Got Sheep?

Forget political. How do we even know when something is socially appropriate to say?

We all have one. It can be described metaphorically as a filter or, in my case, a little man in a rocking chair that either nods or shakes his head when a thought wants to pass the rope bridge from my brain to my mouth.  It seems like lately my little man has rocked himself to sleep. Case in point. While thinking of a clever way to conclude my article for the One Sky website about my much anticipated celebration of la fête de tabaski, I had written the following:

"It's time to put on my "Got Sheep?" bib and praise Allah. I hope Jesus isn't watching!"

Before sending said article, I decided to consult my friend Carol and she thought it was hilariously inappropriate. As I write this now, I keep thinking to myself how in tarnation I could have deemed this appropriate for anything but, perhaps this blog as a retrospective thought.

I write this now because I find myself having immense difficulties to write diplomatically for the editorial of the newsletter I'm putting together at work. I've always disliked the ordinary but sometimes that feeling just has to be put aside. The problem is that, in this case, the bitter pill just does not want to go down.

With all this said, there is also the other extreme to consider. At what point are we standing still, not even walking on egg shells? Carlos Mencia, a somewhat controversial stand-up comic, addresses this debate in his act where he says that he wishes everyone had the same freedom of speech he possesses. To make his point, he challenges people to try to tell his jokes at work. Game, Set, Match.

Wherever people stand in this debate, I believe the cross-cutting element is culture. This may very well be the rocking chair to my little man. The only solution is to write in a culturally-neutral style. If that's the case, I hope my creativity isn't watching!

Blogged with Flock

43 years of darkness to light up the soul

The best way for me to do this is to simply list the lessons learned and the wisdom acquired from an evening with arguably the most brilliant person I've ever met.

- When in a foreign place, learn to connect with people through love, humility. Wade was telling us that a study done recently showed that the human genome originates from the same 1,000 people and so we are all brothers and sisters in a broader sense.

- Realize that people will ask you many questions about the industrialized "North" but make it clear that you are here to learn from them and not vice-versa. This journey is for personal gain, in many ways, and it's only in 10-20 years from now that we will be in positions to make a much greater impact. It is experiences like the one I will have in Mali that, in a decade or two, I will draw upon for inspiration.

- There are many, many, many, many different cultures out there and they are in danger of extinction as much as elements of biospheres. In fact, there are approximately 6,000 languages but only half are currently spoken and they are diminishing at an alarming rate.

I have no idea if any of this makes sense. It's been an overwhelming evening and my mind is still stuck on the slideshow of pictures Wade just finished showing us. These were pictures from literally the 4 corners of the world and each one could have been a magazine cover (I think a couple may have been...). The picture that really stunned me was of this Tibetan woman who had spent 43 years meditating in the dark, without human contact. Let me repeat that... 43 years... The picture is of her reaction the first time she opens the window to her home. 43 years...

Not bad for a relaxing Wednesday evening after work.