References:
- Acts 17:16-34 NAS
- 1 Corinthians 9:16-27 NAS
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
- The Kingdom (2007)
I love a good, thought provoking movie, as well as a good action movie or a good thriller. For me, the movie has to have depth. I want to be touched by the message of the movie, not just something meaningless to watch. Yes, I am a bit picky about what movies I watch. Each of us has our own preferences. A movie that I have just recently added to my “very much enjoy list” is “Lawrence of Arabia.” This movie has a similar theme to other two movies that I really enjoy, “Kingdom of Heaven” and “The Kingdom.” But, I will get to that in a few minutes.
In the passage from Acts, we see Paul and Silas were traveling together on Paul's second missionary trip (Acts 15:36-41) and were currently in Athens, Greece. Paul sees all sorts of idols, including any empty pedestal, and uses them as a springboard for preaching to the local populace in a manner that they could understand. In the 1 Corinthians passage referenced above, we see Paul's strategy a little more in depth. He seeks to understand the culture that he is working in, and then uses that to inform how he teaches them about Christ. He doesn't change the Message of the Gospel, just how he explains it and how he lives amongst them. He does that so that they can understand who Christ Jesus is.
You see, each of us view life through the lens of our unique blend of culture, heritage, and experiences. All of this informs us how to view life. It's the framework that we use in order to understand the world around us. Not only does each country have its own unique culture, but communities within the same country have different forms of culture. Although a whole nation may share some similar cultural features, different areas within the same country will differ somewhat. Local customs, dialects, and unique histories vary greatly from place to place.
Besides the United States, I have experienced the local cultures of Europe and some parts of Iraq. Through visiting distant relatives in Europe and spending a semester in Strasbourg, France, I have a lot of first hand experience with European cultures. I have been able to see local history, experienced local traditions, and visited with many different people. This personal experience, combined with basic knowledge of the German language and history, has opened many doors for me. Whether traveling on a train, sitting in a restaurant, or some other environment, I have been blessed with some fascinating conversations with German people. There have been awkward times where neither of us had enough vocabulary to express all that we wanted to say. But yet, we strove to understand and to be understood.
My experience with the Iraqi culture is a bit more limited. But, especially during my third deployment in 2010-11, I did get to interact with some of the business, government and military leaders in Baghdad. That was because of my job with creating vehicle security passes for vehicles within the International Zone. Not only did I get to interact with some of the Iraqi citizens, but I also got to interact with many of the members of the different embassies. Although I had many positive experiences working with each of them, one situation in particular really stands out with me.
One of the PSD (Personal Security Detail) teams that I worked with was from the Korean Embassy. While in high school, college, and in seminary, I have gotten to know many people from different Asian countries. Because of these experiences, both good and bad, I had fairly good idea of what I should do. When they came to the door, I stood up, walked towards them, and then bowed to them. I acknowledged them according to their culture. They hesitated a moment, then returned the bow. We then got down to business. For whatever reason, they had to leave and return. When they came back a few days later, they literately stood at the door and politely told the OIC (Officer in Charge) that they would like to talk with me. They then patiently waited for me to be ready. Because of the way I had shown them respect, they went out of their way to show me respect.
Over the years, I have talked with many people from different countries while they were either visiting or studying in the United States. While many people do try to show respect to them, it is unfortunate that others within the US do not. This happens while Americans have traveled to different countries to visit and while foreigners have visited the US. Sometimes it's because someone just does not have any experience with other cultures and doesn't understand the differences. There are so many different cultures out there that it would be impossible to understand them all. And most foreigners visiting or studying here understand that. But, there is a big difference between not understanding because of no experience, and not even trying.
Each of the three movies have a common theme. Major world events caused two different cultures to have to work together. In each of the movies, each side had their cultural stereotypes of the other. These stereotypes caused a lot of friction and frustration initially. But, during the movie, people on both sides made the attempt to try and understand the others' perspective, while seeking to more clearly explaining their own. It took time, patience, and a lot of work. But, by the end of the movie, their work paved the way for a lot of mutual respect and learning. In working together, they were able to accomplish a lot of awesome things. Something they could not have accomplished separately.
There have been many times where, in trying to interact with someone of another culture, I 'put my foot into my mouth.' I have made mistakes. I have also striven to learn from those mistakes so that I can better interact with people from a different culture. It is not easy. What is normal in some cultures can be offensive to others. These are easy to find. However, will we strive to set aside the things that we find distasteful and annoying and seek common ground? That is something each and every one of us will have to decide when the time comes. For those of us who follow Christ, we are His ambassadors to this world. How shall we live this out?
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Prone to Thoughts and Lists
This entry is kind of a summary of things that I have been pondering the last few days. Because my lower back acted up last week and I have been very limited with what I can do physically, I have been doing a lot of pondering. Well, to be honest, I have been doing a lot of movie watching on Netflix as well. But, being a contemplating person at heart…
Over the last several years, I have had intermittent problems with my lower back. When ever that has happened, I usually do what I can to entertain myself and keep my mind off of the pain. This instance is no exception. In the past, I would usually watch movie after movie that I had. Sometimes I would do a particular theme like Star Wars or Star Trek. Other times I would just put in what ever movie was the easiest to get to and sounded decent. Unfortunately, when one's lower back hurts, the more one leans, or even just moves, the more painful it is.
Although I love watching movies, after a while it gets a bit old. Watching one movie after another after another after another… Intermixed with the movie watching has been meals, surfing the Internet, Skyping with my family, etc. But yet, it has almost become boring just watching movies.
While reading various articles on Facebook, I came across a website that had various lists (http://www.listchallenges.com/). Lists of books to read, lists of places to visit, lists of foods to eat, etc. For fun, I have gone through several of the lists to see how my experiences measure up to other people's ideas of what is important. I have high scores with movies, which is no surprise to me. In fact, with the 'geek list' I have seen 60/100 of the 'nerd movies.' That is, Sci-Fi movies. But, when it came to books, I was a bit surprised. Although I have read many books in my life, the books that I have read are not on the lists. Well, most of them. It seems that I am not as well versed in the 'classics' as I though I was. I admit, not all of the books on the lists sound all that appealing to me. However, it isn't always about 'appeal' that one reads a book. Many times, especially when it comes to theological and/or philosophical works, one needs to read challenging things. That way, one can gain a new perspective on how other view life.
Although it can be fun to compare what you can do or have done with someone else, one always needs to remember something. Each and everyone of us is a unique individual. Some people have the right kind of job or enough money to be able to travel the world. Others are able to sit down and read many books throughout their lifetime. Others are able to try various restaurants and try many different foods. Although it would be wonderful to experience all of these different things, not all of us will be able to do so.
But yet, sitting down and deciding the kinds of things that one wants to experience in his or her lifetime can be a good goal to set. For those who love to visit different countries, sitting down and creating a list of places to visit, and the order that he or she wants to visit them, can help create priorities. Some places will be very expensive to visit and may require many different visas or other applications. Figuring out what one needs would be a part of that goal setting processes.
For those who love reading, setting up a goal with the kids of books to read might be worth while. But even with that, one would need to figure out what genre of books they would want to focus on. There are so many different genres out there, one has to narrow it down. For example, although I enjoy watching a good horror movie once in a while, I don't enjoy reading horror novels all that much. But, I do enjoy reading a good mystery, sci-fi novel, or classical literature. Of course, theological writings are something else that I enjoy reading. For others, westerns or romance novels are their favorites. After figuring out a genre, one would then need to develop a list of books to read within that group. Then, the next question is, borrow them from a library, borrow from a friend, or buy them? Books can be expensive. But, if one really enjoys a book, having a copy of it might be good. Again, it will be up to the person.
But yet, if all a person does in life is make lists and think about what they want to do, are they really enjoying life? I have been able to do many things in my life. I have been to seminary, I have been in the Army (Active Duty and National Guard) for over 15 years, I have visited in Europe on several occasions, I have been to the Middle East, and I have visited many places throughout the United States. I have also been an Airborne Paratrooper, a pastor, and have worked in corrections. In fact, those are just some of the things that I have been able to experience.
All of us have experiences that make us who we are. Some of them are happy and joyful experiences. Some of them are painful and/or sad ones. But, each of these experiences contribute to who we are as a whole. Just like the books that we read and the classes that we study and the places that we visit, they all contribute to how we understand life. Some of these choices are ones that we make. But, not all of them. At times, others make choices for us. Be it our parents, the people that we work for, or the acts of a stranger. Each of these can greatly impact who we are and how we understand life.
As I wrap up this entry, I encourage you to think about something. What kind of things have shaped your life? What kind of people have influenced you? Whether you prefer books or movies, or love them both, how have they shaped your world view? With the places that you have visited, how have those experiences changed you? As you make lists, or jusACt think about what you have done, reflect on how you have been challenged and have grown because of these things. Consider, whether they they seem good or bad at the time, how you are different because of them. And with that, think about ways that you can experience new things and become an even better person? Not all things may be possible to experience. But, there are new experiences around each and every one of us. Ask God to open your eyes and experience new things. Especially with Who He is and what He has for you.
Over the last several years, I have had intermittent problems with my lower back. When ever that has happened, I usually do what I can to entertain myself and keep my mind off of the pain. This instance is no exception. In the past, I would usually watch movie after movie that I had. Sometimes I would do a particular theme like Star Wars or Star Trek. Other times I would just put in what ever movie was the easiest to get to and sounded decent. Unfortunately, when one's lower back hurts, the more one leans, or even just moves, the more painful it is.
Although I love watching movies, after a while it gets a bit old. Watching one movie after another after another after another… Intermixed with the movie watching has been meals, surfing the Internet, Skyping with my family, etc. But yet, it has almost become boring just watching movies.
While reading various articles on Facebook, I came across a website that had various lists (http://www.listchallenges.com/). Lists of books to read, lists of places to visit, lists of foods to eat, etc. For fun, I have gone through several of the lists to see how my experiences measure up to other people's ideas of what is important. I have high scores with movies, which is no surprise to me. In fact, with the 'geek list' I have seen 60/100 of the 'nerd movies.' That is, Sci-Fi movies. But, when it came to books, I was a bit surprised. Although I have read many books in my life, the books that I have read are not on the lists. Well, most of them. It seems that I am not as well versed in the 'classics' as I though I was. I admit, not all of the books on the lists sound all that appealing to me. However, it isn't always about 'appeal' that one reads a book. Many times, especially when it comes to theological and/or philosophical works, one needs to read challenging things. That way, one can gain a new perspective on how other view life.
Although it can be fun to compare what you can do or have done with someone else, one always needs to remember something. Each and everyone of us is a unique individual. Some people have the right kind of job or enough money to be able to travel the world. Others are able to sit down and read many books throughout their lifetime. Others are able to try various restaurants and try many different foods. Although it would be wonderful to experience all of these different things, not all of us will be able to do so.
But yet, sitting down and deciding the kinds of things that one wants to experience in his or her lifetime can be a good goal to set. For those who love to visit different countries, sitting down and creating a list of places to visit, and the order that he or she wants to visit them, can help create priorities. Some places will be very expensive to visit and may require many different visas or other applications. Figuring out what one needs would be a part of that goal setting processes.
For those who love reading, setting up a goal with the kids of books to read might be worth while. But even with that, one would need to figure out what genre of books they would want to focus on. There are so many different genres out there, one has to narrow it down. For example, although I enjoy watching a good horror movie once in a while, I don't enjoy reading horror novels all that much. But, I do enjoy reading a good mystery, sci-fi novel, or classical literature. Of course, theological writings are something else that I enjoy reading. For others, westerns or romance novels are their favorites. After figuring out a genre, one would then need to develop a list of books to read within that group. Then, the next question is, borrow them from a library, borrow from a friend, or buy them? Books can be expensive. But, if one really enjoys a book, having a copy of it might be good. Again, it will be up to the person.
But yet, if all a person does in life is make lists and think about what they want to do, are they really enjoying life? I have been able to do many things in my life. I have been to seminary, I have been in the Army (Active Duty and National Guard) for over 15 years, I have visited in Europe on several occasions, I have been to the Middle East, and I have visited many places throughout the United States. I have also been an Airborne Paratrooper, a pastor, and have worked in corrections. In fact, those are just some of the things that I have been able to experience.
All of us have experiences that make us who we are. Some of them are happy and joyful experiences. Some of them are painful and/or sad ones. But, each of these experiences contribute to who we are as a whole. Just like the books that we read and the classes that we study and the places that we visit, they all contribute to how we understand life. Some of these choices are ones that we make. But, not all of them. At times, others make choices for us. Be it our parents, the people that we work for, or the acts of a stranger. Each of these can greatly impact who we are and how we understand life.
As I wrap up this entry, I encourage you to think about something. What kind of things have shaped your life? What kind of people have influenced you? Whether you prefer books or movies, or love them both, how have they shaped your world view? With the places that you have visited, how have those experiences changed you? As you make lists, or jusACt think about what you have done, reflect on how you have been challenged and have grown because of these things. Consider, whether they they seem good or bad at the time, how you are different because of them. And with that, think about ways that you can experience new things and become an even better person? Not all things may be possible to experience. But, there are new experiences around each and every one of us. Ask God to open your eyes and experience new things. Especially with Who He is and what He has for you.
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