Cultural Biases and Ethnocentrism

I think that it is fair to say that the overwhelming majority of people in this country, both Christians and secularists alike, think with more cultural bias then they might want to admit.  In other words, we are a highly ethnocentric people.  This means that we think only in terms of our own culture; more directly, we place our culture at the heart of our thinking and above all other cultures to the point that our culture becomes the only correct culture, and all other cultures are wrong.  In laymen's terms, we might say that our culture has it right and everyone else has it wrong.  Issues regarding polygamy, swearing (cussing), styles (clothing), and even art are all viewed from an ethnocentric perspective by everybody in the world, but it seems to me that the American population goes above and beyond simply thinking--they act on it.  Polygamy is a good example.  We Americans think that it is not right to have more than one marital partner, and Christians in particular try to change other cultures who have a government-sanctioned polygamist marital practice to adopt a monogomist one because the latter is the "real" or "correct" way of doing marriage.  The best example, or the most touchy, I think would be Suddam Hussein (SH).

I am all for capturing SH and am glad that we have and he is now on trial, so don't get me wrong.  However, have we thought out the ramifications of such an action?

We wanted to get rid of the torturist dictator, SH, and replace his reign with democracy in Iraq.  The problem that exists here is the ongoing battle between the Muslims--the Sunni and the Shi'ites.  SH had within him the ability to keep the Shi'ites under control and to keep wars from brewing.  Democracy does not work over there in Iraq because the people willfully battle against each other, and democracy doesn't seem to have the power necessary to place the situation under its thumb (obviously, since the situation has only become worse since the removal of SH) in the same way that SH did.  Therefore, we have taken away the authority who could keep the trouble at bay, and have upset the Iraqi public in such a way that we have destroyed the ability of that country to function with the people residing in it.  We have essentially set off a time bomb.

Being Americans, we thought that democracy is for everyone.  Dictatorship?  No one should be subject to that.  However, democracy doesn't always work; Iraq proves this.  We acted out of our ethnocentricism without regard to the political disturbances already existing in Iraq, and without coming to grips with the ramifications that might ensue upon the capture and removal of SH. 

Now, I am not saying that we should not support our President or our troops--I believe that we should and it is irresponsible to do so.  However, looking back on our actions as a country, I believe that we did act out of our ethnocentric perspective and did what was not the best thing to do.  This example is only an example of how we, as Americans, behave according to our own cultural biases and ethnocentrism.  We believe democracy is the only way that works, so we act on it and impose democracy on cultures that are not ready for it or simply cannot work with it.  Democracy and polygamy aren't the only issues, either.  Medical practices, drug uses, materialism, and many others are all prime examples of how we impose our cultural practices and ideals onto other cultures.

If we are to be affective as a world leader, then we need to be able to learn to co-operate with other cultures, realizing that our way of life isn't necessarily the best way for all people around the globe.  But this carries over into the lives of the individuals that comprise America.

The way you might live might not be the best way for other people.  The way that you discipline yourself might not be the best way for others to discipline theirselves.  It is not acceptable to impose your ways of life on other people.  Just because you do something in a particular way doesn't mean that it is universally the correct way, the right way, or the only way to do it.  Marriage is a good example of this; government and politics is another.   Eating habits is another particularly good example.  We live in a "supersize-me" culture (it's not wonder our country is largely at risk for heart disease and obesity is taking over lung disease as the leading cause of death), whereas the majority of the world lives on much smaller sized portions (a large drink in France is the equivalent to a small drink in America for example).  Clearly, our ways are not always the right way (and many times are far from being the best way).

Don't live in such a way that you let your cultural biases dictate your actions and interactions with other people from other cultures.  Be careful what you claim.  Don't be ethnocentric.

Mind Games

I would have to say that I love mind games, rather, games that challenge my brain. Brain teasers, chess, puzzles of various kinds--I enjoy them very much. Growing up I used to solve all sorts of these kind of games for my grandpa who would challenge me to figure them out in a short period of time, and, upon successful completion within the time limit, he would give me a small amount of money. I came to love these games quite a bit, and I made a fair living off of them too, relative to my age.

The Japanese mind game, Sudoku, is giving me a grand ol' time on my PowerBook lately. I am not all that great at it, but I am catching on. I solved an easy puzzle last night in 53 minutes; unfortunately, today it took me 58 minutes and 45 seconds to solve another puzzle with comparable difficulty. The puzzles are quite fun to me and prove to be quite the challenge.

The puzzle is a bunch of boxes grouped in cubes of nine. Each puzzle starts off with several given numbers in various boxes throughout the grid. It is the player's job to determine where each number (1-9) will fit in the puzzle. The rules are as follows:

1. In each cube of nine boxes, every number from one to nine will be there no more than once.
2. In each row of nine boxes, every number from one to nine will be there no more than once.
3. In each column of nine boxes, every number from one to nine will be there no more than once.

The game, then, involves checking each row, column, and box-set for numbers missing in order to determine where the numbers should go. It is very time consuming and is definately going to take some considerable effort. But, this game helps to sharpen the mind and logical thinking skills by simple elimination. One clue leads to the next to help unveil where the numbers ought to be placed in the puzzle. It is like a numbers mystery game, and it is the player's job to uncover this mystery.

I suspect, however, that as I get better at this game and raise the difficulty level that more speculation will be required. In other words it will involve more guessing rather than merely logical deduction. That will be a skill that will have to be acquired through much playing of the game. Perhaps as I strive to get better at the easy difficulty some patterns might show up and I may become familiarize myself with them in an effort to increase my probability of speculating correct answers for the more difficult levels. Only time will tell, however, and it will take many finished and solved puzzles to get there.

If you are looking for a good, challenging, and logical game to play by yourself on the computer, then get Sudoku. It is a fun, simple, and mind-stimulating game that is well worth the time and effort. For all you Apple users out there, pick up the Sudoku widget (pictured above) from the Dashboard and Widgets location at the Apple web site for free.

Help from Heaven in Anxiety

1Pet. 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
so that he may exalt you in due time.
1Pet. 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

I would like to think that life is all hunky-dory for us all,
Christians and non-Christians, but the reality is that life is
rough. Many of us have anxiety, worries, and stress. Whether these
things are due to our circumstances or our outlook on life, we
attempt to cope with these problems in ways that may or may not help
us. Usually, however, we fail to realize that God, the Creator of
the Universe, cares for us in our problems, fears, worries, and
anxiety. Just think that the Creator of this huge and vast universe
cares for each of us individually just like we are a grain of sand on
a sea shore; we are miniscule beings, and we are quite fortunate that
the Creator would even acknowledge us let alone care for us. In his
first letter in the New Testament Peter gives some advice on what to
do when you are in a low position--when you are down and out. He
tells us how we can receive help from heaven when we are down in the
dumps. Let's check it out.

The Greek language in 1 Peter 5:7 is not a new verse, but the NRSV
creates a new one for translation purposes. Instead, it is a
continuation of the previous verse. To "cast" has the idea of
throwing or propelling onto something or someone, but in this case it
more directly means to transfer one's concerns. Peter calls those
who are down in the dumps to cast all or every worry, fear, anxiety,
etc. on God, because, literarally, "to him it is a concern regarding
you."

God is interested in your well-being. He knows that you are going to
reach some low points in life. It may seem that the walls are
closing in all around you and you have no where to go. And yet, God
does not expect you to go through these events alone. He wants to
help you bear them by bearing them for you. He wants you to transfer
all your anxiety onto Him. He cares too much for you to let you go
it alone, and it is by His strength that you can make it through such
tough times.

What I failed to mention above was that 1 Peter 5:7 is a continuation
of 5:6, and it is telling us how we will be humbled. We become
humbled when we give God all our problems--when we turn over to Him
all our anxiety--and it is only when we do this that we will be
lifted up by God's strength.

Are you full of anxiety? Are you down in the dumps? Whether you are
a Christian or not, God cares for you, so turn to Him for help. He
wants to help you. You matter to God. He is concerned about you and
wants you to give Him your burdens. If you want to receive help from
heaven while you are in the dumps, then you have got to give your
problems over to God and be humbled, for it is then that you will
find an overabundance of strength, and that God will indeed lift you up.

"Therefore, be humbled under the strong hand of God, so that you will
be lifted up in the endtime, by casting all your anxiety on him,
because it is of his interest to him concerning you" (1 Peter 5:6-7,
my translation).