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.
A growing political phenomenon, populism, is making headway in many countries around the world today, including western democracies. It is a worldwide phenomenon with far-reaching ramifications. The term was coined in the late 19th century, and the movement has resurfaced at various times in modern history.
It differs from “thick-centered” ideologies such as liberalism, socialism, federalism, nationalism, conservatism, or fascism that have developed more comprehensive views on the relationship of politics, economics, society, and religion.
According to populists, the pure people share a sense of identity that distinguishes them from different groups within society. The pure people are also considered virtuous and their selection of populist leaders is self-legitimatizing. While a liberal democracy is a political system based on pluralism in which different groups with different interests and values are all legitimate, populism is just the opposite.
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.
Divided addresses the question on the lips of every American: why can’t we get along? The cultural divide is threatening our democracy and destabilizing our country. Divided looks at the deep cultural divide through the lens of five colliding worldviews—indigenous, traditional, progressive, globalized, and transformative. This approach helps us make sense of our deep divisions and suggests ways of bridging them.
Closely following and reflecting upon this time of unrest, I have found that the rhetoric emerging from the progressive left reminds me of the making of a mythology. In response, I am drawn to exploring how progressives are actually formulating a mythology, rather than devising a new form of reality-based governance. This series of blogs will explore the making of a progressive myth. Here is part 4 …
For many years, meaning for many Americans reflected the mythology of the American Dream. It was about having a family, participating in community life, and being part of a religious organization. I remember as a child growing up in the 1950s that my extended family was very important in my life. My grandmother, the matriarch of the clan, wielded power with resolve. Some Americans continue to hold this myth, but it no longer resonates with others.
But the progressive left has risen to the occasion and sorted out what gives them meaning. This meaning is a vital component in their construction of a mythology. Many of today’s youth have struggled to find meaning in a world that rewards marketplace success to an elite few, in a crowded arena of professional strivers, or in low wage, dead-end jobs. I have empathy for their predicament. I am not surprised that many would gravitate to progressive left politics to assuage their lack of purpose.
Their cause may be to defund the police, abolish ICE, open up national borders, fight for racial justice, Black Lives Matter, save the environment, promote equality, protect transgender rights, destroy capitalism, or any other causes that meet their amorphous standards. However, I would argue, that the causes are vague and the goals are unattainable but that is not the real point. The real point is to find meaning in the cause and have a purpose in life.
national parks, breaking-up giant corporations, and passing an income tax.
crisis exposed real problems in the financial sector of the economy and the general trajectory of economic globalization and the neoliberal philosophy. Protests, such as Occupy Wall Street in 2011, galvanized the progressive left and gave them a worthy cause to protest. Even though the Occupy Wall Street fizzled, the emotions behind it certainly didn’t disappear. A mythology was beginning to form.
general election, losing to Donald Trump in the electoral college, the progressive movement took another turn after 2016.
Although American society has pursued a more scientific/rational explanation for who we are as a nation, it is still a myth. Actually, Americans and Westerners in general have pursued a scientific mythology, where human actions, unknowable forces, and nature’s events are explained through scientific premises. It is a particular way of seeing the world: rational, logical, and analytical. Although this mythology could be incorporated into myth #2, its significance requires a stand-alone status.
I am trying to make sense of what is going on today. I find it is hard to get clear answers, since events are happening quickly and unpredictably, so much so that most people are left dazed and cemented into a mute and bewildered state.
fact, many Westerners) are in the process of forming a new mythology. In comparison to myths that usually evolve and change over hundreds if not thousands of years, this myth is developing rather quickly. This new mythology does not reflect the beliefs of the American people as a whole, but instead is attributable to a certain group who have garnered attention and success in the last couple of decades in forging a sizable movement: the progressive left.
I have read several articles describing the progressive left as a new type of religion. I agree that in fact the leftist ideology does have many religious characteristics—certain rituals, good vs. evil themes, and constructing a new story of who they are. However, upon closer reflection, I find the term religion gets too confusing with what we think of established universal religions, such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Instead, I make the case that the new progressive left is more closely embodying a new mythology rather than religion.
It seems as though a lifetime has flashed by in the first 8 months of 2020, and it is not over yet! I don’t think anyone will be sad to say good-bye to this year.
sentiment behind protesting George Floyd’s death has no bearing on actions by violent groups today. I think it is safe to say that rioters are those who are intent on bringing down our system of government and economy. They appear to be largely white (not all) leftist groups, called Antifa by those on the right but largely unnamed by those on the left. I don’t know their numbers, but the mayhem and destruction they are fostering—especially in Seattle, Portland, and New York—is significant.
This unprecedented health pandemic has wrought uncertainty, despair, and anxiety through the entire world. The squabbling over different responses to the virus, is troubling as well. Like everything else in 2020, it has turned political, hampering common-sense solutions on both sides.
