culture

what is culture to you?
what is life all about to you?
what makes you special? unique?
if i wanted to learn all about you, what questions would i ask?

this idea of us all being from a place unique only to us is something i've been pondering all week..... what began all this thinking about culture?



An unschooling teen referred to schooled kids as belonging to a "culture" unique to school- to his description- a culture about surface, about looks, and fitting in, about sameness, and rightness, competitiveness; a culture of ridiculing anyone different, and so on.... but alas, this blog entry is not about dogging on public school... it is about so much more than that... it is about life...



then someone else presented the idea to me of meeting someone from another land, another culture; wanting to get to know them; taking them out for a coffee and conversation in an effort to learn more about them- who they are and where they are from.... i envisioned this scenario, as i was asked to... looking at this other person, this stranger from another land, i felt curious, and FULL of questions...

i imagined this person as not speaking fluent english, but as someone learning english... i imagined having to repeat things back, using hand gestures or pictures to make sure i was understanding what they were sharing.... i thought about the richness of variety of music, art, food, architecture, spirituality.... if this visitor felt welcome by me, comfortable with me... i could learn a lot... if i was open to their answers- especially the ones that felt different... i can feel this open-ness... it was as if we were both children again; exploring the ideas and identities of one another... now i was asked to imagine approaching life with my children from this open, curious, respectful place... wow... is all i can say. what a beautiful comparison. this creates in me a deeper understanding of relationships; both friendships and family relationships. i knew my children had preferences and i have always tried to be respectful of that; but i had never thought of viewing it with the same respect i would give an adult; the same acceptance; the same curiosity.... the same open-ness to the possibilities of learning- from my children, in everyday moments...

So what is my culture all about?

Mine is a culture of learning. learning from people and places and books and experiences, and sharing, and love. Mine is a life full of questions and curiosity; trying new things and getting better at the old things... In this picture, my culture is all the things that make me unique and special, the things that make me different. in my culture love creates a context of learning, and learning leads back to love.



so what is your culture? what are your questions? What makes you unique? what can i learn from you?