In American culture, it is quite the "thing" to be busy.
In fact, the whole "American Dream" idea is built on the premise that you work (and work and work and work) hard and you are "rewarded" with the materialistic things that are going to make you happy. (It's more complex than that, but you get the drift.)
But, in this age of all work and no play we've become a culture of pridefully busy humans who cannot see beyond the blinders of our own selves to really look at what's going on around us.
So...
The question becomes...
Do you really SEE other people?
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| Photo Credit: Mike Chai |
Put yourself in this scenario:
Think of the last place you were today where there were many people.
Maybe it was the grocery store, shopping mall, restaurant, concert - you know what I'm talking about.
Now...
Can you describe at least 5 people with enough details to separate them from others in the scene?
Could you describe them for a sketch artist or give any type of worthwhile details to a police officer?
Would you be able to pinpoint where you were in the setting when you noticed these people?
Okay, if you couldn't describe 5, what about 4, or 3 or 2?
One?
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| Photo Credit: Kaique Rocha |
There are people all around us, every day, day in and day out.
They are experiencing many of the same things you are - concern about our environment, paying the bills, getting your kid(s) into a good college, taking out the trash, caring for aging parents, getting to the doctor on time, saving for retirement.
How do I know this?
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| Photo Credit: Malcolm Garret |
Because, for all the ways we differ from one another, we have so many similarities.
WE ARE ALL HUMANS!
We cry, laugh, anger, grow, run, walk, swim, and fly.
We hate, love, criticize, intimidate, hear, see, and like.
We're born.
We die.
We may not look the same - even multiples are different, but we are all still the same collection of living matter and energy that co-exist on the same planet in the same universe.
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| Photo Credit: Follow Alice |
Our differences stem from WHERE we were born and raised, WHO developed our early understandings, WHAT cultural norms were given to us, and HOW we've navigated the world around us up to now.
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| Photo Credit: Genaro Servin |
Cultures different than our own can look, feel, and sound confusing, scary, and in opposition to our individual belief system.
Most of us were raised on the premise that different means "not one of us, so, therefore, they want to hurt or change us."
This is not a new concept.
In fact, throughout the history of the world, wars and conquests have been fought on this very premise. It doesn't make it right, it just makes it fact.
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| Photo Credit: Bess Hamiti |
Let's use the hijab as an example.
Head coverings have been worn and can be found in recorded histories for thousands of years.
In fact, many Christian based religions today still require it for their members.
(Amish, Mennonite, and Hutterites are just a few modern-day examples)
If you are Catholic and meeting the pope, you MUST wear a head covering. 1 Corinthians 11:15 is just one interpretation of the Bible directing women to cover their heads as a sign of respect and modesty. Over the centuries, that was relaxed for most Christian women, although many women of color still wear hats to church.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is always depicted as wearing a head covering.
Head coverings from the middle ages appear in most of their texts and documents, including those on fashions of the day.
The Hajib is the veil that Muslim women wear to cover their hair, neck, and chest (and sometimes their nose and mouth) when in the presence of men who are NOT their husband or immediate male family members.
It is based on Islamic standards of modesty - sound familiar?
Now, I don't want to give you a theology lesson here, because I'd be woefully ill-equipped.
But, when you SEE someone wearing a hajib, do you have the slightest fear or insecurity?
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| Photo Credit: Caique Silva |
What about someone who doesn't look like you?
Do you hesitate to make eye contact or look away so you don't have to engage with that person in any way?
Here's the thing...
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| Photo Credit: Daniel Reche |
What we see on the outside, be it clothing, physical features, alterations, skin color, religious choices, or whatever.
On the inside, we are all the same.
Just like an egg, the shell may be a different color, but the yolk and egg white look almost identical.
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| Photo Credit: Lisa Fotis |
Think about how you SEE people and then take the time to slow down and REALLY SEE people.
"There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know."
John Heywood (1546)
or
Jeremiah 5:21
"Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not: which have ears, and hear not."
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