A Dysfunctional Family

Quarrels, squabbles between mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, cousins that aren't resolved in a healthy way....little tiffs that erupt into all-out fist-fights...classic signs of what goes on perhaps in a dysfunctional family.

Nissyen knows this. A tiff between relatives causes war between two countries. But he always worked as an actor for Peace.

"Of the two other sons of Llyr's wife, Penardun, the mother of Manawyddan, one was called Nissyen, and the other, Evnissyen. Nissyen was a lover of peace, and would always "cause his family to be friends when their wrath was at the highest," says the Mabinogion, a Welsh text that's one of my own wisdom books.  We really need Nissyen right now.

I walked to work this morning in the middle of a massive march by Occupy Wall Street on the NYSE. People protesting, but other people railing against the protesters. "Occupy a desk! Get a job! Move to Washington!" And so forth.

I was saddened. Much has been written in the press about the United States' declining influence in the world. I think everyone agrees that our country is in serious trouble.

It was this sentiment of virulent divisiveness that literally tugged at my heart strings as I walked to work. You see it on the streets, in mockery about Obama, or some other political figure on news site commentary, about policies concerning immigration, and so forth.

There's a lot of discontent right now. And it's my feeling that this American family of 50 States, that's trying to find itself in a rapidly changing world, right now is dysfunctional. We hold to that motto: "Out of Many, One," that out of many different peoples and ethnic groups, we become one nation, one family.

Sure, we fought and squabbled before. Any historian can tell you about the Civil War, and of the men that marched at Gettysburg, Manassas, or a hundred other battlefields can explain how the USA became much stronger by almost tearing itself apart. And maybe this movement is the first step toward the country gaining new strength.

I would say this though: the stakes are higher. In the 1860's, the U.S. was still a backwater place, the center of the world then was London or Paris. Now, the United States is a world power, a major actor on the world stage and it commands a tremendous amount of influence on global affairs.


The world's in trouble. Climate's changing, economies are weak, the old ways of doing things aren't working anymore and new structures have to be built. One could argue that its part of the process of change. The U.S prides itself about being a leader in the global community. But how can it do that when it can't figure out who and how it should do the chores in its own backyard?