Out of Many ... One

E Pluribus Unum 

From grade school and up, we have always been taught that our country, the United States of America, is a diverse country founded on "Freedom of Religion" and "All Men Are Created Equal"; in 1972 an amendment was added calling for "Equal Rights for All" (men and women). And in more recent years, there have been calls and laws for inclusivity: acceptance and tolerance of all genders and personal gender identities, acceptance of ethnicities, and respect for all religious beliefs.

So where have we gone wrong? While racial persecution, religious prejudice, and gender stereotypes have, sadly, existed in our country since its inception, it has become a loud-mouthed blight in more recent years. Instead of the acceptance of our common bonds of being Americans and HUMANS, there has been anger and hatred acted all too often. And in a country invaded and founded by immigrants, too many have forgotten our own past journeys and the ancestors that fought their way to our shores.

In 2022, 245 years after the "Founding Fathers" wrote the United States Declaration of Independence and founded our country, we are still fighting many of the prejudices and injustices that our ancestors fled from. All too often we see reminders that the UNITED States of America is not nearly as "united" as, allegedly, it was intended.

It has been said that those who resent and criticize other religions are insecure in their own. While every faith has zealots that spout hate and evil, those are actually the minority, and often those who have limited knowledge of their teachings. The teachings of almost every deity and higher power espouse love of fellow human beings and kindness to all living beings. Hatred of others does not defend your religious beliefs, more often it ignores those teachings.

In the United States, just in the months between December 2022 and March 2023, just one-third of the year, we (collectively) observe at least 17 religious observances:

Feast of the Immaculate Conception  December 8    Christianity

Bodhi Day/Rohatsu (Japan)       December 8 Buddhism

Our Lady of Guadalupe   December 12           Christianity

Hanukkah     December 19-26*  Judaism

Winter Solstice/Yule   December 21  (northern hemisphere)  Native Americans/Pagan

Christmas     December 25           Christianity

Kwanzaa       December 26–January 1  African American

Feast of the Holy Family December 30           Christianity

****2023

Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary January 1     Christianity

Christmas     January 7      Eastern Orthodox Christianity

Lunar New Year     January 22     Confucianism/Taoism/Buddhism

Maha Shivaratri     February 18 Hinduism

Ash Wednesday     February 22 Christianity

Orthodox Great Lent begins       February 27 Eastern Orthodox Christianity

Purim March 7*      Judaism

Holi    March 8        Hinduism

Ramadan begins (30 days) March 23* Islam (dates dependent on the sighting of the new moon crescent)

In America, we have multiple religions and beliefs observed including Agnostic, Atheist, Buddhist, Druid, Hindu, Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jewish, Lutheran, Mormon, Muslim, Eastern Orthodox, Latter-Day Saints, Pagan, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Scientology, Sikh, Taoist, Wiccan, and more. 

Frederick Douglass once said, "Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."

Others have said it, simply, "Can't we all just get along?"

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Holiday Season (no matter which way you say it), with warmth, friendship, and love by your side. Here's to hoping for a more unified, peaceful, loving, and accepting 2023... and beyond.

WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT…

...and in many ways, we are all the same. So why is there so much hate these days? Why does looking or being “different” create so much suspicion and animosity?

 

In school kids make fun of other children who “look” different, it can be a child with prophylactics, who wears glasses, or even who comes to school in tattered clothes because of family finances. Maybe the child comes from a different culture which has a unique clothing style, or even wears a pendant of their faith. Some can make fun of children who may have a different skin color, or are overweight, or can’t speak fluent English, or anything that is different from “the cool kids”. Parents and teachers need to teach children about diversity in both culture, lifestyle and economic means.

 

Anti-bias education, at home and in the school, is a crucial step to opening children’s minds to acceptance. Things like teaching children that occupations are not gender-specific will help to bridge the gender gap, knowing that a little girl can grow up to lead a construction crew, or a little boy can study to be nurse (as examples) are ways to help children live up to their own personal potentials despite societal norms. Encouraging children to take personal pride in their cultural traditions AND accepting others who do the same will help them as they grow up and are exposed to diversity.

 

Exposing children to anti-bias books (appropriate for their age) will help to open their minds to peoples’ differences and humanity. It’s important not to stay quiet or discourage conversation — if the child questions how a girl can grow up to be the President for example, don’t admonish them. Encourage conversation and help them, through subtle questions and discussion starters, see all the things they are capable of and that no profession is specific to one gender. Ask them about hobbies and dreams. Maybe a young boy will tell others he likes to sew or crochet and the other children giggle, don’t admonish but tell them about fashion designers like Michael Kors or the tailor down the street. Help to foster interest in other children’s cultures and traditions by giving an opportunity to share fun customs and possibly sample cuisines.

 

When parents and teachers have open minds and accept the differences EVERYONE has, it is easier to teach and help children to learn anti-bias behavior. It’s not too late to start. Watch the words you use, avoid stereotypes, open yourself to learning about others and offering knowledge about your own background. Stress the similarities, but don’t ignore the variety of things others can bring to any conversation or experience. Let’s work on being humans first and accept those around us without prejudice.

 

 

 

 

 

Sounding Real

The following article was previously

published on my

Amazon Kindle blog

Living, Breathing, Writing [Kindle Edition]

Sounding Real

If you are writing dialogue into your story, it should sound like real people actually talking to one another. Say the words aloud – if it feels awkward to say, it probably is.

Your character’s way of speaking should sound like a person of their class, background, ethnicity and style. That doesn’t mean that every word (or even every sentence) needs to be personalized to the point that the words become unreadable, but insert a word, phrase or accent every so often that is unique to that character

Think of a popular TV show or movie and the catch phrases that were always associated with a particular individual, like Joey Tribbiani in Friends and “How’re you doing?”, or Ricky Ricardo in I Love Lucy and “Lucy, I’m home.” Let your readers identify the person speaking by their style and not just “so and so said”.

If the character is uneducated, or crude, or drunk then they should sound different from the person who is well educated, prim and proper, and possibly snobbish. If they have an accent remember that it would probably be too confusing for your readers to decipher every word, but throwing in the occasional “accented” word will get the point across. You can even use an occasional foreign word, but try to keep it simple so that your readers are not confused.

“Si senor, I do know that yoo can not see…”or “Sir, I can tell that it is not in your view…”or “Hey dude, ya ain’t seeing it…”

The same sentiment, but as you read those three lines, didn’t you get a vision of a different person each time?

Your narrative should be short and simple as well. Don’t use a thesaurus to write just so you can use multiple words to say the same thing. If it doesn’t sound natural, it will likely distract your reader.

You can add expression to your words by using descriptions rather than excess adjectives or needless exclamation points.

“Are you in here?” He whispered through the open door. or “Are you in here?” He yelled as he kicked the door open. or “Are you in here?” He spoke haltingly as he looked around the room.

Writing exercise: Write a few paragraphs about any subject. Now see if you can re-write each paragraph with no more than one to two sentences (not endless run-on sentences, please). Include all of the pertinent information by cutting out unnecessary descriptive terms and redundancy. Although your final words may sound dry because you are so limited, it is a good way to learn to tighten your thoughts.

Writing prompt: Describe the room you are in and your actions from your point of view (first person: I see, I hear…); then describe the room from the viewpoint of someone standing in the doorway and watching YOU (third person: She sat rocking in the chair…) Remember that in third-person the person describing the room cannot be in YOUR head, they cannot know HOW you feel.

Stories That Reflect the Real World

*this post was previously published on Chris Redding's blog on Aug. 2, 2011:

(Hyphema is my second EMS based novel)

Chelle Cordero:
Stories That Reflect the Real World

I like to read and write contemporary stories,
stories that reflect the real world around us.
The real world is fraught with plenty of controversial,
sometimes frightening, and sometimes angry
topics. People show they can be ugly sometimes;
others show genuine heroics in the face of
enormous catastrophes  I try not to shy away
from this realism.

Although I am admittedly opinionated
 and passionate-in-my-beliefs, I try
not to infuse my characters with my
attitudes. I want each character I
create to be an individual with their
own views and their own motivations.
Some of the topics I’ve included in
my stories include rape (female AND
male), homosexuality, promiscuity,
politics, prejudice, obsession, greed,
and betrayal.

None of my characters are all good or all bad (even
if a few villains came close) just like in real life where
no one is all one way or the other – somehow even
the most detested still have someone willing to love
them. That’s life.

I’ve heard comments about a few of my stories and
the themes I’ve written about; thankfully I’ve gotten
more kudos than protests.

The most controversial topic I’ve included in my
stories (so far) was in Hyphema. Hyphema features
an interracial and intercultural marriage between a
red-blooded Caucasian American Christian male and
a Pakistani Muslim immigrant – the story takes place
in a post-9/11 world. The cover shows a beautiful
young woman wearing a Berka (scarf and face
covering). I’ve certainly heard strong reactions and
I am sure there are a few who would never read the
book simply because of widespread prejudices and
fears since 2001.

A quote from a review of Hyphema says, “Cordero meets
headlong a number of real problems facing her characters. She doesn't
sugar-coat cultural differences and prejudice…”

Subject matter should matter
and  when it evokes strong
feelings and discussion, I
believe that I have done
my job as a writer. I tackle
contemporary subjects and
real life situations because
I want folks to THINK long
after they put my book down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hyphema: Bleeding in the eye caused by trauma.

Matt Garratti, a paramedic from New York, moves his wife and son to
North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. Pakistani
born Sudah, his wife, receives frosty stares and insensitive
comments from their new neighbors. Before long, Matt wonders if he
is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare from
which they may never wake.