Future Tense

In the Japanese language there is no future tense.  To ask about the future,  one would say something along the lines of "From this time after,  where are you currently going?"  The respondee will then answer with what they will do after the current time.

In the Mandarin Chinese language,  there is no future or past tense.  When I introduce myself to a Chinese person I usually say a translation of "I am an English teacher at China."  Obviously we are not in China at the moment so to make the statement true,  a past or present time frame must be inferred.

How would we speak if we had no future or past? If we did not know who we are becoming or where we came from? If we all hustled around in right now, not then, or when we would simply be;  culture and history-  it would all cease to be.  What if we had no means to change our ways;  if we were permanently stuck in our current decisions,  without a chance of leaving the past and starting a new day?

I have been thinking about TIME lately.  In Sociology,  the subject of migration to the United States came up.  We discussed what the effects could be of the United States becoming more and more diverse versus the predominantly White Anglo Saxon Protestant culture that used to be these thirteen colonies.  Every person beside myself that gave an opinion was White.  The Polynesians didn't say anything,  the African-Americans didn't share a thought,  the Japanese students didn't raise their hands,  the girl raised in Dubai didn't open her mouth.  Why?

Because four out of my five professors this semester are WHITE MALES.

We minorities do not voice our opinions because we can get away with being indifferent.  If not forced to do otherwise, we are fine with sticking to our roots,  holding on to our languages,  and refusing to truly assimilate to the good ol' United States of America.

AMERICANS.

Who are these "Americans,"  these blonde,  blue-eyed ideas of perfection that made the Chinese question my nationality because I had brown eyes and darker skin?  Andy from southern England asked once, "Do "Americans" even exist?"  Do I even exist if my "American" heritage is muddled by the blood of the Spanish,  French,  Syrian and whoever else forced their opinions and religion on "America?"  This continent is "America."  I AM AMERICAN.

Being "American" means that I am also Guatemalan.  I am Mexican.  I am Chinese.  I am British.  I am Japanese.  I am a collage of colorful pictures each depicting a traditional song or meal.  I am exactly what makes me me.  So why is it that my father labored on an onion farm when he migrated to this country,  yet I turn down job offers that I just don't want to do?  Why is it that I don't speak my native tongue of Spanish as well as I do English?

Why do we deny our past when we look to the future?

I remember my past sins as much as the last person.  Do I deny that I was who I was?  No.  Do I leave my mistakes behind and instead take the lessons learned?  Yes.  It is said that the upcoming diverse future is ours,  but will we take it?  Will we learn from our past,  our culture,  our essence and allow it to mold us into a better tomorrow?  Will we use the atonement to help us change? 

Or will we allow differences of language,  ideas,  and skin color to hinder our understanding of each other?  Why does it matter if we are bowl of salad or a bowl of soup if the food doesn't taste good?

Today the United States will play against Germany.  I think of my German friend Franzy and how we would walk about China together.  She was tall,  blonde,  and blue-eyed while I was short,  tan,  and breaking the "American" stereotype.  I would deny my Utahn accent and try so hard to break each LOUD,  IGNORANT,  SELF-RIGHTEOUS,  FAT,  VAIN stereotype they tried to label and chain me to.  I will keep breaking the "American" stereotype because one day I WILL BE THE AMERICAN STEREOTYPE.  I will be the second generation,  mixed background, multi-lingual stereotype because that is what our future is!

Our future is bright!  We are moulding the United states and we are moulding the world!  As we become more and more global it is all I can do but smile.

I smile because there is no future tense in Japanese,  no future or past tense in Mandarin Chinese,  yet we can still learn from our past while moving towards the future.

God Bless "America."