Where I live; Where they live
When
prompted to compare my life and growth to a Middle Easterners, the first thought
that came to my mind was expectations rarely have merit. I have traveled enough to realize that
whenever I am going somewhere new, despite whatever I assumed or heard, reality
is always a surprise. This lesson has taught me humility when speculating on
people I know little about, Middle Easterners included. I understand any Idea I have of an average Middle
Easterners life is likely wrong. I know this
because I am a white male, middle-class, college student. Despite my unique experiences,
I get most of my news from the Daily Show, and most of my assumptions from
Hollywood movies. However despite this handicap I try and temper my ideas of
places I have not been. Just because I have seen “The Hurt Locker” does not
mean I know what it is like in an Iraqi war zone. All that being said I know
there are ways to gain real knowledge and understanding, this course for
example. Almost all of my knowledge of the Middle East I have soaked up passively
in my surrounding, middle-class USA. With this course I have begun to actively learn
from reliable sources, and with an open mind. I think these are the only necessary
requirements to accurately learn about a new place. It is my intent to have an
idea of Middle Eastern life by the end of this course. However in my opinion entering
the course with assumptions will not be helpful. So despite what Hollywood and
occasional news stories have told me, I keep an open mind and acknowledge I don’t
know the differences between myself and a Middle Easterner.
I found the use of the word humility in your post to be powerful and very true in my experience. In my travels to both urban and rural center alike, it is evident that different people have different ways of answering key questions such as:
ReplyDelete-What is "normal"?
-What does it mean to live "well" or "poorly" in society?
As I'm writing this I recall a trip I took through rural Panama where I saw people that lived in great material poverty but were very happy with their simple lifestyle. For those of us that grew up in Western culture, including myself, the belief is that the more material things you have, the better lifestyle you lead.
It all comes down to being humble and keeping an open mind when trying to understand a culture and their people.