In deed we are all Human... but to over simplify that statement takes away from the beauty of that statement. Oranges, Apples, Bananas. All Fruit, however each distinct in its characteristics, flavor, and preferred environment for growth. To over simplify these items into the category of fruit does not do them justice. Likewise, to honor or appreciate the sharp taste of the orange does not infer that the banana is inferior nor superior. It does however give appreciation to the individual flavors, textures, colors, smells, etc. To deny the importance of ones history and culture is to deny the importance of diversity.
I agree it would be foolish to define yourself by your past, but it would be equally foolish to think that your past has not shaped your present. While you are not the jerk you were in that past relationship, you are not that jerk because you learned from that experience. We grow as individuals by going through things and reflecting upon our action, inactions or the actions of others. We grow as a group the same way. When we refuse to honor the past we are refusing to grow our present and distorting our future.
What happens when those outward characteristics are blurred to the point where they are no longer obvious? Does that then eliminate the distinction of the person? Is culture and history defined by ones outward characteristics? When they cross breed a tangerine and a mandarin orange, you get the tangelo. Some how it manages to retain the very different textures and flavors of both the tangerine and the Mandarin orange, it automatically pays homage to its ancestors while forging a completely new fruit. It does not how ever come out tasting generic by any means. It does not come out as simply fruit. It is something based on those that were before it. everything in nature respects it history
"God is in the Details"..... I know a lot of people phrase it the other way around, but this is the truth. God can be seen in the details all around us, we refuse to open our eyes to the very basic examples he places in front of us every day. Why are there so many birds if birds are simply birds? Why have so many types of Deer, Mouse, Tree, Minerals, Elements, etc. Yes we are all human, yes we are all created equal, yet we still have distinct physical characteristics, languages, and cultures, that must be appreciated. I am by no means saying that culture or history is meant to replace God (as it has for so many people), but it is there to draw you nearer to God. It is Human history, Human Culture......that can be broken down into the histories and cultures of smaller groups. that history is there to show our relationships with God.
When a disconnect is found between a group of people and their history and culture there is a disconnect from humanity's history and culture, which becomes a disconnect from God. How do I understand that I am connected to my brother if I do not recognize that he is my brother? How do I understand reconciliation if I do not understand deceit? How do I help to heal someone, if I do not understand what it means to be hurt? In appreciating ones history, in learinng ones culture, you are connecting into the greater history of Humanity, you are connecting to God. God, knows all history, all language, all culture, all dance, He knows the pain, the suffering, the triumphs, the battles, the blessings of Humanity, and the importance of its diversity.
When we try to eliminate this diversity and broaden the brush stroke, we eliminate the vibrancy of the total painting, likewise when we concentrate on a single entity we do the same. I see God in the details of Art. People need to see a blending of cultures, but not to the point where they cannot be distinctly found. When one can blend together details into one cohesive piece, they are expressing this next level of closeness to God. Understanding that all of the details are need to see the fullness of God. When people say that "God is too big for me to understand" they are saying I can only focus on the red in this picture instead of being able to see the infinite colors and tones that make up the entire work. those tones and colors are the histories, cultures, stories of different peoples and their relationships with God.
This is how art must represent God. Their is a Stevie wonder song from his songs in the key of life album called Ngiculela, if you are not familiar listen to how he blends music an language to express oneness in a single song. It is taking diverse elements and seeing them as one total whole element.
I think a major issue with our people is that we try to create a new history every few generations, never connecting or looking far enough back to establish a real identity with our past. It is as if you were to coat a canvas in brown, but instead of taking that as a base and growing the art from that base you try to coat the canvas with a slightly different shade of brown, to maroon, then to Burgundy, and then red because you don't want to be associated to the Brown, then to create a definite distinction you switch to orange, eventually winding up with a yellow canvas that looks nothing like the original color.
At this moment I am not sure if there are too many other groups of people who have strayed so far away from recognizing God and their connection with Him and their brothers.
Tangerine sales are down, For some reason the Tangerine has lost its flavor, different crops are tasting differently every year with each preceding year tasting worse than the year before it....Tangelo sales are up! they have managed to retain the great flavor of the old tangerine and have learned to embrace not only the background of the tangerine but also the background of the Mandarin orange, The tangelo inherently sees the bigger picture, a closer vision of a compounded image consisting of the distinct details of the two "parent" fruit.
Are we to suffer the fate of a tasteless tangerine, or are we going to reconnect with our culture and its relationship to God so that we might be able to add to the colors of God's painting rather than fade away?
okay and maybe I went a little too far on the fruit analogy, i realize that hybrid fruits like the tangelo while picking up cretain aspects of the parent fruit also lose aspects of the parent fruit. but none the less I think you get the idea I am presenting here.
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