silence

We in the United States of America have been trained to refrain from discussing politics or religion. We recognize the need to communicate but we don't recognize the need to communicate about religion or politics in order to manage the world we live in. This failure to discuss the implications of our political and religious actions puts us at a disadvantage when those more powerful are manipulating huge populations.

Americans may want to consider breaking through the barriers of silence and make these discussions less uncomfortable. What happens when a nation is doing poorly? Could it be because of the barriers to discussion? When we don't discuss we find ourselves failing to cure what ails us? When we don't intervene does the illness continue to get worse?

Those that raise the taboo issues(by speaking out with friends in public about religion or politics) become designated the annoying mosquito that continues to buzz in your ear. They just won't go away. They just won't stop talking about the negatives. They won't let you return to that imaginary world that doesn't exist. How do you learn about the illness, how do you cure the illness if no one ever wants to discuss it?

Europeans, for instance, live to discuss politics. All of them do it, in beer gardens, in coffee houses, around the dinner table with grandma and the kids, in the wine pubs - you get the idea. Europeans do it to everyone and to each other with much passion and are very outspoken about it - which can seem confrontational to Americans. i grew up with European parents and it was very much a part of our lives...politics and religion were always discussed, they had to be discussed............in order to keep groups like the Nazi's or the Jim Jones from ever coming to power again.

We need to question why we are uncomfortable discussing these taboo topics? Why we can only discuss amongst like minded folks? The answer could be that we don't ever want to face up to decisions that may have caused the country to become sick and divided.

We, the little people in America, can embrace discussion of politics and religion slowly, using it as a bridge between political and religious groups to turn the situation around to one of understanding for it is a method that is non-violent and just might cure the illness. Or we can continue to keep the bridge closed.....which is it?


Eventually, we will have to face the demons for they will have their day.