My Early Birthday Gift

                Yesterday something unexpected, beautiful and ground shaking happened to me. I was lying on the couch going over some paperwork, when my mother called. I have not spoken to her in over 2 weeks (I know shame on me) and this was one of those check-up calls that we give each other from time to time. After a few minutes of exchanging niceties my mother asked “Do you know what I have been doing this morning?” “No” I responded wandering where was this leading question going. “I have been up this morning reading your book; you know the book you wrote several years ago?” “Yes, I am familiar with it”. (Several years ago I self published a book that chronicled my journey from sin to redemption. I sold about 75 copies) She went on to ask me if it was okay for her to read a loud one of the spiritual passages that I wrote. I told her that would be fine.

My mother began to read my poem as if the words belonged to her and not her only surviving son. After she had read the last line, she stopped and asked me “That was beautiful and sad, David. You know this book never got the credit it deserved, but one day you will receive your credits in heaven”. I was left speechless, knowing that that the words I wrote many years ago on loose pieces of toilet paper in a bathroom stall was resurrected.

Troy comes into work to look for a file and Brenda has surprise

Check it out!!

Christmas Crack: Just Say NO

Empty Roles would like to wish all of our readers and supporters a Happy Holiday and a very blessed and prosperous New Year.

Now with that said, I feel that it is the duty of Empty Roles to shine a light on the social behaviors that continue to occur.  I subscribe to the belief that if we do not recognize our disruptive behaviors, we will not possess the drive to change them. This is why Empty Roles, has elected to project these societal errors to our readers.

We are living in a world that is built on addictions, some of which are acceptable while others are not. Those that we deem as being acceptable we take extra efforts to defend and condemn those that disagree with our positions. I have to ask, is a person that spends their payroll check on crack cocaine and neglects to pay their bills any better than a person that goes into debt standing in line at Wal-Mart on Black Friday. Both individuals are participating in disruptive behavior. However society looks at one as acceptable while condemning the other. I would postulate that both scenarios create a breeding ground for empty roles. These behaviors have the possibility of removing vital resources from the family unit.

I feel that we as a society should just stand up and “ say NO” to the evils of Christmas crack. Instead of teaching our children to stand in line hankering for material goods we really don’t need, let’s stay  home and teach them how to take care of the things they already have in their possession.

Jerry’s Kids: The Role of a Pedophile

You can't turn on the news this week without being bombarded with the horrific sex scandal that has plagued the Penn State campus. It has been described as the most shocking event to ever surround college sports. It is an event that has caste a dark cloud on the campus as well as the coaching staff.  I believe that this incident has a direct relationship with empty roles. As, our society continues to progress we will witness more symptoms of this condition.

 Let me begin by stating that I think that it is truly a tragedy what has happened to those boys at the hand of Jerry Sandusky, and I feel that if he did what reports have alleged, he should be ashamed of his actions. The role of the pedophile that he filled is a deviate societal creation; and my heart goes out to the boys who have become victims and had their lives transformed because of the deeds of this man. I feel that every person is responsible for his/her own actions however there are catalysts in our environment that allow such deviance as these to occur and prosper.

An empty role is one of the most devastating things can happen to a community.  It can occur even if both parents are present in the child’s life.  It is the entity that has been instrumental in destroying the fabric of our society.  I would hope that when men and women make the conscious decision to separate themselves from their children, they realize that this may be one of the products of their choice. It also is very important for women, who have allowed the legal system to develop a hole in their families, to understand that this is a threat.

In the case of the young boys that were allegedly raped by Mr. Sandusky, I would propose that the role of hero, father or parent was absent in the majority of these boy’s lives. I have met many women who have invited such activities in their homes by looking for “a man that would treat their children as his own.” We have to be very careful with what we wish for, because it might come true. The Penn State incident would not have occurred if there wasn’t an empty role available. Jerry was allowed to fill this role. It is impossible to enter a room through a closed door and I think the outrage should also be extended to the parents that allowed their children to be exposed to this coach as much as the pedophile who walked through their proverbial doors.

The Women's Kingdom: One of the world's last Matriarchal cultures

By popular demand I am posting the two part documentary of the Musco people. This is a culture where the women are in charge. The men take care of the children and the divorce rate is the lowest in the world, zero. It is a place where women can have as many male partners as they chose.  This is where Uncles are more important than fathers. The only problems they have know is the tourist who are invading their way of life.

Part one and Two of The Women's Kingdom

                                        Part 1

Part 2

                

Arranged Marriages tend to be more successful..

In places like India, 90% of the marriages are arranged. They have one of the lowest divorce rates in the world. Is this a system that we, as Americans, should adapt? Marriage is a large part of our society therefore it shouldn't be unreasonable for us to enter into this institution with our "eyes" wide open. Our system of marriage is built on the emotion called "love",and all emotions are unstable.

The following video is a typical interview that modern Indians have with their potential life partners. This is a depiction of the couple first meeting. Good idea?

A Masculine Shoulder to Cry On / Talking is good for the Soul

It is a known fact that women live longer than males in our society (See http://statehealthfacts.org/comparebar.jsp?cat=2&ind=59). They enjoy longevity, even though they are burden with some the same stresses and harmful diseases that their male counterparts are also inflicted with. The female members of the Homo sapien species somehow survive and go on to live productive lives. Why they are able to be met the same challenges that their male counterparts are met with and have a better survival rate, is a mystery to many? Are these females naturally stronger than the men? We understand that early detection is one of the leading reasons that many diseases are not allowed to grow to their maturity, and many members of this order are known to take full advantage of the medical technology that is available to them. However, if this was the only determining factor that separated the females from the males, the statistical values would represent this, they don’t.   

It is true that these females are more involved in their health and that a large percentage of them are not participants in the riskier social behavior that the males enjoy,  however the reason that women tend to have a better quality of life has more to do with the makeup of human society. MEN ARE BREED FOR FAILURE.. It is that simple, society has systems in place that do not allow men to actively express their physical, social or emotional needs and because of this, these stresses become the catalysts for other diseases and disorders. Let me elaborate; consider the following statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus10.pdf#067).

Hypertension 2,3
(high blood pressure and/or				Uncontrolled high blood pressure
Sex, age, race and Hispanic origin 1 ,	taking antihypertensive medication)			among persons with hypertension 4
and percent of poverty level	1988–1994	1999–2002	2005–2008	1988–1994	1999–2002	2005–2008

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	26.4	28.8	31.6	83.2	73.3	63.8
Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	24.4	30.6	29.8	68.5	61.8	48.5

The numbers postulate that men have had a steady increase in taking medications for hypertension since 1988 with a decline in cases of uncontrolled hypertension, moreover women have declined at a much higher rate than men. These numbers suggest that men ARE concern with their health, which is represented by their decline in cases of uncontrolled high blood pressure.  So the theory, that men are not involved in their health is untrue.

The reason that women tend to be healthier and live longer is simple, they have support groups. These support groups allow them a social vehicle to release stresses which creates, for them a lighter social burden. LESS STRESS = HEALTHIER LIFE.  They are not smarter or wiser, they just have found a way to adapt to their environment, and that way is through productive and active speech.