A "Black Swan Event" is when the unexpected occurs, causing a huge mindshift and change in how the world works. People never imagined that Black Swans existed, until the discovery of the first Black Swan... (as per book "The Black Swan", by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 2007, that sold over 3 million copies)

Is a perception change the next Black Swan Event? Consider that by changing perception we might change the world. Look at everyday things from different angles. Find beauty in the unexpected...
Change our thinking, change our actions, change our world!

See that all people are part of God's puzzle and have something to give. Black swans do exist. The ugly duckling was actually a swan who needed to discover himself and where he fitted and be who he was meant to be. To the last, the lost and the least, you are beautiful as you are.
May all who visit this page feel God's touch and experience His blessing...

Sunday 6 January 2013

Remember the Way Things Used to Be?

Have you heard people grumble unhappily that they are messing this country up? You know what these people are referring to, as years ago people seemed to look and be the same wherever they were from. If you visited a particular area of the world you noticed that everyone seemed to have the same culture. Now your neighbourhood is changing. You can see inroads being made into your city. You don't like this as you are happy with the way things have always been and you like the culture that you are used to. You feel your way of life is threatened by all these strangers. What do you think the new people who are moving to this neighbourhood are experiencing? They are overjoyed to be here! They may have given up jobs on the other side of the world, packed up all their earthly belongings, said goodbye to friends and family they have known all their lives and they arrive with hope in their hearts for a wonderful new future. Some of these people bring different customs with them, a totally different culture and religion. Days turn to months and the new people struggle to find jobs and have difficulty coping with a foreign culture. Will they leave? No! They are here to stay. They have no money to go back home and the ills where they come from still outweigh the potential they see all around them. They love this new place they find themselves in. As time goes on and if they still feel isolated, they may start to look with loathing on the community around them.

Why can't all these people just stay in their own country, you think? Why do they have to come here and spoil things? Did you know your government is actively asking people to come here? They are doing all they can to make this country a drawcard for people who will bring new investment and skills with them to uplift society. When you resist the influx of new people into your community, you fight the policies of your own country. There is no stipulation that the people who come here must have the same culture as you do. And where would you find such people anyway?! People who grow up in a different country do have a totally different culture and values to what you have and the differences may not be obvious at first. The new people may even agree with the values of your country they have seen written down, but there will be many subtle cultural nuances they know nothing about. For example, I have noticed in South Africa that it is rare for a driver to stop for pedestrians who are waiting at a pedestrian crossing, and if you do, then you are likely to be hit by a speeding car behind who does not expect you to stop. What do drivers do at pedestrian crossings in your country? In most of the developed world, drivers honour the pedestrians right of way.

What is the best solution for everyone concerned? To accept that people who are different are here to stay and to welcome them. By doing so, you will also be able to introduce them to subtle nuances of the society around them and make them feel part of community. I do realise that in many cases communities do not actively and consciously exclude strangers, and what new people may experience as exclusion may be culture norms at play and, perhaps in these instances, community welcoming forums may be a good alternative to have in place, where people who are struggling to fit in at first can turn to in times of need. It is essential to have connection when new people first arrive, as, when time goes by, people tend to find their feet and may ignore your friendly overtures later on, preferring to keep to themselves and trust in themselves or the people they have found to get them by. So, if it takes you a while for you to get ready to welcome people, they may not want your welcome when you are used to them.

Did you watch the Tsunami spread over land in Japan? No dyke or barrier would have kept the sea at bay. It had phenomenal strength, backed by the entire ocean behind. Just as the sea swept over the land, so is change happening in the world today. It is going to come and you will be unable to stop it. It is relentless. There is no use fighting the sea, you can only catch the wave.

Related blog articles:
Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do To You (Part 2)

Note: I realise I may write too simply about many complex topics and, firstly, I may miss some aspects of what I write about, and secondly, it is easy to write about topics, not so easy to actually do these things, and I may not practice all I suggest either, though I do try my best to.

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