10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #5 Culture

"English-speaking and Creole-dominated, Belize has more in common with its Caribbean island neighbors than its bordering Spanish-speaking countries. With a laid-back ambiance of swinging hammocks, large swaths of impenetrable jungle, and an underwater world of twisted corals, neon fish, and gentle manatees, Belize is a tropical treasure." SOURCE--https://www.adventure-life.com/belize/articles/history-and-culture-of-belize

I couldn't have said it better myself. Sub-tropical, laid back, colorful, diverse, Caribbean...are just some of the words I could also use to describe Destination: Belize.

From coast to jungle, there's so much to love about Belize. One piece of their history, dating way back before the common era, is Mayan Culture. I can't wait to go explore the ruins there!

"There was still a large Mayan population in Belize when Cortés arrived in 1519," according to Belize History at this travel site. Then in 1660, the Brits arrived to set up a logging camp. That began Belize's long history of colonization. They only became an independent country on September 21, 1981. That's the day they celebrate their independence. The democratic country is really still in it's infancy and trying to fight it's way out of third world status...tourism is helping.

Yesterday, I wrote about the diversity of their food, and before that the diversity of their people. The diversity of it's topography, history and culture is another draw. I can't wait to discover their music and customs firsthand...to play my djembe on the beach, to dance to the music of the Garifuna people and to immerse myself in the Caribbean vibe.

While there is no theater district in Placencia or local orchestra, there is still an abundance of culture available. Who has funds for an annual membership to the symphony anyway? I'd prefer a symphony of Western African hand drums, anyday!

The beach and the ruins will be my church!

Imagine meditation at this spot--Cahal Pech! The closest thing we have in The States are earthen mounds built by the Mississippian culture within Native America.

I had considered Cuba, as a Caribbean destination, for it's food, music and culture, or the Bahamas for it's laid-back, English-speaking, island vibe...but Belize offers all of that and more. It's the Belizean culture that starts my TOP FIVE reasons for moving south!

The Dance and Where I'm Going

Watch this video (listen really):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV-D2_G9w5c

I've listened to several Alan Watts' clips, but never this one until yesterday, after finding it on my new favorite vlogger's YouTube Channel.

When I blogged the other day about Reality TV/Vlogs, I didn't mean I was swearing them off. They are still my escape and guilty pleasure. And the last few days I've been following Alyssa Bean, aka RegretLyss (her YT and IG handle), who lives with her dog in a converted short bus. This off-grid, non-traditional "van life," or "bus life," has been her thing most of her adult life. A graduate of Purdue and social media guru, she travels the country and has a video diary where she delves into her psyche while sharing her solo wandering from mountain to shoreline.

Check out RegretLyss on YouTube

As a non-traditionalist, wanderer/explorer, I dig her vibe. But I've been too sedentary of late. When I was living in the foothills of the Rockies, I was exploring all the time. I was very active, hiking to peaks in the 8,000-foot range, lounging at waterfalls, exploring abandoned mines...AND MYSELF! But here in the last 10 months, I've been nearly stationary, motionless and growing more and more restless. I need to wander. That's why you've caught me dreaming of Belize.

Part of that is discontent and wanting to leave this country for good. The other part is simply my wanderlust and need to find my center at the beach, in the tropics! 

But what about "the dance," as Watts puts it?

What about my day-to-day existence...my presence on Planet Earth? I haven't been dancing; I've been surviving. How much longer can I exist in survival mode? Even being sedentary as I have been, it's exhausting! It's taken a toll on my psyche. And I need to get back to dancing.

Thanks to Alyssa for the reminder yesterday. (I'll get back to "the countdown" momentarily, thanks for reading).

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #6 FOOD

It's no secret that I love food. A variety of foods suit my palate, including the Caribbean and Creole flavors of Belize. There is also the Mayan and Mexican influence in Belizean dishes, so just like the diversity of it's people, the flavors of Belize are just as diverse!

A staple of the Belizean diet is beans and rice with fried plantains. Now, you have to know how to order it because if you say "beans and rice" you will get a plate of slow-simmered beans, well seasoned with a side of rice. If you order "rice and beans," on the other hand, you'll get a bowl of steamy goodness all mixed together, like what you'd get in New Orleans.

Know the difference--
Rice & Beans (left) - Beans & Rice (right), often served with chicken and/or plantains

As shown above, this dish can be combined with any number of proteins, but chicken and seafood reign supreme in Belize. However, it is often eaten as the main dish--for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

A favorite way to eat "yard bird," is in a dish they call Stewed Chicken:
Although there are many variations on this dish, most traditional recipes keep it simple – just chicken, red recado, onion and water. Red recato is basically a chili paste common to the region made with the powder of ancho and annato chili seeds. Yet to try it, but it looks and sounds DELICIOUS!

Traditional Belizean Tamales are wrapped in plantain leaves and can be made with or without meat. These local favorites and the dish above, show some of the Mexican influences in Belizean cooking.

Now, the area is super fertile and lots of exotic plants and tropical fruits grow there. In fact, the trees are dripping with them! You can find just about anything at local open-air markets and roadside stands. So having locally grown produce and non-GMO meats, which are also abundant at butcher shops, is a definite plus! I can get back to healthy living/eating. It's too expensive to buy imported foods, anyway, so local is best.

And because Placencia is an old fishing village with a lagoon on one side and the Caribbean on the other, seafood is rather plentiful. I LOVE SEAFOOD (well not scallops or anything too "fishy")! And spiny lobster season runs more than half the year--July to February!

Belizean Spiny Lobster (almost always in season)

Now, I've always been a fan of lobster, well ever since I tried it at 18. And on Fort Myers Beach, I had friends that would go lobstering in the Florida Keys. If you've never had a fresh lobster, hot off the grill with nothing more than garlic butter and lemon juice squeezed over it, then YOU HAVE NOT LIVED!!! And I've seen photos of local men grilling lobsters on the sides of Placencia's "tiny main street," (a boardwalk, basically). I could live off of wild caught seafood and locally grown veggies and fruit, trust me!

These little Belizean treats, called Garnache, are another thing I look forward to trying:

They are

 fried corn tortillas topped anyway you like and they look delicious!

And this is just a SAMPLING of the foods of Belize! Ever since I taught myself how to cook (c.2001), I've been a bonafide foodie! I am good with living off the land. I could even grow my own foods--corn, beans, onions, peppers, potatoes...

I won't be eating straight starch for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but an occasional plate of red or black beans with white or saffron rice, would be doable. I'd prefer to eat seafood, fruits and veggies, locally sourced. But this foodie can make himself happy just about anywhere!

And so the 6th reason in my 10 reasons to move to Belize--FOOD!!! (and the abundance of it)!

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #7 DIVERSITY

Belize may be English speaking and close in proximity to the U.S., but it's no one-size-fits-all, WHITE BREAD (aka white bred) community. There is diversity!

Yes, you have your older, white expats who've retired to places like Corozal, but you also have THIS:

BELIZEANS:
A multiethnic amalgam of African, Asian, Caribbean, and European influences. They are a very laid-back people with their own Cajun-like form of English (think Jamaicans). As Wikipedia points out, "Colonization, slavery, and immigration have played major roles in affecting the ethnic composition of the population." So, really, you could place all of those I describe below, even the expats of European descent, under this one umbrella.

MAYANS:
Or descendants of the ancient Central American civilization that built great cities with pyramids and such. Since so much has been written about them, I won't elaborate here.

MESTIZO:
Latino or Hispanic Belizeans who make up 2/3 of the country's population. The name literally translated means mixed, as in mixed heritage. They are a multilingual people, fluent in Spanish, Creole and English. Many of them fled Mexico and practice a mix of Catholicism and indigenous religion, according to this site.

KRIOLS:
21% of the population are the Belize Creole people, like many islanders brought to the "West Indies" against their will by European slave traders, the same African descendants (mostly) who make up America's Creole population.

GARINAGU:

Or Garifuna People (singular), are considered an indigenous tribe of African-Americans in Belize and Nicaragua, though their roots are in the islands of the "West Indies," like the Kriols above. They have a unique culture and language. To read more about their history, CLICK HERE.

MENNONITE:
CNN featured this population in a story last year, calling it a secluded "community frozen in time." According to the report, they number 12,000 but began as a colony of about 3,000 Canadian Mennonites who migrated from Mexico to Belize in the 50's. They are a Christian religious sect related to the same in this country, and likewise dress very conservatively and live off the land.

As you can see, there are many distinctions among the people of color in Belize, both indigenous and immigrant. And white people make up JUST OVER ONE PERCENT of the population...so I finally get to call myself a ONE PERCENTER!!! I certainly don't mind living as a minority.

The diversity of the population there, which nationwide is only about 400k, really fascinates me. I can't wait to go down and learn more about these indigenous and Afro-Caribbean communities. I love collecting peoples' stories, as a rule, but to learn something new along the way? BONUS!

America is a melting pot of cultural diversity, as well. It's just that we no longer honor it or hold it up as a virtue, like what our Statue of Liberty once represented. We've become very tribalistic, even xenophobic. It's led to a deep divide, not just politically, but culturally. If you are someone who thrives on knowledge and discovery, or tends to hold progressive ideals, you are labeled "Woke," and for a lot of the country, that is a BAD THING! How can learning and progress be bad for society??? But that's the state of affairs in America...and I can't wait to get away from it.

While I'm sipping water from coconuts on a white sandy beach, seabreeze in my hair, I look forward to learning from the people of Belize and of honoring their diversity. The people there, I'm told, are so friendly, accepting and laid back. I doubt there is a lot of tribalism or xenophobia.

Even in minority populations here at home, I've found a welcome embrace. I'm an adopted member of the brown community, partly because of my adopted children (and their cousins of mixed origin). My family is NOT straight Anglo-Saxon/European! I actually embrace diversity. I like to think I'm a bit cultured (NOT xenophobic or nationalistic).

So REASON #7 I'm drawn to Belize and looking so forward to moving there? It's DIVERSITY! Celebrate that shit!!! :D 

Reality TV / Vlogs

Taking a break from beach dreaming in my Belize Countdown...to bring you something a little different, a slice of my life, I guess you could say...and other ways I've been spending my time.

It all started, I believe, with Martijn Doolard, the Dutchman who bought a rustic, century-old mountain cabin in the Italian Alps. I was looking for entertainment, for an escape, and YouTube was readily available on the TVs in the house, on my laptop and my iPad. I'd often take the latter to bed with me and watch as I trailed off to sleep. The mountain aesthetic and slow-pace of Doolard's solitude on a hillside, remodeling the quarried stone structures on his secluded property and cooking over a firepit gave me peace. It was a bit of social media escapism.

Here's Doolard's YouTube channel, in case you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/c/MartijnDoolaard

I'm not a very handy person, so watching all the DIY remodeling and construction was fascinating to me. He pays respect to both nature and Italian Alps culture and I was actually learning something as I watched. And like I said, the peaceful aesthetic would most nights help me wind down before sleep. I binged the first 20-plus episodes shot over the last year, and at some point last month, caught up to where he is currently. He vlogs every Monday, encapsulating a week-in-the-life of Martijn Doolard.

Following the YouTube/Social Media Algorithm, several similar vlogs were recommended for me to watch. The ones with scantily-clad young woman enjoying nature were natural clickbait, so I started watching vanwives (lesbians in Nova Scotian wilderness), the Cottage Fairy (single woman living simply in the Washington mountains), Isabel Paige (living "her best life" with a boyfriend, also WA), Stephi Lee (nomad artist living in a van) and Nikki Delventhal (single with dog in Prius). There are links to all their channels below, if you'd like to preview some of their content.

What these vloggers offered was escapism and maybe a little inspiration for my minimalist, live-off-the-land ideal. That's how I'd like to spend the remainder of my days. And yes, there was a little curious voyeurism.

But let's face it, at it's core, it's simple entertainment. It's like all the "reality" portrayed on voyeuristic televised shows on cable. I was just getting what I felt was a little closer to reality on YouTube. But to be honest, there's NOT a lot of difference here. These slickly-produced 20-30 minute day-in-the-life vlogs were a big commitment (and sometimes production, involving camera people, drones, scripts, etc.). They were hardly a slice of "real life," as they try so hard to portray.

Take for instance, shoots and reshoots. As an example, we'll consider a scene in Doolard's cabin build-out vlogs. He'll take his pull-behind trailer down the narrow mountain roads with his mini-SUV. There will inevitably be shots from behind the wheel, from his property as he departs, from the destination as he arrives. Now, Martijn doesn't have a film crew following him around. This isn't a documentary in the classic sense. It's a single YouTuber with a couple cameras and a drone and some tripods. So in order to get all those slice-of-life shots, he has to set up the camera, considering framing, lighting, sound, etc., then film himself driving, then stop the car and go back for his equipment. If the camera is out of focus, the tripod falls over or the clouds suddenly obscure the lighting, he's likely to reset and refilm the shot (like in the movies). And while he might be catching raw moments in his life, they are staged and filmed. They might not have been scripted, but a lot of time and effort goes into being a one-man film crew.

These are things that normal viewers may not consider. They've been lulled into believing what they see actually happened as they see it on-screen, forgetting there's sometimes "story boarding," reshooting and editing involved, like on a reality TV show.

I'm sometimes even lulled into forgetting that what I'm watching is mostly staged. These vloggers, or content creators, are "acting" for their own camera to produce "quality" content that they can then monetize. And many of them make a decent living, for minimalist type lifestyles.

Some of them even have an interesting back story. As Jasmine Cherry points out in this long-winded video (you can skip to 13:27 for relevant content), there is an element of privilege. These vloggers have the money, equipment and time to shoot and edit and upload these 20-30 minute videos, on average. For some, it becomes a full-time job with a livable income stream as a result. Others go so far as to hock wares, even their own creations, on their channels, while still others will grovel and beg for support--through Patreon, GoFundMe and other crowdfunding sources.

And let's remember, it's SOCIAL MEDIA on the Internet...everything is not exactly how it seems! (i.e. you can't trust everything you see on the Interwebz). Take everything, even these "reality" vlogs with a grain of salt (or a pitcher of Margaritas!). Again, content creators are, in a sense, actors putting up a perception of their reality. Take, for instance, Isabel Paige (not her real last name), who was outed by Ms. Cherry, as painting a very skewed picture of her reality--living in the wilderness in a tiny home she built. In reality, her family owns a farm where they once grew weed (legally, of course) and had an ON-GRID VACATION HOME. This was never shown, of course, or explained on Isabel's vlog until she was outed. She and her boyfriend had been living large in her parent's vacation home in the Washington wilderness, about 30 minutes (not an hour, as she claimed) from the nearest town. In fact, there were modern neighborhoods nearby in her river valley. They were not roughing it in a poorly-accommodated tiny house in relative seclusion. She's one of the privileged class who had no problem downplaying her financial situation and even groveling for money to sustain her simple lifestyle. Um, grifter much?

So much for the fantasy of living honestly and modestly off the grid and off the land...

Why did I take a break from the positivity of my Belize countdown to talk about this? Because people are being duped by these new reality stars. Nikki Delventhal was once a model, hairstylist and contestant on The Bachelor. She isn't homeless and surviving nature in her car because she HAS TO. But all of her vlogs center around her "roughing it." She's a little more transparent about her privilege and doesn't beg for money, but she does have a Patreon account with subscribers who support her channel. It's just a replacement for reality TV shows, like "Survivor" or "Big Brother," shows that I cannot believe are still going decades later!

Lowest common denominator entertainment is what I call it.

I turned to YouTube as a replacement for cable. I got sucked into the "real life" drama of these people living "off grid," or untraditionally. It vibrated on my frequency...and to be honest, I got tired of falling asleep to Eckhart Tolle, Mooji or hypnotic music videos that play all night. This was my relaxing, alternative escape.

When I learned yesterday of the "real life" drama between vloggers Cherry and Paige, I was knocked back to reality. Anyway, we'll get you back to the Belize Countdown here shortly. In the meantime, check out any of these vloggers' YouTube channels:

vanwives: https://www.youtube.com/c/Vanwives
The Cottage Fairy: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCottageFairy
Isabel Paige: https://www.youtube.com/user/pinsandneedleswithme
Stephi Lee: https://www.youtube.com/c/StephiLee
Nikki Delventhal: https://www.youtube.com/c/NikkiDelventhal

Again, these are shared for entertainment purposes only...and yes, I'll admit, a couple of them were/are guilty pleasures. Enjoy!

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #8 NATURE

I realized in 2011, after moving to Fort Myers Beach, FL, that I WAS MEANT TO LIVE NEAR THE WATER! And from what I've seen and heard, Placencia is like the Belizean FMB--white sand beaches, crystalline waters, warmth year-round, humidity...sounds idyllic!!!

What could be better than waking to the sounds of gentle waves lapping at a Caribbean beach, or the gentle breezes rustling the palm fronds, or the cacophony of tropical birds??? Yes, the locals say that the morning greets you with a symphony of bird calls, some days as early as 4 a.m. I'm an early riser and what better alarm clock than the sing-song of various birds?

There are over 580 species of birds!

The sea, the rainforests, the sounds of birds, iguanas roaming the beachside...NATURE!!!

I'll be getting back to nature and the rhythms of beach life. Like the ebb and flow of the Caribbean tide, life comes at a lower frequency. The slow down. The ability to breathe deeply the tropical air. That's what I'm talking about.

There is nothing better than the shade of a palm or scrub oak in the fall, a gentle seabreeze and the smell of salty air when temps are hovering around 80-degrees F. Those are the perfect days in the tropics, as the humidity begins it's slow decline, the days get shorter and the temps a little lower. I can't think of anyplace more perfect to sit down and read a book, or journal or listen to the sounds of nature!

My topsy-turvy life of the last few years has been crying out for the beach. I can't wait to see dolphins and water foul again, to taste the salty surf on my lips and to gently bob in the swells of blue-green waters. I've longed to feel the baby powder sand between my toes, to take long beach walks on cloudless days when the sea is like glass and to be one with nature, again. That is, indeed, my happy place.

And when I want to escape into the jungle, take an adventure, see some Mayan ruins, I can take a day trip inland. There are just so many attractive aspects of Belize, in addition to the location and the great-tasting coffee. Reason #8 why I want to live there? Nature...and rediscovering my happy place!

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #9 Location

 Location, Location, Location!!!

Placencia surrounded by crystalline waters

And this will creep into other top reasons, too, stay tuned. But the United State's shares a continent with Belize, meaning you could get there by car, pickup, semi, moped, bike, foot...I'm just saying it gives you options. And should I need to get back to the U.S. for medical reasons or benefits or family emergency, I'd have the same options.

I wouldn't need a boat or airfare or some other costly mode of travel to reach the homeland.

Other nearby considerations, such as Cuba or the Bahamas, wouldn't provide that flexibility. AND, being that it's prone to Atlantic Basin hurricanes, I'd want a viable escape route. Only so far you can run on an island and so high (sea-level wise). In Belize, there are plenty of highlands, neighboring countries, etc.

There are beaches, it is a sub-tropical climate, it is surrounded by culture and nature...Mayan ruins just a short distance away!

I ruled out moving to Europe or Canada because of the climate. I really wanted to live in a fully-developed, more socialist-leaning country. Belize does not offer any of that. It is a third world country, fairly new with a democratic form of government. They don't allow unrestricted abortions and haven't legalized weed, yet, "Belize is one of the top countries in Central America when it comes to cannabis consumption."

Did I mention the beaches and the climate? These are going to make the top five, trust me.

Eat your heart out, Florida Keys!

I really don't want to move halfway around the globe. I still have roots in the States. Being in Central America, accessible by basic modes of transportation, is definitely a plus. Placencia to Brownsville (TX) is a 1,400 mile trip. Again, no boat or plane needed.

It wasn't initially a consideration when I began dreaming of escaping American capitalism and corruption, but distance from the homeland is kind of important. That's why it makes #9 on this list.

Feel free to comment below...and thanks for reading!

10 Reasons Why I'm Moving to Belize - #10 COFFEE!

 As you'll see here, the Belizean coffee trade is in it's infancy, but if locale is any indication, some of THE BEST coffees in the world come from neighboring Guatemala. I used to sell/serve Guatemalan fair-trade coffee through Phoenix Coffee of Fort Myers Beach!

So outside of Belize, it's not easy to get their coffee. Once I live there, I'll have immediate access. AND because I intend to live in Placencia (Southern Belize), I'll be very near the Guatemalan border! DOUBLE SCORE!!!

I'm an everyday coffee drinker--no more than 3 cups. I love a full-bodied coffee and Central American coffees tend to be heartier with chocolatey notes. Perfect!

Even fully caffeinated, I will be slowing down the pace of life. I've been doing that the last four years, anyway. As a nomad, with little steady income, I've learned how to slow down in the midst of hustle and bustle around me--in Tallahassee, Boulder and Evansville. One of the biggest draws (SPOILER ALERT!!! This will make the top 5!) to Placencia, Belize, is the slower pace of life. It's a Caribbean fishing village, now tourist destination. And being a third-world country, there's not the dog-eat-doggedness of "the American Dream." Life just moves slower there, like at the beach I love in Florida. Every video you watch of Belize talks about the slow pace. Don't expect things to get done quickly there! I'm great with that!

But, I digress...Coffee...fair trade, locally grown, Belizean coffee. That, in itself, would be a great reason--a wonderful reason--to move to Belize.

I'm no coffee snob, I just HAVE to have it to get going every morning! I'm an addict. But I don't drink it all day. Too much caffeine makes me jittery and sweaty. That's why a typical morning for me includes two cups with JUST SUGAR! And when all I have is Arabica Bean Folgers or some other popular brand, I put extra scoops in the basket. I tend to drink it "truck stop strong!" Maybe that's why I can't drink more than 2-3 cups.

I like it strong, just not too bitter. As far as added flavors, I prefer either chocolate (mocha) or cinnamon. That's it...rarely ever do I use a flavored creamer, or a cream of any kind! Why dilute the flavor of coffee??

So a move to Belize puts me closer to the coffees of the world that I love! And that's Reason #10 why I am moving there! Thanks for reading...to be continued.

The erosion of the central marketplace

 Bill makes a good point here. When I first saw the title of Bill Maher's latest video, "Make the Mall Great Again," I was skeptical. I don't always agree with the blowhard who likes to sometimes play both sides of the fence. But after watching the linked video, I have to say, "Yeah, that makes sense."

I began thinking of my birthplace, Princeton, Indiana.

The once thriving agricultural and industrial center of Southwest Indiana boasted a classic courthouse and town square that was at it's zenith in the late 1930's. The Southern Railroad Shops, opened in the mid-1890's, brought more industry to the agricultural town. Across from the shops on the southern edge of town, sat the Heinz factory. Still, agriculture was the economy of that part of the state until the crisis of the 70's and 80's hit farmers and the Midwest hard.

The point is, everyone from surrounding communities used to congregate at the old town square. It was the hub of activity for Gibson County, established in 1814 before Indiana became the 19th state. People from the small hamlet of Francisco, some seven miles away, where my mother was raised, would hitch up the wagon and ride into town. The Princeton square was the place to find the latest fashions, to go for a meal, socialize and hear town gossip.

This idea of a central marketplace dates back to the earliest civilizations. Maher makes this point in his video.

Indianapolis City Market, 1906

The Princeton square was simply a place around which to "cruise" when I was a kid. Like my parents did in high school, we'd ride downtown, around the square and back out west to the NEW hub of commerce along the highway bypass, U.S. 41. The old hub was in decline, some of it's buildings abandoned and deteriorating.

The move west towards the highway took it's toll on downtown Princeton. Main Street was the old highway. It dated back to pioneer times and the old wagon route from Red Banks (Henderson, Kentucky) to the Territorial Capitol of Vincennes. Princeton was a midpoint. And that old wagon trail that became U.S. 41, ran right past the courthouse, framing the east side of the square. Once the square was bypassed to better facilitate north-south traffic, it began to lose it's centrality to the town and surrounding communities. It was no longer the place to meet and greet.

Princeton's Square around Gibson County Courthouse

By the 1990's, people began crying foul that big box stores, like Walmart and Menards, were killing local businesses and downtown traffic. It was the draw to these mini-malls that kept people moving past the courthouse and town square to the commerce centers along U.S. 41 west of there. That was the demise of the downtown shopping district, which is now seeing a revival, of sorts.

All that highlights what Maher is saying about the decentralization and compartmentalization of our society. In the 2000's, it's not just the big box retailers and urban sprawl. Now, it's the online marketplace and the fact that you no longer need to leave your house to shop Walmart or Menards. With a single click, you can have those goods delivered right to your doorstep.

Yes, the malls and big box retailers might have replaced the downtown marketplace, but even that was better (socio-economically AND ecologically) than today's shop-by-phone. We really have isolated ourselves inside our homes by and large. Nowadays, only large festivals and fairs bring people to a common center. Such is the case with Heritage Days at the Princeton Square every year or the Gibson County Fair north of town. People have found less and less reasons to congregate, especially in the heart of town.

Many town squares in rural towns resemble ghost towns these days. They are just the drive-by areas in fly-over states, like Indiana.

And many of those planes flying over are operated by FedEx and UPS, carrying payloads of packages we've ordered online...the stuff we used to get from stores around the square.

That's progress?

The New Civil War, A War of Ideas (and Living in the past)

Stop Calling it Civil War (MSNBC clip)

Civil War, it's a phrase that right-wing extremists (lots of them Christo-fascists) like to banter about in reference to today's culture war. Because let's be real, while many of these armed domestic terrorists are serious about killing people, there is no war between states about to break out. It's largely an ideological war, or a war of ideas.

To be fair, that's what was boiling to a crescendo in the late 1850's--the vast differences in ideals, in ways of living and looking at the world. In the 19th century, those in the agrarian culture of the south, which depended largely on a slave labor force, did not see the world the same as those in the industrialized culture of northern cities. It was a war of ideas...at first.

That's where the similarities to 2022 end.

No one today is taking up arms to defend their home state, the virtues of country living or slavery. No states (besides maybe Texas) see themselves as wholly separate from the union (the U.S.). None of those "rogue" states are threatening succession or forming militias. That would constitute a revolt much like the Civil War. 

That is not happening.

No, today's culture war is over change. This change has been happening gradually since before I was born in the 1960's. Historians call this segment of our brief history "the cultural revolution." It was going on while my parents were in junior high and high school. Their world was turning upside down. I was born at the height of the Vietnam War. That war was crucial to the turning of the tide and quickening the "revolution." The war of ideas between the Depression Era babies and their "baby boomer" offspring was the beginning of the new "civil war."

It was no longer north v. south, agrarian v. industrial, slave v. free labor...no, this was about Leave It To Beaver v. Three's Company. Let's face it, we grew up in the TV generation. It was Father Knows Best v. Bewitched/Maude/Alice (insert female heroine-themed show here). It was Bonanza/Little House v. Good Times/Sanford and Sons. Okay, enough with the cultural TV references.

My parents were raised on that line of division. They shunned most of the "hippie ideals" of their generation and became entrenched in the Reagan Republicanism of the 1980's with it's "moral majority" and good fight against communism and "the devil."

Fast forward to common time and we see the "moral majority," shrinking into the dark corners of the web (Q'Anon, Proud Boys, etc). We see that Christo-fascist minority, still clinging to the ideals of Jerry Falwell and the like, becoming more entrenched. If you ask them, they are under persecution by the left, the media, "the gays," etc. They've become adept at demonizing ANYTHING different. They'd be happier if we just returned to the "good ol' days" of Father Knows Best and Leave It To Beaver...back to a time when minorities and women "knew their place."

That's at the heart of this culture war, at least for those of my parents' generation on the right side of this "civil war," they want to live in the past. They yearn for the glory days of their youth (think American Graffiti or Happy Days). Because for white, American males, they still dominated our culture--everything from mass media (news, TV, movies, magazines, advertising) to the pulpit. Those aging boomers feel like they are losing their grip on society. It began with removing prayer from school, just ask them.

And at some level, I get it. You are resistant to change. You fear the new norms of society--openly gay marriage, for instance--only because it is foreign to you and you don't understand it. That part of the culture war, due to the generational gap, is understandable. It's relatable. It's nothing new.

What's so scary about TODAY's Culture War is how it seems to be dividing my generation and the youth in this country.

When Roe v. Wade was struck down by the Supreme Court, taking us back to the 1950's, in effect, you saw LOTS of young people counter-protesting and applauding the stripping of women of bodily autonomy. I was struck by all the young pro-lifers my daughters age taking to the streets to celebrate this "victory" for "morality."

And then there's the domestic terrorist, much younger than me, armed to the teeth and willing to go down in a "blaze of glory" to defend the old-fashioned ideals I've spoken of here. That's what baffles me. Even as a white male, what sense does it make to regress back to 1950's ideals, like on Father Knows Best? Why would someone who's benefited from the progresses we've made, want to go back to decades before they were even born?? That truly baffles me.

Why would someone like Donald Drumpf appeal to these young right-wing extremists?

Is it just his "fuck the system" approach to governing and the rule of law?

I get that these people, persecuted as they are, feel disenfranchised. I think many of us feel that way about our system of government. It's about as corrupt as a third-world country, just with a lot more money trading hands! But those of us on the, dare I say (and out myself) on the EXTREME LEFT, want to fight not with weapons, but with the pen, with a change in our structure of government.

Our aim is NOT to revert backwards, but to keep pushing the country FORWARD! Let's keep pushing boundaries and see how great we can become. Let's live by the ideals set forth in our Constitution, that EVERY person is created equal (though I'd argue the creationism part). There's no need to take up arms to do that.

THAT SAID, if this culture war WERE to devolve into actual violence, with people taking up arms, then COUNT ME IN!

Yes, I said it.

There are those of us on the left who WOULD ALSO DIE to defend our freedoms and our way of life. It slices both ways.

But let's be real, this IS NOT CIVIL WAR...and shouldn't become one, either. It's simply a war of ideals--one part (a small one) of the country, mostly in fly-over/rural states, wants to go back and the rest of us (a large majority) want to move forward. It's really that simple. It's been going on my whole lifetime, and even predates me by a generation.

Let's not return to the 1950's, despite the Supreme Court, and states like my own, Indiana, putting unConstitutional laws in place restricting a woman's right to bodily autonomy. Heck, even CORPSES have bodily autonomy in that you can't harvest organs without consent. So why can you harvest babies? Fodder for another blog post, I suppose.

This is NOT a Civil War, so quit calling it that. Quit rattling your sabres and threatening widespread violence. One attack on a local FBI office and a guy driving into a DC barricade before shooting himself IS. NOT. A DECLARATION OF WAR! You are a bunch of weak, wannabe soldiers. Just stop! /end rant/

Serendipity...hope.

I am hoping for serendipity to take hold.

If two planets are met to collide, is there anything on this Earth, or within the realm of human possibilities, that can stop this cosmic intent?

In the not-so-distant past, I believed that someone very special was brought into my galaxy. I thought about the two of us as planets orbiting in very close proximity. I believed that we were on a crash course brought forth by destiny, or you might call it serendipity. For I never saw it coming. I certainly wasn't looking for it.

In this twist of fate that even I couldn't have written in a romance novel, I found this person orbiting in my galaxy. She was within reach. She was BEYOND anything that I could have hoped for, or even dreamed possible.

Circumstances forced me far away from her, but she was never out of my mind. Though, I sought to replace her, erased her photos from my phone, even wrote her a card basically wishing her a nice life...still...

Last night, she came to me in a dream. We hit it off like old friends. She was as familiar to me as a favorite sweatshirt when the crisp fall air of November requires an extra layer of warmth. And she fit right in with my family, as if hand to glove.

I don't put too much stock in dreams, but this was evidence of my subconscious stirring. She's always been there. Stirring. In the background.

Back when we were orbiting, I felt that it was a sure thing. Circumstance and perfect timing put us in each other's pathway. We struck a chord immediately and became good friends, but had to keep a professional distance. Secretly, we communicated electronically and shared some laughs and some tears, our joys and frustrations. In my mind's eye, I could see us planning a future together. I even prayed for guidance--to my ancestors, to the stars, to anyone "out there" listening.

There was one night in particular, I will never forget. Lying on my back in the late summer grass, looking up at a multitude of stars, I was overcome with a moment of humility and gratefulness. I thanked the Universe for being so gracious and kind to me, serendipitous, if you will. At that point in time, I just knew our two orbits would some day collide. It was written in the stars. We were on a very similar timeline, and in a similar situation in life.

So now that I am some distance away, and I've basically removed myself from her life, does that space, distance or time really mean anything? Is there really anything I could do to thwart the hand of fate? I was kind in my letter to her and I wished her nothing but the best.

But if my instincts were right, she hasn't written me off or forgotten about me. If we were meant to find each other at the most unexpected time and place, and our future is already written cosmically, is there any force on Earth that can stop that from coming to fruition? I can't fathom that there is.

Yet, it seems so wildly speculative and unimaginable at this particular juncture.

My plan is to live in Florida at the coast. Her's, as far as I could tell, was to live on the opposite coast. Will we somehow find our way back to each other? Only time will tell.

Today, all I can do is hope.

Serendipity...that's my hope.

THEOCRACIES SUCK!!!

 THEOCRACIES SUCK!
(just ask the Palestinians)

I have to laugh when I hear people (usually white men) trying to explain the marriage of the right wing of democracy in this country to the fundamentalist extremists in Christianity. This idea that the GOP lovefest with Christianity started in the 80's with the rise of Jerry Falwell and the "moral majority," while maybe true for modern politics, is nothing new. It's quite rooted in the history of The West and our love affair with monotheism.

If you're not a student of The Bible, surely you've heard the stories of The Old Testament, where God directed "His people" to go kill and plunder rival nations and kingdoms. He instructed them to lay waste to every living thing--babies, livestock, crops... These nomadic Middle Eastern people were "His chosen ones." TALK ABOUT MANIFEST DESTINY!

Old Testament Jerusalem was a theocracy; just look at the Kingdom of David (Judah). He ruled from the ancient Scriptures. "Thus saith the Lord" was the law of the land. Let's be honest, it's not so different from it's cousin, Islam and Sharia Law. "Thus saith Allah," and so forth.

So where did we get this notion that today's Christian nationalism is any different? Why do we always think we're so special, so unique in America?

Our forefathers had this same idea. Manifest Destiny, a marriage of God and country, the original Christian nationalism. I mean, it was God who brought the pilgrims here, was it not? Ask the Native Americans what they think about this theory.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The Great Roman Empire (27 BCE - 476 CE), which became a theocracy in the Middle Ages as "The Holy Roman Empire," was a marriage between monotheism and politics. The Pope basically ruled Europe through the 19th century. This is NOT a new concept. King David ruled the United Kingdom of Isreal from 1010 - 970 BCE.

These ideals were carried forward by our Anglo-Saxon forbearers to the shores of America. Now one can argue that the founders were largely deists as opposed to fundamentalist Christians, but that is really minutiae.  

The idea of a government established on the authority of a monotheistic deity and laws based upon ancient scriptures predates modern history. It doesn't make that minority faction in our country unique or special. They are just reviving the ideals of Manifest Destiny. What God has given us, let's not give back, is the thinking. Or in their words, let's "take" America back and make it great again...because what this world needs is another Holy Roman Empire.

Those monotheistic kingdoms were always so "godly," kind and compassionate, weren't they?

Go back to "the beginning" and the "Manifest Destiny" of the nomadic peoples of Judea and look at Deuteronomy 7. It introduces the idea of haram, a Hebrew word for the utter annihilation of peoples (think native inhabitants of a land). There's really a great Wikipedia article about the violence of the Old Testament you should read. Sadly, it was a foreshadowing of what Europeans would do to natives in this Hemisphere in more modern history.

So we should NOT be surprised that Christian nationalists are steeped in this tradition, aka White Nationalism, Manifest Destiny and such.

This is nothing new.

It's not an American problem. It's certainly not a Protestant problem (aka the Moral Majority of the 1980's). It predates modern history.

The extremists on the right want to return this country "back" to Christianity. They want to turn this democracy into a THEOCRACY, with The Bible as the supreme authority. It's the Holy Roman Empire 2.0.

It's not much different than the current crisis in the Middle East, and specifically I mean Palestine. While modern-day Israel is not the theocracy of King David, it was certainly territory given back to the Jewish people because of this principal of Manifest Destiny (refer back to Deut. 7). Their ancient forbearers took that land by force (haram, or utter annihilation). OUR forbearers did the same!

If you ask me, we are paying dearly for "the sins of our fathers."

If you want to know what the lingering affects of theocratic governing look like, just ask the Palestinians...or the Native Americans.

(NOTE: This post was inspired by a short video I watched yesterday on YouTube where this older white guy was mansplaining the marriage of the extreme right to Protestantism gone wrong in America.)