Month: July 2021

He likes cats. She likes dogs. Is he better than her? 

She is pedantic about conventional spelling, grammar and punctuation. He can’t see the problem in more creative ways of expressing oneself. Nor does he see the point in spending time checking for typos and fixing them. What does it matter, so long as the message is clear? Is she better than him? 

He is good with his hands. He can fix or adapt anything with his trusty toolbox. She is good with her head. She spends hours reading, thinking and writing. Which is better? 

Right, wrong or just different?

Cross-cultural training often incorporates the concept that certain things which may strike newcomers to a culture as strange are not necessarily wrong, but just different. Should children be seen and not heard, or should they be encouraged to express their individuality? To greet another person, should two people shake hands, rub noses, peck one another on the cheek, bring their hands together in front of their chests or bow a little? (Okay … during a pandemic, some of these conventions for greeting are definitely ill-advised.) Do rules apply to everyone regardless of the situation or is it appropriate to interpret the rules based on the particular players involved and the setting? What is the best way to enjoy a meal – chopsticks, cutlery, or a freshly washed hand?

I like to think that I am sensitive to such differences when interacting with people from cultures different to my own. Yet in my own culture, I am quick to attribute value to things that don’t merit it. Why is it so important to ensure that typos are fixed before hitting ‘publish’? Roles requiring a tertiary education or unskilled intense labour … both are valuable though often in different settings. Her Feline Highness might argue that cat people are better than dog people, but until she came into my life, I would have said the I preferred dogs. (Ssssshhhh … don’t tell the cat!)

Convicted

Last week I had the privilege of teaching on a passage from Romans 12. I found myself convicted on several points, and would like to reinforce those lessons through blogging. Thanks for reading along. This particular blog post relates to Romans 12:3b.

“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” 

Romans 12:3b NIV

As part of my preparation for teaching on a later verse, in which all members of the body, though independent, belong to one another (Romans 12:5-6), I grabbed a Twitter post from the Olympics opening ceremony. Although the picture and sentiments ideally illustrated my point, to my horror, the post contained a typo. Whoever let that through? And how was it picked up and reproduced in mainstream media? Surely heads would roll…… 

Then something even more dreadful than a typo occurred to me. In putting down those responsible for letting a typo through, I was elevating myself. I was thinking of my self more highly than I ought. Never mind that the intended message was perfectly clear. Or that this was only a Twitter post and not a news article. 

The early Roman church

The people who first heard Paul’s letter to the Romans read aloud most likely came from a variety of backgrounds. Jews, Gentiles, slaves, slave owners, former slaves, tradespeople, men and women, educated and illiterate – they joined together in small groups scattered around the great city of first century Rome. Within society, their positions were anything but equal. Yet within the body of Christ, they all had a role to play. 

Just as an aside, if you, like me, enjoy historical fiction, I can thoroughly recommend the book ‘Phoebe’ by Paula Gooder. The main character, Phoebe, is based on the woman of that name mentioned in Romans 16:1-2. The book was written by a New Testament Pauline scholar who has a rich grasp of history and the culture of that time. When I read the book of Romans today, I freely admit that my interpretation is coloured by Dr Gooder’s work of historical fiction. I am grateful to its author for those insights into the world of the original recipients of Paul’s letter to the Romans. 

A modern context

The church to which I belong in an outer eastern suburb of Melbourne looks quite different to that of first century Rome. In our hyper-connected world, I can grab a Twitter post about an event halfway around the world to illustrate a point in a sermon just two days later. Nevertheless, these words recorded in Romans 12 are as applicable to us today as they were to Phoebe and her peers. 

“Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought….” (Romans 12:3b NIV). Righto, I acknowledge that being pedantic about the written word doesn’t make me a better person than one who lets a typo slip through. 

“… but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” (Romans 12:3c NIV) This isn’t all negative, actually. In fact, introspection can result in offers of service to the greater community.

I judge myself a picky proof-reader, which doesn’t make me better than anyone else, but it does make me potentially helpful in certain areas. If I were to proof-read certain documents before they were published, wouldn’t that bless the greater community of readers? Perhaps because I have been vocal about noticing errors in the past, I have ended up being asked to regularly proof-read material in several settings. I’m glad to use my pedantry to benefit others. 

Moving on

Are cat people better than dog people? Are practical people better than academic people? Are perfectionists better than those who can tolerate a little variation in certain settings? 

Sometimes things are plain right and wrong. Yet there are many times when I am quick to cast judgement on others without first examining myself with sober judgement. We are all different and, indeed, we need one another if we are to enjoy a robust community. 

And now, moving on, I shall not be judgemental about those responsible for an extra apostrophe in not just one but several signs for a local barbeque store. Yet whenever I pass that shop, I shudder. And I am afraid that deep inside, an arrogant smirk echoes what I perceive as Barby Dave’s evil grin … evil because he knows about the errant apostrophe in the “BBQ’s” sign (below) yet does not let on.

I’m a work in progress…… 

My community is in lockdown #5 as I write this blog post. Many countries have thousands more daily new COVID-19 cases than we do here in Australia and my heart goes out to them. Nevertheless, in this blog post, allow me to blinker my eyes and just focus on people in my own area. 

I’m thinking about world views and the virus at the moment. ‘Worldview’ (it can be written ‘worldview’ or ‘world view’) simply refers to how people view the world. We talk about it in missions training, urging those preparing to cross cultures to proactively strive to understand how local people in the places they visit view the world.

The contexts in which we live or grow up impact our worldviews. Just think about how people of different cultures view status and authority, the importance of community, child-raising philosophies, the interaction of the spirit world with our daily lives, what we consider to be the causes of disease and more.

It strikes me, however, that right here, right now, I see people in my own neighbourhood who have very different world views in relation to the pandemic. I wonder if this is, in part, because the communities to which we belong are less defined by geography these days and more defined by networks and the biases of our sources of information. 

I am making this observation not only as a matter of interest (to myself, at least) but also as a reminder that those in my own communities who have a different worldview to myself are still people just like me. I can be quick to judge people who think differently to myself as ill-informed and ignorant. Even though I may not agree with everyone, seeking to understand how people around me view the world is surely a more respectful and appropriate response to opinions and actions that I view as odd … especially for a cross-cultural worker. 

Neighbours

Let me describe two neighbours who exemplify two different worldviews of people in my own community. Neither of them are literal descriptions of any particular person I know personally … though I have met people like them. 

Jenalyn stands outside the vaccination centre, unmasked, with a sign declaring, ‘The vaccine will change your DNA! Don’t get it.’ Only when a police officer arrives does she reluctantly accept the proffered mask and walk away. Not for her are QR codes in venues she visits. No, she doesn’t want the government tracking her every movement. As for hand sanitisers provided at the entrance of every shop, she would rather build up her immunity than leave herself vulnerable to any new bug that comes along. 

Giselle glares at the young woman who stepped in front of her in the supermarket to grab a can of tomatoes. “Do you mind?” she asks, her voice quavering. She tries to protest without inhaling germ-ridden air. Gloved and masked, wearing glasses primarily to protect her eyes from viruses, she is doing her weekly grocery shopping. A 12-pack of toilet rolls takes up half the trolley. She longs to get to the relative safety of home, where she will quarantine everything in a big box on the porch for a couple of days before bringing it inside. Everything except for the fridge and freezer items, that is, which she will thoroughly soak in disinfectant spray. Only then will she will strip off of her outside clothes, throw them into the washing machine, and shower.  

Environments

Our worldviews are significantly impacted by our environments. In our modern hyper-connected world, we can live remarkably similar lives and yet be surrounded by vastly different sources of information. We live in similar physical environments but dissimilar online environments. That, in turn, impacts how people like Jenalyn and Giselle think about the pandemic and associated restrictions, as well as how they feel. 

Jenalyn gets her news from a ‘right-wing’ news service. She wants real information rather than biased propaganda. She opens her laptop and the home screen flashes up with a news headline about yet another person in a different part of the country dying a week or so after receiving a vaccination. Her social media notifications alert her to a string of posts from people remarkably similar to herself complaining bitterly about how unreasonable restrictions are robbing us of freedom. Jenalyn clenches her teeth, rolls her eyes and grumbles emphatically.

Giselle watches the news on a free-to-air TV station. The hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed, she learns, and another person in her city has died from COVID-19. She opens her lap top and the home screen flashes up with a news headline about yet more exposure sites, including a supermarket a mere 15 kilometres from her home. She moves to social media. A string of posts from people remarkably similar to herself share news reports from around the world, including photographs of funeral pyres and mass graves. Giselle’s heart leaps into her throat and tears roll down her cheeks.

So what?

These two examples are a little extreme. I like to think that I am logical and reasonable when it comes to the pandemic. (And I have had one vaccination which gives me a certain sense of security. I look forward to receiving my second shot.) In any case, the point of this blog post is not to promote one extreme or the other. The point is to think about two things: (1) world views,  and (2) how I view people who look at the world differently to myself. 

People in my own suburb are surrounded by different sources of information. We frequent different online communities. Algorithms direct our way yet more of the sort of news and information that we have chosen to to access in the past. All this reinforces the way we think. In fact, having done a little ‘internet research’ on news providers with extreme views on the pandemic in the process of writing this blog, no doubt I shall be bombarded for a time with such news myself. Our free-to-air media in Australia, at least, is quite sensationalist and not unbiased either. 

May I be quick to view others who think differently to myself with the same degree of curiosity and a desire to learn as I view those who come from very different cultures to myself. I’m not saying that I agree with people like either Jenalyn or Giselle.  However, may I treat them with respect and not scorn them.

In writing this blog post, I have also been reminded to be thoughtful and deliberate in what I choose to put into my own mind.  To a degree, I am responsible for managing my own worldview as far as the pandemic is concerned, at least. 

As a Christian, I am reassured to know that there is One who sees Reality without being swayed by this or that. That impacts my worldview in the best possible way in the uncertainties of our virus-ridden world.