By Dr. Lani Wilson

Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:39 (NRSV)

If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me. (TMB)

"If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.”

On October 22, 1928, Herbert Hoover gave the penultimate speech of his successful presidential campaign entitled, "Principles and Ideals of the United States Government." In that speech, the self-made millionaire expressed his belief that the American system was based on "rugged individualism" and "self-reliance." Government, which had necessarily assumed unprecedented economic powers during World War I, should retreat, and cease to interfere with businesses. During the early days of the Great Depression, Hoover launched the largest public works projects up until his time. But he continued to believe that problems of poverty and unemployment were best left to "voluntary organization and community service." He feared that federal relief programs would undermine individual character by making recipients dependent on the government. He continued to prioritize the concept of "rugged individualism" even in the face of monumental economic catastrophe. Herbert Hoover's "Philosophy of Rugged Individualism" Campaign Speech, Miller Center, University of Virginia

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term "nuclear family" was first used in 1947, but the concept of a family that consists of just parents and children is much older. This basic unit of a family's structure has existed for millennia, but it wasn't until the 1960s and 1970s that the nuclear family became the majority situation. At that time, industrial economic booms and rising wages made it possible for young parents to afford their own homes without living with extended family members. At the same time, better healthcare contributed to the nuclear family, as elderly members became more self-sufficient and independent for decades after their children were grown. families.lovetoknow.com

Beyond discussing the family’s functions, the functional perspective on the family maintains that sudden or far-reaching changes in conventional family structure and processes threaten the family’s stability and thus that of society. For example, most sociology and marriage-and-family textbooks during the 1950s maintained that the male breadwinner–female homemaker nuclear family was the best arrangement for children, as it provided for a family’s economic and child-rearing needs. Any shift in this arrangement, they warned, would harm children and by extension the family as a social institution and even society itself. Textbooks no longer contain this warning, but many conservative observers continue to worry about the impact on children of working mothers and one-parent families.
Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World, Brief Edition, v. 1.0 by Steven E. Barkan, flatworldknowledge.com

Conflict theorists agree that the family serves the important functions just listed, but they also point to problems within the family that the functional perspective minimizes or overlooks altogether. First, the family as a social institution contributes to social inequality in several ways. The social identity it gives to its children does affect their life chances, but it also reinforces a society’s system of stratification. Because families pass along their wealth to their children, and because families differ greatly in the amount of wealth they have, the family helps reinforce existing inequality. As it developed through the centuries, and especially during industrialization, the family also became more and more of a patriarchal unit (see earlier discussion), helping to ensure men’s status at the top of the social hierarchy. Second, the family can also be a source of conflict for its own members. Although the functional perspective assumes the family provides its members emotional comfort and support, many families do just the opposite and are far from the harmonious, happy groups depicted in the 1950s, television shows. Instead, and as the news story that began this chapter tragically illustrated, they argue, shout, and use emotional cruelty and physical violence. Ibid.

From the moment Michelle Robinson Obama hit the national scene during her husband’s first presidential campaign in 2008, experts have weighed in on every clothing decision she has made— marveling at how effortlessly she transitioned from the overly conservative business suits she once donned to the elegant runway styles of designers Alexander McQueen and Tracy Reese. But while clothes have their place in every first lady’s public life, it can easily be argued that Michelle Obama’s hair is the true star of her ever- evolving role as a fashion icon for the generations. “Everyone always talks about her clothes and what designer she’s wearing,” says Alexia Allen, a 30-year-old mother of two from Atlanta and a diehard Michelle Obama fan. “I look at her hair first, because it’s always pure perfection.” Michelle Obama’s Hair: The Inside Story Allison Samuels, thedailybeast.com 01.21.13

Lengthy, flowing hair has routinely been considered the gold standard by which women of color are judged. Long hair and skin of a lighter complexion have traditionally beenseen as landmarks of a more mainstream and, therefore, more acceptable beauty. That notion can cause high levels of anxiety for many women of color, given that black hair often has a softer texture and tighter curl pattern than other groups’ hair, causing it to experience damage more frequently with heat styling and chemical procedures. Both present significant roadblocks for sustainable hair growth. Ibid.

The present Mary is distinguished from all others of the same name as “The Magdalene,” which identifies her with her place of birth, just as Jesus was called “The Nazarene” because of His association with Nazareth. Magdala means “tower” or “castle,” and in the time of Christ was a thriving, populous town on the coast of Galilee about three miles from Capernaum. Dye works and primitive textile factories added to the wealth of the community. It may be that “The Magdalene” was connected with the industry of the town for it would seem as if she was not without means, enabling her to serve the Lord with her substance. Mary Magdalene - All the women of the Bible - Bible Gateway