Different: Not better, worse, or weird

Yesterday, while we were enjoying a delicious Malaysian meal for lunch, one of the children commented that the rice was " weird ." I asked, "What do you mean 'weird'? Can I try it?"

I immediately knew what she meant, and I replied, "I understand… the rice doesn't taste like it does in Taiwan (where we've lived for seven years), so it tastes different ." We continued reflecting: maybe for someone from Malaysia, when they eat rice from another country, they think the rice tastes different too. What do you think?

I briefly shared that as an exchange student (many years ago!) I also found many things to be very different in Scotland compared to Chile, but something I learned during that year of cultural immersion is that oftentimes "different" is a more appropriate description, in order to have a more open mind when learning about and appreciating other cultures, traditions, clothing, foods, etc.

A country or culture isn't better or worse, nor are they unusual for not being like us; they simply do things differently. And we are often more similar in essence than we might perceive on the surface.

While it may seem like it's just a simple choice of words, or how to describe what we experience when traveling, don't you think that the words we use shape our way of thinking and seeing the world? It's very easy to fall into seeing the rest of the world as "the others" from a more self-centered perspective, or one that focuses on what's familiar, or from an ethnocentric perspective.

It's worth noting that here we're referring to particularities like our way of dressing, eating, greeting each other, etc., that distinguish different cultures, and we're not referring to more irreconcilable choices of good or evil, such as bad habits that put your life or health at risk, etc.

Nor are we referring to the choice of what we like or dislike; obviously, each person can freely decide and say, "I don't like this type of rice," after having tried it.

Rather, we're referring to having a more appreciative view of cultures rather than prejudices, which is a reminder we regularly need as adults and pilgrims visiting wonderful places. And it's a way of seeing things that our children can also experience from an early age.

We can grow and learn together, both adults and children. 💜 And who knows, maybe one day, not too far in the future, they might remind us of this way of seeing things!

P.S. We didn't leave any rice... it was all so delicious!