23 July, Color-Man, Kathmandu, Nepal
I am Anglo-Saxon and we are a dwindling breed. Only 10% of the world's population is white, I've heard, and even less than that are descended from northern Europe. Blond hair and blue eyes are petering out of this world.
But not only are we a small ethnic group, our cultural habits are deep in the minority. We are task-oriented people--straightforward, punctual, private, scheduled, and individualistic. We are the vigorous people of the cold north.
Some of this is related to the cold climate. The cold forces us to stay indoors many months of the year. But staying indoors separates us from our neighbors. Some of it also is related to our religious heritage. Christians in northern Europe were known for their good work ethic and timeliness and orderliness. But our increasing individualism, for the most part, is related to our money.
Prosperity divides and poverty unites. In Africa, friends share everything. We get friends for our emotional needs. Africans get friends for all their needs. Lack binds people together.
Most of the world is different from us. In the lazy tropics (like Nepal and Jordan), relationship is everything. "Please don't be shy; we are all brothers here," a boy in Jordan urged me. Boys my age of this hot-climate culture include themselves and include me, even when I don't want inclusion. It seems pushy and intrusive, but that is their culture.
I've grown to love the friendship and warmth, the fraternal grip of the hot-climate culture. I love eating together. In church, Christians sing and pray and play their instruments as though no one is watching. They're not trying to impress other people. They are free and confident.
But all of this is difficult for me to enter as the white Anglo-Saxon. I must overcome my inbred individualism and my fear of being asked for money. We all must overcome our private, staunch individualism. But for all this, the world still eyes us and our money. Our cherished dollars hinder friendships in Africa and make it impossible to walk through a market in Kathmandu in peace.
But not only are we a small ethnic group, our cultural habits are deep in the minority. We are task-oriented people--straightforward, punctual, private, scheduled, and individualistic. We are the vigorous people of the cold north.
Some of this is related to the cold climate. The cold forces us to stay indoors many months of the year. But staying indoors separates us from our neighbors. Some of it also is related to our religious heritage. Christians in northern Europe were known for their good work ethic and timeliness and orderliness. But our increasing individualism, for the most part, is related to our money.
Prosperity divides and poverty unites. In Africa, friends share everything. We get friends for our emotional needs. Africans get friends for all their needs. Lack binds people together.
Most of the world is different from us. In the lazy tropics (like Nepal and Jordan), relationship is everything. "Please don't be shy; we are all brothers here," a boy in Jordan urged me. Boys my age of this hot-climate culture include themselves and include me, even when I don't want inclusion. It seems pushy and intrusive, but that is their culture.
I've grown to love the friendship and warmth, the fraternal grip of the hot-climate culture. I love eating together. In church, Christians sing and pray and play their instruments as though no one is watching. They're not trying to impress other people. They are free and confident.
But all of this is difficult for me to enter as the white Anglo-Saxon. I must overcome my inbred individualism and my fear of being asked for money. We all must overcome our private, staunch individualism. But for all this, the world still eyes us and our money. Our cherished dollars hinder friendships in Africa and make it impossible to walk through a market in Kathmandu in peace.
posted by Unknown at 10:24 PM
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