a step back to analyze the radicalism into which this country has plunged and take on a more moderate approach. After two wars with the looming possibility of another two, an immense amount of debt, the worse economic crisis since the Great Depression, an almost complete rupture of international relations and the cannibalization of individual rights and constitutional freedoms, things must change. 

In my opinion the most egregious damage the former administration has done, which the new one will have to deal with, has been to strip individuals of their freedoms. The radical reaction to 9/11 is historically rational, considering that before September the 11th the United States had never before experienced such an attack on civil objectives on its own soil (the only comparison that comes to mind is Pearl Harbor, and that was a military objective); however, it's terms were beyond belief. Under the premise that sacrifices were necessary in order to defeat the new enemy, liberties for which the original colonies shed their blood were lost. The bases on which this country was founded were taken away, with the stroke of a pen, and people were told that it was the right thing to do, in order to protect that which was precisely being taken away from them. If this country is going to continue priding itself in the values it claims to represent, its administration must seriously see for itself whether or not those principles are truly upheld. 

Even though the following clip is from a TV show and is, thus, a dramatization, I think it clearly shows the effect that excessive authority may have in a time of crisis. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwDAbVqQqv0

The people have spoken, and they have asked for change. Their hopes now lie with the new administration. The question is, will they live up to the expectations? Yes we can, yes we can....now it's his turn to uphold his end of the bargain.