By Dr. Denise R. Ames
I remember reading Charles Dickens’ historical novel, A Tale of Two Cities, in my high school English class many years ago. 
This memorable quote opens the book: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…”
At the time, I wondered how all of these different emotions could be expressed at the same time. Now I realize that we are expressing many different emotions all simultaneously—anger, fear, hope, despair, concern, love, and hate. These emotions are not necessarily rational responses to events but bubble up from our deep core of being to burst forth.
Our country was built on a myth: “Work hard, play by the rules and you can achieve the American Dream,” I bought into this myth. I worked hard very hard. As baby boomers, my husband and I built and sold six houses in our early years of marriage, along with our other jobs. It was physically demanding work but we were able to accrue a nice nest egg from our endeavors.
I taught my Gen-X children the same values. They had challenging jobs as teenagers like cleaning the lard barrel at Hardees, “walking beans” to get weeds out on hot summer days, babysitting for long stretches, and cleaning houses.
“walking beans”
My children grew up expecting they would achieve the same lifestyle level as I had, but from their experiences they knew it would take dedicated effort and a college education. They learned to be resilient adults. They were able to overcome setback, adversity, and figuring things out on their own. The lessons have stuck with them.
But from my readings and observations, I am learning that Millennials and Gen Z have different expectations about the future. As I see it, they are expecting a similar lifestyle but somehow missing the connection between working hard and achieving rewards. Because of the implications of the American Dream, the current generation assumes that they can have a similar lifestyle as their parents. But the question is how to acquire these expectations without the often boring and repetitive hard work. They have figured out a way.
Along comes the political philosophy of democratic socialism. The politicians promise 
that the government can provide many of the life’s comforts with little effort from recipients. Free college education, reimbursement of student loan debt, free health care, well-paying and secure jobs, subsidized day care, and a host of other goodies. I remember toiling for a long, hot summer at a potato chip factory to earn enough to pay my tuition and expenses for a year of college. With a little help from my parents, and low-cost tuition, I saved enough money to pay the costs, with lots of grueling over-time and Saturday work. I had some “skin” in the game, I wasn’t going to blow it.
I will continue to blog about the cultural divide in our country in March. My forthcoming 
book—Divided: Five Colliding Worldviews and How to Navigate Them—describes the cultural divide primarily in the U.S. through the lens of five worldviews—indigenous, traditional, progressive, globalized, and transformative. Ideas from the blogs are explained in the book as well.
About the Author
Dr. Ames’ varied life experiences—scholarly research, teaching, reflections, and extensive travels—have contributed to her balanced and thoughtful perspectives. Earning a doctorate in world history education, she has taught secondary schools, universities, a community college, professional development trainings, and lifelong learners. In 2003, Dr. Ames founded the educational non-profit, Center for Global Awareness, developing globally-focused books and educational resources. She has written seven books, blogs, lesson plans, articles, newsletters, and teaching units for the non-profit and clients.
Dr. Ames is now developing a program called Turn—transformative understanding and 
reflection network—that encourages life-long learners to see things with new eyes, shift perspectives, and understand the balance in all things. She teaches classes and writes about cross-cultural awareness, indigenous wisdom, a transformative worldview, learning from the past, a mythic journey, and transforming travel.
First of all, I see our society, culture, economy, beliefs, government, etc. (traits) as a holistic system in which all the different traits interact and reinforce each other to make the system operate smoothly. All the system’s traits share a common ideology, otherwise there is discord. Since the late 1980s onward, we have embraced a globalized worldview in which the economy has been governed by a neoliberal (free market) form of capitalism. The American global economy has been governed by these neoliberal principles and China and others have promoted mercantilist or state capitalist principles.
Our political governance has been globalized as well, with an accompanying mindset of embracing global institutions, such as the World Trade Organization, United Nations, and treaties such as NAFTA (North American Free Trade Association). The US (somewhat) has encouraged a global work force through legal and illegal immigration.
Americans have witnessed growing poverty, fractured families, and few economic opportunities.
Dr. Ames’ varied life experiences— teaching, scholarly research, personal reflections, and extensive travels—have contributed to her balanced and thoughtful perspectives. Earning a doctorate in world history education, she has taught secondary schools, universities, a community college, and lifelong learners. In 2003, Dr. Ames founded the educational non-profit, Center for Global Awareness that develops globally-focused books and educational resources for grade 9-university. She has written eight books, plus numerous blogs, lesson plans, articles, newsletters, teaching units, and conducted professional development workshops for the non-profit and its clients.
The combo of COVID-19 and the George Floyd events have shaken Americans. What are the consequences of such seismic events on our lives? Although I am certainly not predicting the future, I have taken a stab at giving my impressions of what may result from these two events and also events simmering below the surface for several years. I have given a range of my impressions from dire consequences to rosy scenarios. Hopefully, the rosy scenario will prevail.
Disagreements about governing and national loyalty tear into the fabric of America pitting two different national visions into an irreconcilable divide. Armed militias on both sides face off against each other, as vestiges of emasculated police forces are no match for the well-armed tribes. The American military is called in to restore order, but must deal with guerrilla warfare in cities already ravaged by crime, depopulation, and ineffectual leadership.
college, while Democrats also take the Senate and House of Representations. This crushing victory has emboldened the progressive left and they make demands on the centrist/moderate wing of the party. Moderates shrink under the onslaught. The left hastily enacts new and expensive social programs to fulfill their progressive mandate and stimulate the economy. There is token opposition by a neutered Republican party. The resulting influx of vast quantities of money into the economy spurs inflation and economic woes for the middle and upper classes who own assets that are quickly shedding value.
continues. Crime rates soar, especially in the largest cities. The mass exodus from large cities to smaller cities and from financially strapped blue states to red states continues for those who can afford it. Because of the disorder and ineffectual Democratic leadership, President Trump is reelected president by a narrow margin, once again winning the electoral college but losing the popular vote. The left refuses to accept the election results and stages even more protests, which often devolve into riots. Maligned and decimated police forces are unable to quell the riots, resulting in the military taking control of large cities.
representative government—fades as more authoritarian forms of government become more popular. Both the left and right wage an intense assault on the foundations of liberalism in America. The left is the first to launch an attack with a viral campaign to defund the police, knowing that without the police chaos and disorder will prevail. With disorder, the chances of ramming through a different political ideology becomes easier, as the public is distracted by survival tactics. The disorder continues, despite election results, and proves more destabilizing. An authoritarian form of government becomes more of a reality, most likely on the left.
the Progressive left and the Populist right. Almost everyone resonates with his message of coming together as a country and embracing our shared values. Protests end, order stored, residents begin to return to depopulated cities. Although the national debt is sky-high from stimulus spending and curbing the spread of the virus, everyone is glad to contribute to slightly higher taxes to pay for a brighter future. An “era of good-feeling” is reminiscent of happier days in America’s past. Unemployment plummets and new manufacturing jobs return to America to ease the anger of white, working class men, while adding jobs for African-Americans and other minorities. It is morning again in America.
Dr. Ames’ varied life experiences— teaching, scholarly research, personal reflections, and extensive travels—have contributed to her balanced and thoughtful perspectives. Earning a doctorate in world history education, she has taught secondary schools, universities, a community college, and lifelong learners. In 2003, Dr. Ames founded the educational non-profit, Center for Global Awareness that develops globally-focused books and educational resources for grade 9-university. She has written eight books, plus numerous blogs, lesson plans, articles, newsletters, teaching units, and conducted professional development workshops for the non-profit and its clients.
1. Addressing Environmental Stress.
2. Bridging our Cultural Divide.
3. Shifting our Attitudes and Taking Positive Action
4. Supporting a Local Economy
5. Enhancing our Sense of Well-being
About the Author: Dr. Denise R. Ames
Whenever I look across the nation and see turmoil, protesting, rioting, and wanton destruction in many of America’s largest cities, I am reminded of the 1958 novel by Nigerian author, 
Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 according to his interpretation of Marxism–Leninism. The Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot’s leadership, classified people based on their religious and ethnic backgrounds. Buddhist monks were classified as social parasites, for example, and sent to work on the country’s newly collectivized farms as manual laborers. Even those who wore eye glasses were considered part of the elite class and eliminated. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge killed around 
and policies, thus justifying their support of those bent on destruction. I have found that Trump has acted as a provocateur aggravating division. But the left has taken the “bait” and responded with irrational, pent-up fury and promoted unpopular ideas that has also made things worse. According to the left, anything directed by Trump has to be fiercely resisted.
Dr. Ames’ varied life experiences— teaching, scholarly research, personal reflections, and extensive travels—have contributed to her balanced and thoughtful perspectives. Earning a doctorate in world history education, she has taught secondary schools, universities, a community college, and lifelong learners. In 2003, Dr. Ames founded the educational non-profit, Center for Global Awareness that develops globally-focused books and educational resources for grade 9-university. She has written eight books, plus numerous blogs, lesson plans, articles, newsletters, teaching units, and conducted professional development workshops for the non-profit and its clients.
We are treading in turbulent waters. Uncertainty wafts through the air, tensions descend like the mist over our uncertain future. I am very disturbed by recent events. Although the coronavirus adds to the misery, I find the political events and riots even more disturbing. It feels as if activity has evolved from legitimate protests about police brutality and inequality to an illegitimate all-out coup attempt by an amorphous group of anarchists or Antifa.
When traditions are toppled too rapidly it can cause anomie, despair, and hopelessness among members of society. Just ask indigenous peoples about the loss of their traditions, they can testify to the destruction it wields.
Dr. Ames’ varied life experiences— teaching, scholarly research, personal reflections, and extensive travels—have contributed to her balanced and thoughtful perspectives. Earning a doctorate in world history education, she has taught secondary schools, universities, a community college, and lifelong learners. In 2003, Dr. Ames founded the educational non-profit, Center for Global Awareness that develops globally-focused books and educational resources for grade 9-university. She has written eight books, plus numerous blogs, lesson plans, articles, newsletters, teaching units, and conducted professional development workshops for the non-profit and its clients.
In earlier blogs I described how the progressive worldview is gaining ascendancy on the U.S. stage and becoming the dominant worldview. In fact, it is gaining followers very quickly and seems to be on the trajectory to become more entrenched in American institutions and consciousness. The progressive movement’s popularity, in my view, is because it is providing meaning for many Americans.
I make the case that the progressive movement is providing a source of meaning to people who want to create meaning or more meaning in their lives. With the decline of neighborhood associations, neighbor interactions, civic organizations, religious attendance, and extended family, the traditional sources of meaning have declined or disappeared. To replace these traditional sources, some people have latched on to social justice movements as a way to help people feel they are contributing to the greater good.
actually far removed from the suffering the movement is trying to solve. For example, many people support defund the police as a worthy cause, yet the people who it harms the most, inner-city minority poor, are the ones who many people think they are helping. In reality, they are not.
fragility, often does more harm than good. Targeting an enemy and shouting they are causing the problem, delays seeking realistic and difficult decisions.
In the last blog, I wrote about the importance of looking at the big picture in determining what type of change a society should undergo and to not dwell on less significant matters. In this blog, I will continue this concept and advocate for reform as the best way to have both continuity and change.
Too much continuity results in a stagnant society that is unable to flourish or accommodate the needs of their citizens. I would argue that the American South prior to the Civil War was an example of a society attempting to stave off change and hold on to the status quo, even though it resulted in a civil war. Changing attitudes and economic conditions in the northern states shored up the idea of free labor, and new moral sentiments saw black people as humans and entitled to the rights and dignity afforded to all humanity.
The notion of progress, deeply embedded into American consciousness, has worked well within a framework of Liberalism (the Enlightenment variety). The concepts of freedom of press, speech, assembly, and debate are firmly entrenched ideals that Americans share. In the preamble to our constitution is the quote that we are charged with forming a “more perfect union.” This quote implies that the progress of the American experience is never complete and we must continue the call to make the U.S. a more equal, prosperous, and freedom-loving country.
Also embedded in this quote is a notion of reform. This means that the U.S. should continue to change and evolve, but not at such a rapid rate that it creates disorder and threatens the stability of the country. The founding fathers where familiar with the atrocities of the French Revolution beginning in 1789, when the initial call for the installation of a Liberal form of government was hijacked by revolutionaries who brought on war, executions, and chaos.
Because of these unsettling events in France, the founding fathers were mindful about creating a nation with a delicate balance between change and continuity. Their creation of a system of checks and balances, three branches of government, and power disbursed between federal, state, and local governments was an ingenious strategy to insure this balance. An education system later evolved to inculcate citizens in allegiance to a Liberal form of government and loyalty to its cause.
Rejecting reform and going along with an impulsive implementation of untried policies goes against our centuries-long agreement that reforms are the best way to make crucial changes without losing the counter-balance of continuity. Defunding the police is much different than implementing police reforms. It also has a much higher chance of failure and widening the already wide chasm that is dividing our country. Hopefully, calm and reflection will prevail and our love-affair with reform will continue and not end in a messy divorce.
Dr. Ames’ varied life experiences— teaching, scholarly research, personal reflections, and extensive travels—have contributed to her balanced and thoughtful perspectives. Earning a doctorate in world history education, she has taught secondary schools, universities, a community college, and lifelong learners. In 2003, Dr. Ames founded the educational non-profit, Center for Global Awareness that develops globally-focused books and educational resources for grade 9-university. She has written eight books, plus numerous blogs, lesson plans, articles, newsletters, teaching units, and conducted professional development workshops for the non-profit and its clients.
I am a firm believer in looking at everything from a “big picture” perspective. I am such a firm believer that I have written a book and taught classes about our 
The killing of George Floyd unleashed a torrent of animosity towards police and law enforcement authorities by protesters and their allies. One of their “demands” is to defund the police. By targeting the police and law enforcement in general, they (protesters, etc.) are targeting the protectors of the existing order. In many cases, police morale has been shattered, their dignity assailed, and their confidence undermined. Police authority to maintain order and safety has been severely compromised. I don’t think we have fully comprehended what this means. But, as shootings and violence have skyrocketed in many of our nation’s cities, I believe we are getting a taste for what can happen.
As the unraveling of the foundation of the U.S. gets underway, what kind of society is being promoted as a replacement. A complex nation, such as the United States, is a web of institutions, norms, behaviors, and values that have taken years to build up and solidified in place by laws, agreed upon mores, and endless civic debate.
Reform has been construed as a “dirty” word by many of the protesters. They want action now. But as the “experiment” in Seattle is any indications of what this utopian idea may look like, we should be rightfully concerned. Many of the protesters say reform is too slow, doesn’t bring about the desired change, and only reinforces the existing system. Reform is often slow and the results are stretched over a long period of time, making the reforms seem as thought they are ineffective. Slow acceptance is precisely what reforms should do. Humans generally do not adapt well to rapid change, it is too unsettling.
My plea is for those who are bent on wrecking the “system” to step back and look at the big picture of these actions. These destructive actions have unforeseen consequences that will most likely be negative. Building a society based on equality and justice does not magically appear. It takes years of patience, debate, multiple viewpoints, and solid leadership to create.
Dr. Ames’ varied life experiences— teaching, scholarly research, personal reflections, and extensive travels—have contributed to her balanced and thoughtful perspectives. Earning a doctorate in world history education, she has taught secondary schools, universities, a community college, and lifelong learners. In 2003, Dr. Ames founded the educational non-profit, Center for Global Awareness that develops globally-focused books and educational resources for grade 9-university. She has written eight books, plus numerous blogs, lesson plans, articles, newsletters, teaching units, and conducted professional development workshops for the non-profit and its clients.
ive Colliding Worldviews and How to Navigate Them has just been released!
In the last blog, “A New National Narrative,” I made the case that we need a new national narrative that fits better with our national reality. One of the national narratives that has recently thrust its way onto the national stage is the Social Justice narrative.
was founded upon slavery, misogyny, and colonialism. This legacy of lies and deceit are so egregious and embedded in the American psyche that, to them, there is no way to reform the system, since the system is utterly corrupt. Therefore, an overthrow of the system is necessary and a system based on radical economic, political, and social equality (equity) is imperative. Or, some even promote the turning upside of the current system where Whites have more power to one in which people of color have the most power.
intellectual depth and realistic goals. The Social Justice narrative, for example, rejects gradual and steady progress as a way to improve racial equality. In fact, commentator 
elevating Blacks to a role of superiority in American society. By worshipping the oppressed, culpable Whites are shedding some of their guilt. This does not have long-lasting appeal, and is rejected by many sensible Americans as Black racism.
Dr. Ames’ varied life experiences— teaching, scholarly research, personal reflections, and extensive travels—have contributed to her balanced and thoughtful perspectives. Earning a doctorate in world history education, she has taught secondary schools, universities, a community college, and lifelong learners. In 2003, Dr. Ames founded the educational non-profit, Center for Global Awareness that develops globally-focused books and educational resources for grade 9-university. She has written eight books, plus numerous blogs, lesson plans, articles, newsletters, teaching units, and conducted professional development workshops for the non-profit and its clients.
The old narrative held that Americans would continually prosper through hard work and perseverance to achieve a more prosperous standard of living than their parents. These rising expectations that life will be better for them than previous generations seemed achievable for some in the post-war years, but it has ground to a halt.
This Progressive Worldview is gaining traction as many politicians, tech-giant entrepreneurs, educators, academia, and media have jumped on the bandwagon advocating for this new narrative. Even calls to defund the police has gained traction among some unlikely people, for example, it is being moved along by the city council in Minneapolis where George Floyd’s death occurred.
long held that our expectations are outdistancing the reality of life in America. Progressives are comparing their “demands” to their own manufactured utopian ideal. Of course, progress among minority groups in the U.S. can never measure up to this ideal. If comparing minority progress to countries around the world, we have done quite well. In my lifetime, I can see considerable progress gained by minorities. But this measurement does not count.
Dr. Ames’ varied life experiences— teaching, scholarly research, personal reflections, and extensive travels—have contributed to her balanced and thoughtful perspectives. Earning a doctorate in world history education, she has taught secondary schools, universities, a community college, and lifelong learners. In 2003, Dr. Ames founded the educational non-profit, Center for Global Awareness that develops globally-focused books and educational resources for grade 9-university. She has written eight books, plus numerous blogs, lesson plans, articles, newsletters, teaching units, and conducted professional development workshops for the non-profit and its clients.
