I remember well my drive across the country from Montana to Georgia, especially the day when I passed through Sturgis, South Dakota during the world famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.What struck me more than the ear splitting volume (and visual beauty) of the motorcycles was the rich, larger-than-life American subculture that surrounded them. Before me were literally hundreds of thousands of people who were neck deep in an entire universe that I knew nothing about. I felt as if I had been dropped onto another planet. At other points in my life, I've stumbled upon windows into other such strata of American life, observing the activities of friends who were into "fan fiction" or computer programming, or fencing.
Recently, it occurred to me that I have been a part of several of these hidden worlds. The ethics profession is one, to be sure, but that which I enjoy the most is the domain of jugglers. Here there is a shared body of knowledge, language, dress, assemblies, heroes, and sacred days. If you want to get an idea for what it's like, check out my favorite juggling store, Dube.
