Raederle

If you and twenty other people got in a tour bus in St. Augustine, Florida and then headed north to Atlanta, Georgia, and then further north to Cary, North Carolina, and then on to Philadelphia, and then New York City, and finally on to Boston, what part of the trip would be most important? Would you put Boston on a pedestal because it was the last stop? Would you conclude that Boston was more important than Atlanta because it was the furthest part of the tour? When we talk about being "more evolved" or further along our "spiritual path" that does not make us "better" than people who are not where we are. The object isn't to rush ourselves as quickly as possible back into the absolute embrace of oneness. We're material beings because we chose to be. We're at the place we're at because we chose to be. Just as the point of life isn't to rush to eighty-years-old (or a hundred, or two-hundred), the point of spiritual development i

Cultural norms in America include: Asking a woman if you can buy her a drink in a bar Greeting someone with a handshake Having conversations over lunch or dinner Whistling when something is surprising (like an attractive woman or a large bill in the mail) Chewing on one's lip when uncertain Speaking in euphemisms and hyperbole rather than literally (i.e. "It went a hundred miles over her head") For every "norm" you'll find hundreds of exceptions, but that's not the point. America, like all other countries in the world, has its own culture. It varies from city to city, state to state. Some of our norms are also the norm in other countries. Most cultures today include talking over food. Very few places have a custom of silent eating, or eating alone. These cultural norms define what we expect when we socialize. They give us an idea of what is considered "okay" and "good" and what is considered "not acceptable" and