So many people travel to different countries around the world. Travelers know that travel is second to self-education . The sights and sounds become your instant classroom. It widens an understanding of one's place in the universe. You see with your eyes, heart and soul that there are many ways to approach what we call "life."
Rituals, customs, dress, food, religious beliefs, superstitions even thought patterns. Some may label it "multi-culturalism"~ the problem with this label is that it creates a them against us wall of superiority, no matter who the participant is.
One of the important self-cleansing rituals a true anthropologist does is number one..rid themselves of "ethnocentrism"..a belief inculcated amongst Europeans that " my culture is superior to yours." Even though this field was created by the British who were Colonizers, the movement to respect and understand all cultures of the world in it's totality , flourished.
There are 300 people walking around today, who learned this in my classroom. I encouraged them to a "guess who is coming to dinner moment." This abates fear,misconceptions and a new found respect both ways. Make friends outside your world but hold on to who you are.
If you can understand this, you can understand Malcolm X, and Stokely Carmichael. Malcolm went to Saudi Arabia, and saw that we are ONE people. Stokely went to Guinea-Bisau and realized the same. There is nothing magical about being Black, or White, or Indian or that ridiculous category "mixed race." Until I can conclusivley prove that "whites" came from Outer space, Atlantis, or landed on the Nazca lines of Peru. there is only one race. Out of many one..or is it out of ONE many?
After my formal education, people everywhere became living narratives. It is truly wonderful to have friends of all ages, cultures and nationalities, and still be me! Don't lose yourself, be yourself!
There are 300 people walking around today, who learned this in my classroom. I encouraged them to a "guess who is coming to dinner moment." This abates fear,misconceptions and a new found respect both ways. Make friends outside your world but hold on to who you are.
Absolutely and I have found that I have become a richer person because of this.
