The “Mix & Match” (M&M) World Wide Wonderfulness (AKA the Miscegenous Marriage Jamboree?) ~ 2048 (or thereabouts)

This constellation of thought shall be expressed as a convention agenda, a conference program, an exposition schedule, a symposium synthesis. Example: Lewes Speakers Festival

It is completely incomplete, a rough draft, a first pass. But first…

The M&M Timeline

In 2024, a family conversation took place that led the creation of an international arranged marriage website. (Parents trying to help their children find happiness…?) However, problems and competition with other online dating, hook-up, or matrimony sites caused the founders to pivot and change their business model to a pledge-taking non-profit. They were not in it for the money, and they realized that the core idea was ‘taking vows before taking vows.’ In other words, it was about a philosophy, a world view, a design for living. Each component has it’s own story… 

In this way, every other internet-based dating or marriage site, as well as other programs like speed dating or even “polycules” could have their patrons participate in the M&M system. Of course, creating that system was a process involving much research and debate over what is really important. Romance was followed by education, economics, and even ecology. Sex leads to children, and both should entail respect and responsibility. The founders found that the big picture (the whole wide world, etc.) was as interesting as the details of personal relationships. It turned out that many others were interested too…

In 2028, the first meeting of the M&M community took place, a rather traditional conference at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, California. While it was wildly successful, the founders realized that having people travel thousands of miles was neither practical nor sustainable. Further, while the excitement of scaling an idea to millions of people was appealing, the main goal of strong, diverse couples creating families and living in communities necessitated meetings at the community level, the town hall, the local festival…

Now, in 2048, the world has changed dramatically. Technology allows us to connect in ways unimaginable in 2024. And it has allowed relationships to evolve in what some consider to be strange ways. The M&M community, in embracing certain philosophies, some quite old, has kept it’s feet planted in tradition. While the human condition has metamorphosized, humanity is what it was for thousands of years, and those who take the vows of M&M recognize the virtues of what nature created over time. While we are much more technophiles than technophobes, we respect and take responsibility for that begat by Mother Nature and Father Time. As ever…

Plenary Session (Speaker/Time?)

The Joyful Chant/Prayer – the three epiphanies

• Close your eyes, think of something beautiful, hear something lovely, imagine your senses experiencing the serene, the sublime. Ready, and together: “Ahhhhhh…”
• Now, think of a discovery, an insight, a realization that you – or anyone in history – have had. Fill yourself with that moment, that epiphany – now together: “Ah-haaaaaa…”
• Finally, think delight, feel the joy, burst with happiness, comedy, rollicking frivolity. Experience the punchline of sheer universal pleasure. All together now: “Hahahahahaha…”

And the room exploded with laughter, wild infectious laughter, perpetuated by hearty guffaws, chuckles, titters, and shrill screams of delight. With eyes no longer closed everyone looked around at each other and laughed even more, at and with the crowd. 

Then, there’s a speech about how the world has changed since M&M brought families together. Mention of difficulties, challenges, set backs, and how they were overcome. All very cursory, brief, and with allusions to deeper stories at the various sessions. Referencing people and topics to be shared and discussed over the three-day, multi-city conference…

Conference Sessions

1. “Creation Stories” – M&M, the early days: origin, history, evolution (Speaker/Time?)
   1. Learn about how M&M started at a beach house in New Zealand as an older generation worried about how their children could find love and happiness in a complexified world. Learn about the guiding principles of fun, light-heartedness, and love, and how they expanded to include financial management, international relations, and anticipating the future. Learn how the founders had the goals of promoting world peace, ending racism, and improving global education. Using existing online dating platforms and challenging arranged marriage websites, the founders used a pledge group format to inspire, not what people did, but how they did it, and importantly who they did it with.. “A vow before vows!” How has the M&M covenant evolved?
   2. “How I played it” with Jaz Guy. An interview with the founders. In this archival recording, you can hear how an idea was taken to reality, and how the solid foundation of personal dignity and integrity builds families, communities, and society at large – around our planet. Once upon a time, people used the phrase “going viral” as meaning becoming popular, but what happens when a movement’s message and method trickles into other aspects of living on earth? Arranged marriage went from a dubious cultural artifact to a healing mindset, a connecting truth. And how did technology facilitate the historical moment?
   3. How does an ancient practice fade, then come back? Gengis Khan famously built his empire through marriage, connecting families and clans to create what had been the largest empire on earth. Alexander the Great did something similar. And many societies maintained the practice of arranged marriage to help themselves, their children, and their community. But in Western and more mobile societies the practice gave way to “love relationships” and young people somehow just found each other (the boy/girl next door?). In fact, both practices had problems. Arranged marriages were often unfair to women and ignored the myriad details of building a family. Love marriages often ignored the same details and resulted in many divorces, which in turn had adverse effects on the children. When people started to understand the principles in M&M’s paradoxical pledge, When they approached life with light & lightness, when they adopted a raison d’etre or life purpose without knowing the particulars, when they committed to kindness, openness, and honesty, taking the vow made everything possible. Of course, it would take decades to resolve the familial problems, the childbearing mistakes, and the generational trauma existing in society, but the M&M weltanschauung made persistent patience possible…

2. The New Rules: of your grandparents & your grandchildren (Speaker/Time?)
   1. Once upon a time, people looking forward realized they needed to look back. They realized they needed something less modern, a way forward with more guidance, more defined purpose, the wisdom of the elders. At the same time, the rules of the elders needed to change with the time. Eventually, a push for equality improved the situation of women and of various ethnic, national, and cultural groups. Historical traumas needed to be reconciled, élan vital needed to be realized. This session explores how the neo-Confucian value of filial piety became not just acceptable, but essential. We may not be the same race, gender, or socio-cultural group, but if we live well, we will all grow old. Respect time and, hopefully, a concomitant wisdom. Of course, thanks to advances in longevity, for humans that’s now consistently over 100 years…

3. Hybrid Vigor – the biology of diversity (Speaker/Time?)
   1. Humans have been breeding animals, including themselves, for centuries. However, for many years, despite evidence to the contrary, they have not done it according to nature. Unnatural selection, the inbreeding of nobilities and hillbillies, led to substandard humans. Even “pure bred” dogs were weak compared to the hybridized mongrels of the streets. Eugenics is actually a good thing, but a movement that prevented such hybrid vigor was contrary to its very purpose. Unfortunately, racism, prejudice, and xenophobia caused people to avoid diversity, with the sad exception of rape and exploitation. A geographically mobile world did not at first embrace “the other.” Destroying the fallacy of racial purity was necessary to motivate, even “naturalize” the power of hybrid vigor.
   2. Historical exceptions. For millennia, humans lived and died within a mile of where they were born. Thus, did we evolve separate racial and linguistic groups across the planet? Then, the history of global exploration is filled with stories of the mixing of racial groups. “Casta” paintings depict the merging of races in Latin America. Hopefully, many of these were not exploitative, and socially acceptable, but we know that was not always the case. This session starts with that long story, but quickly goes to many cases of international and interracial marriages among celebrities…
      1. Chang & Eng Bunker and two Irish sisters
      2. Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter
      3. Ruth Williams Khama and Sir Seretse Khama
      4. Arcadio Huang and Marie-Claude Regnier
      5. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz
      6. David Bowie and Iman
      7. Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian
      8. Dave & Elaine Chappelle
      9. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan
      10. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
      11. More contemporary examples…?

4. Culture Clash, and how to deal with it. (Speaker/Time?)
   1. Everybody grows up in a particular culture. They grow up speaking a certain language, eating certain foods, listening to certain music, wearing certain clothes, and practicing the customs of that culture. The term culture shock was used for when travelers to a new country or region were startled by the different cultural practices, in addition to the difficulties of communicating in a different language. However, as the world became smaller, and to some, flatter, as cultural imperialism and/or cultural appropriation became more widespread, the shock diminished, somewhat. Nonetheless, it can be a challenge when cultures merge in the form of an arranged marriage. M&M participants usually embrace new cultures, and in the spirit of fun, joy, and the unbearable lightness of being – one of our guiding principles – appreciation of cultural variations adds to our lived experience. The biggest difficulty can be language barriers, and it is fundamental to be a life-long language learner. Fortunately, rapid translation tools have made this easier, but deep communication requires extra attention. However, sometimes one needs to take refuge in the arms of their culture, in their environment of childhood, and that should be OK. Where it can be tricky is dealing with other family members and in child raising practices. 

5. How to Argue!
   1. Arguments are often the reason for fights, divorce, even wars. Rhetoric aside, the way to win an argument is to concede defeat. Less is more, loss is gain, and humility is strength. This perspective is one of the hardest for most people to adopt. Beyond ego, an assault on reason can challenge this idea that seems to be surrender. However, one’s beliefs, one’s principles, one’s reality does not require the acknowledgement of another. If you have already conquered yourself, you do not need to conquer others. Agreeing to disagree can be the starting point of any conversation. Not getting angry is essential. Righteous indignation is not necessary. “If” by Rudyard Kipling can help, both men and women. Beyond humility, curiosity is also essential. Being interested in why people have their opinions is as important as wanting to know about everything. Seeking to expand your knowledge and understanding, your perspective on time and the wide world, these are the keys to being a friend, a lover, a student, an active citizen, a self-actualizing human being, a good earthling. And maybe, as such, you can change what needs changing?

6. Religion (Speaker/Time?)
   1. Religions have been important to humanity for centuries, and most marriages have been part of religious traditions, although governmental sanctions and financial obligations are also large parts of the equation. This session will explore how M&M participants have reconciled what could be considered a problem. While religious freedom is important and faith traditions are part of family histories, from the start M&M took a secular approach to matrimony. While individuals may believe what they want and may even hold separate ceremonies “under God,” M&M focuses on the marriage contract and the responsibilities of married couples to each other, their families, their children, and their community. M&M has asked their participants to “imagine no religion,” at the same time adhering to guidelines that are in keeping with those of many religions around the world. Simply, real families in actual societies are more important than questions about the saving of souls, ideas of heaven or hell, or the spiritual, metaphysical, or ethereal notions of various belief systems. But it is the power of respect, pragmatism, and egalitarian realities that helped M&M reconcile this difficult situation.
   2. This session takes a deeper dive into M&M’s respect for history and religion. By encouraging everyone, especially participants, to learn about the religions of the world, their marital doctrines, and their guiding principles, people can build tolerance and appreciation of different faith traditions. Ultimately, the commonalities of various religions are far more important than their differences. In fact, this focus became a movement as more and more people joined “syncret” societies around the world. They realized that prayer is meditation and meditation is healthy. They realized that scriptures provide guidance, guiding principles promote virtue; and reverence is respect, and respect is love. Acknowledgement of the human condition reveals more similarities than differences, and the differences can be interesting, informative, even illuminating. Many religions are reformations or variations of others, and understanding those histories reveals shifting dogmas and paradigms, philosophical nuances, and an opportunity to not repeat tragic mistakes. Creation stories and eschatologies too, can make for lively conversation. Eventually, the necessaries of life (according to Thoreau: food, shelter, fuel, and clothing) require most people to focus on more secular pursuits.

7. Families (Speaker/Time?)
   1. Families are at the core of M&M, and we have believed that any random group of people can constitute a family. We support interracial, international same sex marriage and interracial, international adoptions. We would like to believe that all families are extended families and that grandparents, aunts & uncles, cousins (2nd, 3rd, and however removed), pets, and even housemates can be part of a “family.” M&M is all about bringing families together with the hope that we can eventually consider all of humanity our family. Even a couple, just two people, perhaps vastly separated by time and space from any relations, can consider themselves a family. In fact, in the spirit of fun, light-heartedness, and love we hope all families will adopt strangers, reconcile with estranged members, and commit to ever-widening their circle of love, their family. Of course, there can be problems. Every family has few interesting members, and not all of them will have committed to the M&M ethos. Each family has a culture that may be hard for newer members to adopt. Thus, it is important that family traditions be shared early and openly, and that the give and take, the cultural blending, the holiday protocols, the secret handshakes, the family whistle, the acknowledged idiosyncrasies be exposed to a candid world. This session is about doing this randomly. Not just sharing your family secrets with new family members, but with strangers, with the extended M&M community. Be brave, be bold, be honest, and be grateful for the sharing of others. 

8. Society & societal backlash (Speaker/Time?)
   1. While M&M, its mission and vision, purpose and promise, have grown over the years, the idea of interracial, international arranged marriage has not been universally embraced. As someone once said, “haters gonna hate.” This session is about the responsibility M&M participants have as unique members of society. We are not a religion, we do not proselytize. We are not a cult, we do not recruit. In the spirit of fun, light-heartedness, and love, we do not take ourselves too seriously. We obey the laws of the land, and if we do not like them, we move to another land, we change societies. Sadly, this has occurred many times for our adherents. They have had to move, leaving neighborhoods and even countries to find a home for their new family. While we encourage civic involvement, even particular participants’ political aspirations, we are not serious enough to be activists. If we choose to protest anything, we do so as individuals. That does not mean we do not stand up for what we believe, but that we speak through our actions more than our words. Having a light touch did not come naturally for some of our founders, and it remains a hard thing to do. We may have a constitution, but we don’t have a country. We have the whole wide world. 

9. Languages & language barriers (Speaker/Time?)
   1. This topic has often been the liveliest session at previous sessions, since there are so many aspects to and issues about communication. From wonderful improvement in translation tools to the language of love, from arcane linguistics to the importance of tone in whatever we say, language is essential to the glue of connection. And since our focus has always been international, how we communicate and the languages we use have been prioritized. Fundamentally, we believe everyone should be at least bilingual, and when it comes to language learning, the more the merrier. While English has become the “lingua franca” of the world, we encourage everyone to learn more languages. Is it not an act of respect, even love, to speak to someone in their language? Is not the first job of the scholar? Is not a way to expand your mind, even as an old person? Should we not at least be able to say “hello,” “how are you,” “please,” and “thank you,” in a dozen languages? Should we not try to learn some word or phrase, aphorism or idiom that we don’t have in our own mother tongue? What about art, math, gesticulations, and the animal kingdom? Importantly, the acts of teaching and learning the language(s) of your new partner, your new family, can be bonding activities, literally bridging gaps, learning what you will need to know as your one and only life on earth unfolds before you…

10. Off to the races: Racism & Reactionism (Speaker/Time?)
    1. Before embarking on the “kumbaya,” peace, love, and understanding spiel about how we are all humans, earthlings, and God’s children, we need to review the history of racism and perhaps its role in nature. In fact, “fear of the other” may be the basis of racism and a natural fact among the various species of life on earth. The litany of cruelties of one species or variety of species against others is long and painful and real. Do a little research and anyone can find examples of racism by every race, often righteous, indignant, and prideful. However, one can also find examples of purposefully mixing the races. Consider such terms as The Melting Pot, Heterophilia, Heterogeneous, Exogamy, Bi-tri-or-multiracial or multiethnic, Mulatto, Mestizo, Mestee, Pardo, Casta, Caboclo, Cafuzo, Café-au-lait, Halfrican, Blackenese, Zhonghua minzu, or even Cablinasian! Doubtless, there are more, some negative, but many positive. At M&M, we are very positive. In fact, we are hardcore heterophiliacs for multiple reasons – biological, sociological, cultural. And, as we have found our way in the wide world, this is where our light-hearted approach has been so necessary, and so successful

11. Class and the question of Social Stratification
    1. While racism has been a global problem throughout history, and sadly ingrained in some societies, class structure can provide more challenges for some marriages. In a cosmopolitan world, financial equality has been more troubling than racial equality. However, because it is a human-made construct, a social phenomenon, rather than a biological reality, it is more easily conquered. With a more equitable distribution of wealth, class distinctions start to disappear. Nonetheless, much work must be done on people’s mindset. The intelligence that a bankrupted bourgeois uses to reacquire wealth needs to be imbued in what was the proletariat. Interestingly, the solutions are more psychological than economic. Having an internal “locus of control,” or the mindset that one’s reality is one’s responsibility, is most helpful in maintaining a more even distribution of wealth in a society. Aspects of a poverty mindset, along with basic financial literacy, have needed to be exposed, and in many cases, subsidized and codified by government policy. It has not been easy, and mistakes have been made, but the old adage about teaching a man to fish (versus just giving away loaves and fishes?) has fortunately been the successful trend. It is worth noting the tangential battles to build healthy mindsets across society, ie. gambling has had to be eliminated by vilifying profit by chance (the virtues of randomness notwithstanding). Even so, while many social scaffolds have been removed and the reality of food chains acknowledged, natural inequality and the challenges of stratification remain.

12. Arrangement agreements (Speaker/Time?)
    1. Honesty is the best policy and is manifested almost everywhere. Transparency trumps confidentiality. While privacy and prudence can be good things, and perhaps discretion is still the better part of valor, forthright truthfulness is even better. A candid world avoids scandal, confronts fraud, and makes reality a virtue. While we have long since conquered “fake news” and tempered opinions with facts, it helps to learn from the mistakes of the past, honor our honesty, and hold up clarity as the highest form of respect. For newbies, it helps to review an ancient text, Utopia by Thomas More, in which he advocates for young couples to see each other naked before marriage. Just as one doesn’t want any unpleasant surprises after one has taken vows, one wants to go from moment to moment being confident of the truth, experiencing things in their totality, “grokking in fullness” as a great poet once said. This applies to young couples first learning about each other, and their young children learning about the world. Another poet once said, “truth is a hard deer to hunt,” but it should not be, and how will we work to cultivate clarity, realize reality, and trust truth and transparency?

13. Prenuptial Agreements (Speaker/Time?)
    1. One of the most controversial aspects of the arranged marriage contract in M&M is the Prenuptial Agreement. Many couples, profoundly in love, committed to each other, and determined to make it work for life, don’t think they need a prenup. Hopefully, they don’t, but as we know, shit happens, things fall apart, the center cannot hold. In “Thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman, he describes the “Pre-Mortem,” an analysis of how that disintegration is going to happen before it does, and we recommend that couples and families have that frank discussion at the same time marriage plans are being made, perhaps more than once. The conversation itself will make the relationship healthier, and will hopefully catch problems before they happen. Nonetheless, if things do fall apart, there is plan in place and that alone should increase security and well being, even when unfortunate circumstances are occurring. Thinking of a divorce settlement before one gets married is of course not very romantic, but it also establishes ones personal boundaries and individuality. It starts financial agreements before they become arguments and treats the marriage like what it really is: a contract, or, again unromantically speaking, a business deal. Another session will address the many particulars of family finances, and several others deal with children, but for newcomers to M&M, this presentation about pre-mortems or pre-nups should allow them to understand their importance and hopefully, their paradoxical effect.
    2. This session will explore the history of arranged marriage financial agreements, including dowries, bride prices, etc. Then, it will look at the history of family finances, shared assets, inheritances, and how family trusts should best manage their money. Just as diversification is good for investing, it is good for couples and especially families. This session will conclude with the unfortunate but inevitable issue of estates. Just as M&M advocates for equality among peoples of the world, courting couples, and established families, it promotes a “per stirpes” distribution of assets to siblings when their parents have passed on. In addition to the history, the evolution of financial instruments for building and maintaining wealth should be profitable for all attendees.

14. Legal questions (Speaker/Time?)
    1. Once upon a time there were Green Cards, now there are ID chips, and what do international couples need to know about legal immigration and the various options for citizenship? Not every country is the same, and while there has been a consolidation of policies surrounding citizenship issues, it is important to understand the ins and outs of various countries’ policies. 
    2. Divorce. M&M has policies and practices to avoid divorce since it can be deleterious both to finances and to the well being of children. However, it happens and the consequences of undoing an international arranged marriage vary from country to country. This is not a popular workshop, unless you are in the throes of this situation, so much of the important information is available on our website (in our thought bubble?). 

15. Weddings v. Partnerships – the Event (Speaker/Time?)
    1. Interestingly, the difference between a weeklong wedding extravaganza and  a simple civil ceremony, or an even simpler common law partnership, is vast, but the result is the same. How? More interestingly, the various wedding and marriage practices around the world are similar and different in myriad ways. This session will look at the various artifacts of such ritual ceremonies around the world with the idea of encouraging couples to hybridize their own experiences according to a potentially contradictory mix of ancient traditions and contemporary realities. In the process, we will examine practices that the M&M program embraces and rejects. For example, bachelor and bachelorette parties are discouraged, but “something old and something new, something borrowed and something blue” is encouraged. Why? There will be some overlap with the session on religion, but the issues of ritual, symbolism, and even fashion should be fresh – especially for those in the planning phase!

16. Love & Romance, physical compatibility (Speaker/Time?)
    1. Among other good things, hopefully this will be one of the “sexiest” workshops. It will span human chemistry, social psychology, and the rewards and challenges of “making love.” Not ironically, there will be some contradictions, some paradoxes in the policies of the M&M organization. We are both liberal and conservative, and that will be evident here. Courtship is a starting point, and that often starts with online dating – the digital arrangement, or serendipity, happenstance encounters – the analog lack of arrangement. So we will begin with everyone writing both their own personal ad, and the ideal personal ad they would respond to, and comparing them. Then, we will turn to the practices of courtship. Unlike past arranged marriages, M&M is more about arranged dates that can lead to marriage. And while we may be liberal in some of our views on sexuality, we are conservative in our views of courtship. Simply, take your time. The old book “The Rules” based on even older practices by experienced grandmothers, advocates for particular gender roles and a lot of circumspection, and we do too. Not as sexy, but equally important, we’ll explore the science of attraction – from pheromones to feelings.
    2. Sex & intimacy! This very popular session starts with some profound contradictions. M&M recommends premarital sex, but of a conservative sort. We discourage fetishism, bondage, and any kind of violence, deviance, or weirdness. Once again, our presenter will try to explain how “fucking is good, but making love is better.” The sexual act should be mutual, a giving and a taking, honoring physical pleasure collaboratively, and that can happen in many different ways. There is overlap with our session on honesty in that we recommend talking about sex before and after the act. Anticipation is part of the pleasure, and a critique after the fact can enhance anticipation for the next time, and the next. Somewhat less paradoxically, we’ll discuss how intelligent animals share the practice of having sex for pleasure, not just reproduction, but that having sex consciously for reproductive purposes can be the most rewarding. This session will also be interspersed with some historical anecdotes, ie. Benjamin Franklin’s quote: “Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.” And participants are encouraged to bring their own sex tips for the discussion session at the end.

17. Children (Speaker/Time?)
    1. M&M has always recognized that promoting International Arranged Marriages will result in the procreation of children, and that as we begin so shall we go. Thus, we have many recommendations for how those children should be raised. The first overlaps with our sessions on finances. Even before they are born, families (including the couples and their parents, perhaps also grandparents) should not just have life insurance, but should start funding 529s and other investment instruments to pay for their children’s college and other life expenses. These are available across the United States and elsewhere, and we’ll give a short overview of the options. More importantly, we’ll explore some of the psychology of child rearing. In addition to birth order issues, we’ll explore cross cultural practices, ie. housing arrangements, rewards & punishments, and other research-based success stories. We promote early language learning and encourage bi/trilingual households. We promote filial piety, respecting elders, and understanding social hierarchies. We promote meritocracies and experiencing the values of hard work, delayed gratification, good sportsmanship, and various character building activities. Parents should model curiosity, grit, virtue, and lifelong learning. Homeschooling should be part of every home, but we recognize that schools themselves, from Kindergarten through College, are important for community and to society, thus there is a second session on education.
    2. Just as the families in M&M commit to a level of civic engagement and community involvement, they commit to making sure the schools their children attend are good for everyone, and that means volunteering is some capacity, participating in school events, and modeling that engagement for their children. From campus cleanups to school board membership, every M&M household should have a tangible connection to their children’s school. Importantly, that extends to the curriculum. Schools should teach a wide variety of literacies. Kids should know how to read, but also how to watch, listen, interpret, analyze, and evaluate myriad forms of content. Before knowing their rights, they should know their responsibilities, and demonstrate respect. While M&M strongly advocates for diversity, equality*, and inclusion, we do not believe nature is optional. Gender fluidity is an adult issue and should not be introduced until students have gone beyond puberty. We recognize the laws around various ages of consent (16 for driving, 18 for voting rights and legal adulthood, 21 for drugs & alcohol). The precious time students have in school should be focused on science & mathematics, language & literature, history & social studies, sports & physical education, the arts, and prosocial development. Memorization is a skill, practice is essential, testing is a necessity, and pride comes only after achievement. We also recognize the virtues of ancient educational philosophies, ie. Confucianism, the Socratic Method, the Lyceum (Peripatetic School), aspects of Montessori, Waldorf, etc. For M&M, which recognizes the whole wide world and promotes internationalism, cultural literacy is a huge topic. Knowing world history, being multilingual, and being versed in both physical and human geography is fundamental to being the Renaissance persons we hope to cultivate. [*We prefer the term equality over equity, unless the latter emphasizes ownership.]

18. The Vow (the most important, yet most incomplete section [research is still underway…])
    1. In order to make a pledge and be a member of the M&M community, both parties in a marriage (individuals and/or families) must choose at least five of the following points in their vow, their pledge, their covenant, their agreement to each other, their families, and the M&M community. Not unlike marriage vows, these can vary and should be renewed from time to time. Each one represents much thought, research, and deliberation. The conversation continues…

• I agree that an international, multiracial society is a good thing…
  • __________________________________________________________________
• I understand that marriage is…
  • __________________________________________________________________
• I understand that commitment is…
  • __________________________________________________________________
• I agree to raise children…
  • __________________________________________________________________
• I agree that family is…
  • __________________________________________________________________
• I agree that society/community is…
  • __________________________________________________________________
• I agree to abide by the following economic principles…
  • __________________________________________________________________
• I agree to serve by…
  • __________________________________________________________________
• I agree to honor my grandparents and grandchildren by…
  • __________________________________________________________________
• I agree to help the world by…
  • __________________________________________________________________

Notes, glossary, marginalia

World Peace, two families at a time…

• Marriage, wedding, union, alliance, fusion, espousal, love, endearment, intimacy, affection, 
• Arrange, arrangement, organize, positioning, adaptation, orchestration, system, 
• Commingle, integrate, combine, blend, amalgamate, join, mix, harmonize, correlate, compatible, balance, 
• Family, household, ménage, parentage, ancestry, progeny, lineage, descendants, genealogy, pedigree, posterity,
• International, multinational, intercultural, anti-racist, global, cosmopolitan, assimilationism, nonsectarian, 
• Mixed Race, the Melting Pot, Heterophilia, Heterogeneous, Exogamy, Biracial, Multiethnic, Mulatto, Mestizo, Mestee, Pardo, Casta, Caboclo, Cafuzo, Café-au-lait, Halfrican, Blackenese, Zhonghua minzu, Cablinasian

The Problems:

• Finding love in the modern world, the failures of social media, hookup culture, segregation, racism, miscommunication,

The Solutions: 

• Finding love in the modern world, harmony, global & psychological stability, understanding, communication,