numberTHREE.

What does God expect us to do for other cultures and faiths?
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves. 'Who am I to be brilliant gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." 
- Maryanne Williamson


I first heard this quote while watching one of my favorite movies, Coach Carter. This movie has inspired me to tackle the impossible while persevering through adversities and trials. The reason why I chose this quote was because this quote reveals the answer to the question: What does God expect us to do for other cultures and faiths? 


All people, whatever what age we are at, are capable of doing great things in our lives, but it is whether we choose to act or not. It is not that we are incapable of exhibiting our strengths and talents to the world. We are all adequate and have the capability to accomplish remarkable things through the talents and gifts that God gave us. It is our duty, thus, we are obligated to manifest the gifts that were bestowed upon us to the entire world. Playing small and not using our gifts to our full potential will not facilitate us or the world in anyway. Rather shining the light that was given to us will benefit us and ignite the spark in other people's hearts to do the same. In other words, we should not hide or shrink when the chance comes to help other cultures or faiths. Instead, we should shine and flaunt our talents in helping those in need.

From doing this blog post, I remembered a parable in the Bible; the parable of the talents.  A master bestows different amounts of talents (money) to three servants, according to their abilities. The first servant got five talents, the second servant got two talents, and the third got one. The first two servants used their talents and multiplied their share while the third servant dug his talent in the ground because of his laziness. When the master came back on his journey, the first two servants were commended for their diligence while the third servant was reprimanded for his laziness. The master resembles God and the servants resemble us. God gave all of us talents and gifts to use in our lives and we should diligently use our talents to benefit ourselves and others.
Parable of the Talents 
¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,^[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
   ¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
   ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
   ²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
   ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
   ²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
   ²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
   ²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 25: 14-30

numberTWO.

What should society do for "uncivilized cultures" like the Sawi?


The world consists of numerous diverse cultures, distinctive yet identical. They piece together like a puzzle; even with all the differences the cultures obtain, they all rely on one another in some way. If one piece is missing, the entire picture is lost and is useless. Many "uncivilized cultures", like the Sawi, have rituals and custom that may seem grotesque or eccentric to the "civilized cultures". However, have you ever thought about it vice versa? To the "uncivilized cultures", the traditions of the "civilized cultures" may seem peculiar to them. It is the matter of perception and how people grasp the idea of what "civilized" actually is. To the "uncivilized culture", their traditions may not seem strange at all. Their traditions, embedded into their innate nature, altered their mindset into thinking that what they practice is not at all queer.

What society can do for the "uncivilized cultures" is to perceive the culture as if the culture was their own. Understanding that all cultures are different, whether it is cannibalism or worshiping a human being as if he is a god. By understanding one's culture, one can build a bridge between the two cultures and aid them to alter their mindset in what is right and wrong. In God's eyes we are all identical. Cannibal or not, God perceives us as His own children and He will save those who are blindly heading into the wrong direction.




Your word is a lamp for my feet,
   a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

number ONE.

What should we do when we are confronted with other cultures?
When I was a young and an ignorant kid, I acted upon my inherent instincts and created an external barrier to block out new cultures. I rejected my culture, thinking that I was someone who I really wasn't. Like me, a lot of people would react the same way that I had reacted; hiding and fleeing when they see the first sights of unfamiliar and alien lands. However, the big question still remains; why do we reject? Why do we quiver in fear at the thoughts of new experiences? Is it because we are afraid to change? Or is it because we want to change but don't know how to take the first step forward? People have the habit of rejecting because they fear the repercussions and the results of adjusting to the bizarre, outlandish traits they affront when confronting new cultures. Like how a baby, squirming and grimacing his face in disgust, as his mom tries to feed him vegetables. Even at a young and tender age do we have the instinct of rejecting new things. It is inevitable and inherent.


As I grew older I started to open up my impenetrable barrier, slowly and warily as I inspected my new surroundings, gazing upon every inch of new detail that seemed eerie. Instead of appreciating and respecting the culture, I marked it as my enemy. When confronting a new culture, we should confront it with respect and recognition instead of hostility and fear. Instead of rejecting it and shoving it aside, we should invite it into our lives. Instead of putting up defensive walls we should open the door that leads into our hearts, and greet it with a warm smile.