So, I've had ideas of what I wanted this post to be, and I can't think of a better day than on the eve of Ramadan to write it. There are different sayings or culture things that I take from different cultures and make it I own (I'll admit it). For instance, in Liberian speech, I still say "sorry oh", which means that you are REALLY sorry for something. In Southern Africa, when you shake hands, you don't let your other hand just "swing about wildly like it has a mind of its own" <-- Alexander McCall Smith describes this (although that was a paraphrase), so you hold your other arm as a sign of respect.
In Arabic culture, you greet everyone before you start work. I really like this, but it involves going around to every person, saying, "How are you? Well?" It's one of my favourite things. Also what I love about Arabic/Muslim culture is the sense of community. A couple of weeks ago, one of national staff lost his mother. The moment people heard, they told me, and I sat there, thinking, "Oh, that's terrible". My national staff looked at me for a second and said, "You must go greet him". You have to go give your condolences right then. In that moment of someone's greatest need, there is nothing of more importance than to show you care. Another interesting fact though is that you're not supposed to say, "I'm sorry". That means that you disagree with Allah's (which, just to clarify, Allah is just Arabic for God)will. That was hard for me, but luckily, he understands us foreigners as all I could muster was, "I'm so sorry!"
So my main point that I've been wanting to write about for a long time is the thought that how we, as humans are often so scared of what we don't know. For instance, in Switzerland, I've been twice now to go to Headquarters. I've always hated their public transport system. The last time, I sat and decided, "why do I have such strong dislike for the transport?" And I realised, it's because I don't know it! It was after I went a couple of places and realised that "hey, this isn't so bad"- it's because I was getting it. I now know about the system, so I'm not so scared of it anymore.
Working in relief work, I know that I have a disconnect from most people. Being from the States and working with Muslims, I feel as though I have an even bigger disconnect. I know what the preconceived notion is, I grew up in the States as well. We're kind of taught to fear Islam and things we aren't familiar with. I wish that with the blink of an eye, I could rid people's thoughts of these. But just like the transport system for me, we're scared of what we don't know.
Being in Sudan, I have met people who live out their faith more than any Christian I've ever met. They are caring, loving, give all of what they have for others, and are so faithful. To be completely honest, I have found myself fighting feelings of resentment against Christians. That they are lame, non compassionate, complacent and judgmental. The Muslims would gladly welcome you with open arms, and show kindness. Yet in America, many have judged those here, without even knowing them, labeling them as something a majority of them are not.
So I've been thinking, What would happen? What would happen if we all greeted each other, (yes, even the bum on the street that we walk by and pretend doesn't exist?). What if we saw each other as human? Not as political parties, not as something superficial, but as human. I even wonder how many of our problems within politics are due to the Christian hardness to show compassion and blaming someone else? What if we stopped asking, "why should I have to do this for someone else" and instead asked, "what can I do for you?"
I'm tired of being asked "why do you care so much?" Should the question be, "why do we as human beings not care enough?
I am grateful for this experience, that my eyes have been open to my own faults. I pray that I can be one to whom someone else can say, "Man, I've never met anyone else that lives out what she believes in word and deed like Patty Hutton". I know that I not never mess up again, but just a reinforcement of my part to "Love God, love people and love life".
No exceptions.
Learning along the way,
~P
Really fabulous Pat-tah!
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