Category Archives: Culture

National Significance of the American Flag

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Most Americans are extremely patriotic regardless of their backgrounds or political views or particular concepts of patriotism. And interestingly, each political party thinks it’s more patriotic than the others, but that’s a different subject altogether. The main point here is that because most Americans love their country and consider themselves to be patriotic, they also enjoy putting out their flag on certain holidays and for special occasions. Other people have the flag hanging outside their home throughout the year. Regardless of your political party or how many days out of the year you hang your flag, the fact remains the Flag of the United States is one of its primary symbols of pride and freedom commitments.

The American flag is seen hanging outside of all government buildings and state capitals, as well as a variety of businesses, whether they are major corporations or privately owned. The flag is also seen hanging at schools and community groups. It is one of the nation’s visual symbols that will inspire a major emotional response in US citizens that is similar among all demographics and backgrounds. And most people take seriously the expected etiquette for carrying, storing, hanging and even disposing of their flag. Americans may not all agree, or even like each other, but almost every American loves the flag, what it represents, and their country.

Shoe Shopping is a Ritual for Women

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Anyone who has watched “Sex & the City” or read Confessions of a Shopaholic knows that some women have an almost religious-like obsession with shoes . They will spend more money on a pair of shoes than some people will spend on a car payment. They have shoes that they have never worn because they are just waiting for the right outfit or the right occasion — or both. Shoes become the most important thing in their life.

Upon closer examination it becomes apparent that for many of these women shoe shopping is a ritual, not just a necessary activity. For many it is a ritual based on appearance. For these women the look of a shoe is what matters. They are attracted by the color, the line, the design and shape of a shoe. They imagine how a specific via spiga jenna will look on their foot.

These rituals are usually based on the notion of taking on the essence of a thing by possessing it. If they own this beautiful shoe and wear it, then by extension they become just as beautiful. Or sophisticated or flirty or whatever mood or quality the shoe happens to evoke in them. The ritual then becomes a matter of being drawn to the object, identifying the mood or feeling it evokes, and then purchasing the shoe in order to assume and project that feeling or mood through ownership and wearing.

Leadership on the Path of Least Resistance

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Today’s contemporary structures in the business world are much different than they were ten or twenty years ago. The trends which are running through the currents today, however, do have their roots back in the earlier decades. In our lifetimes, we have seen a move from one significant paradigm into an opposite paradigm. Businesses that work now are finding that the contemporary paradigm has its roots in something even more elemental than that’s lead to the current models.

It wasn’t long ago that the culture at large was speaking about willpower, and using your own clout in order to get what you wanted. People worked on principles of clever manipulation , and it was even accepted that this was a normal business practice, even if the manipulation had some elements of deception. It was accepted because it was generally acknowledged that everyone practiced this way. Thus, it became the norm, and the ones who could really succeed were the best at deftly covering up the manipulation.

Today’s model, where leadership qualities come from an internal sense of right and wrong, is much more effective, and also efficient. That’s because it’s based on honesty, and transparency . If there is nothing to cover up, then there is less time wasted, trying to figure out how to hide the truth. That’s a basic principle that has always been effective in any kind of setting, including business.

Seeing a return to this transparency in our lifetimes comes from a number of factors, but the single most important contributing circumstance is that it works. Honesty works. It’s something that comes naturally to everyone, but that doesn’t mean that a business training seminar won’t help to refresh ourselves on what’s always been effective. The question of leadership is always one of character, and one of the most successful tools is to start with the assumption that good character is something everyone has. This levels the playing field, so that our natural leadership potential can really come through and shine.

Traveling in Kansas

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There was a time when I traveled to Kansas annually; I’d rent a car from the Wichita airport, then drive to friends and relatives in Hutchinson and northern Oklahoma; Wichita is so close to the line that it took me less than three hours to reach the farming community of Cherokee, where my father grew up.  But I’ve gone in the opposite direction as well, heading north, throughout the state, where I’ve had the occasion to find some of the best of the hotels Kansas offers its visitors.  Along the way, I’ve stopped off at some of the more intriguing sights available in that state.  Here’s a sampling of one possible trip and the sights you might see along the way:

In Wichita, check out the Wichita Art Museum, the largest art museum in the state.  Through March, you’ll find an photographic exhibit called This is My Land: A Photographic Portrayal of America by James Yarnell.  The photographs document a cross-country tour of the U.S. from the air, from a book first published in 1962.

Travel northwest along the 96 highway to Hutchinson, where you can check out the Underground Salt Museum, opened in just the last few years.  The museum takes you down 650 feet below the Earth’s surface to witness a salt mine and salt deposits millions of years old.  In the winter months, it’s advisable to call ahead and to make reservations.  From Hutchinson, you can head north, rejoining the I-135, headed for Kansas City (if you want to take quite a detour, keeping going north once the I-135 turns into the 81, and take a left at the 24, until the 24 joins the 9.  On Highway 9, continue until you pass Beloit, pass Glen Elder, and you’ll find yourself at Cawker City, and the world’s largest ball of twine!  If twine isn’t the thing you want to see, take a left from the I-135 onto the 70, and head on over to Abilene, where you’ll find the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.  Continuing along the 70 will take you to Kansas City.  Check out this city’s boutique hotels (in one hotel, you can step outside and smell coffee from a nearby coffee plant!), and also the city’s train station, where you’ll find an excellent steak house.

If you happen to make this journey, definitely watch out the window for camels.  Kansas, in fact, has a small population of camels.  I’m not exactly sure how many, but they are there, grazing the small hillsides somewhere between Abilene and Kansas City!