The Journey
Written by: Barak Bruerd
Our world is a fast-paced world. I use the term ‘world’ very loosely because our understanding of it as Americans is largely shaped by our limited perspective of it – which is true of any culture. *Our* world, in America, is fast-paced, driven by productivity, profit margins, technology, and innovation. Our history has been shaped through frontier micro-economies, assembly line manufacturing, franchising; all driven by a powerful value of the self-made man. Wealth, status, and power were achieved, not inherited – a concept alien to most cultures of the past, and even a great many today. Wealth has been defined by material possessions and we draw strong lines connecting happiness and wellbeing to it. We thrive on innovation, differentiation, and a fierce sense of individualism.
I say these things matter-of-factly. As in all things, there are many positives mixed with many negatives in our culture. Rather, I paint this very brief picture of ‘us’ to open a conversation on the reality that our culture – our worldview – has an incredible impact on how we interact and relate to other cultures, the way we define problems, and the solutions we determine are needed. As a minority culture on this planet (>5% of the world’s population), but one with a disproportionately large impact, it’s critical that we are deeply sensitive to the way we engage other cultures. Our sense of ‘right’ and our values in life are not inherently shared by all, and the problems faced by the majority world, particularly the materially poor, are so intensely complex that simple solutions are nearly impossible. Often, our very act of helping entrenches people deeper in the systems responsible for their poverty.
I’m excited and honored to be a voice in the Affero journey. We want to be a voice for responsible engagement – transformative engagement with those in other cultures. It’s a hard thing and it’s never perfect, but it’s a journey that we are taking together. Over the next few weeks and months I’m going to be posting topics that explore some of the fundamental attitudes, values, and ideals that drive how we engage the majority world, especially the materially poor. I’m rather well known for tangents so there may be some rabbit trails that explore technologies, current issues, cutting edge methods, and the work of some of our different partners and why we chose them… Make sure you leave comments and ask questions – ultimately this is a dialogue and an exploration we want you to be a part of. Peace.
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