I read an article this morning on pop music. The author began with a quote from Plato about the power of music. “Music is the most decisive factor in one’s upbringing. It is above all rhythm and attunment that sink deep into the soul and take strongest hold upon it.” (Plato, Republic 380 BC) Some people will be shocked music existed before Justin Bieber, but indeed, music has been around about as long as people. In fact, if you believe the Bible, music actually predates people. The author reported on his study of music from the 50s to the present and described how lyrics have become much more explicit and exploitive. You can read the whole article here; http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/apr/18/highway-to-hell-the-changing-face-of-pop-music/?page=1
Anybody who has reared teenagers in the last twenty years needs no researcher to tell him or her anything about raunchy music. I remember with horror getting into my daughter’s vehicle, turning on the ignition and being blasted by Nelly singing? “It gittin hot in here, so take off all yo clothes.” I started singing it for my girls on the premise that anything that I sang was decidedly un-cool and therefore less appealing to them. I don’t know if that is true, but it made me feel better.
The author doesn’t do so, but I’ll bet a correlation exists between this debasement of music and the debasement of culture. How much music has shaped our attitudes about relationships, sexuality, society, work, race and religion is anybody’s guess, but I’d guess a lot!
I had a college friend who was studying computer programming way back when computers programs ran on punch cards. After writing a program to punch the cards, he’d run the cards to see if the program worked. If it didn’t, he’d have to re-write it and try again. He’d say, “Garbage in, garbage out.”
That old adage about computer programming can be applied to our minds and our spirits. Our “computers” will respond to what we put in them. Garbage in. Garbage out.
Now that, in a stream of consciousness kind of way, reminded me of this story that, via the internet, has circled the globe about a bazillion times by now. The speaker has been Cherokee, Sioux, non-specific Native American and half a dozen other tribes in these tellings, but the point is valid nonetheless.
The Two Wolves
A Cherokee elder was teaching his grandchildren about life.He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me… it is a terrible fight between two wolves.One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, hatefulness, and lies.The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, humbleness, kindness, friendship, generosity, faith, and truth.This same fight is going on inside of you, and inside every other person, too.”The children thought about it for a minute. Then one child asked his grandfather,“Which wolf will win?”The Cherokee elder replied…“The one you feed.”It is ever so. Which wolf are you feeding?
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
Showing posts with label work culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work culture. Show all posts
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Friday, May 1, 2009
Welcome to my country!
This past Tuesday I attended the 16th Annual Hospice Foundation of America Teleconference. The topic this year was “Diversity and End of Life Care.” It was well done, informative and helpful. It emphasized the importance of respect for cultures other than our own and encouraged curiosity. It recommended inviting others to be our teachers about how they understand the world, their illness, and how they make meaning of it all. It was good advice.
As I often do with such things, I went off on a couple of tangents from the original intent of the teleconference. First I reflected on my own family system. All three of my daughters have now married. Accepting and welcoming new members to the family is an intentional exercise in cross-cultural communication.
My sons-in -law all come from differing family cultures and regional cultures and it has sometimes seemed as if they are aliens from a foreign country. Jessie’s husband, Josh, is a prime example. Every now and then he comes out with something that causes me to shake me head and go “What?”
Josh is as good-hearted a person as you’ll ever meet. He is American, Caucasian, Christian, and English speaking so you’d think understanding him should be easy for me. It is, most of the time. But every now and then, I just don’t get him. The same is true of the other sons-in-law to varying degrees.
The teleconference gave me an idea. What if I thought of Josh as someone from a foreign country? Then I wouldn’t be surprised when I didn’t get something he said or did that seemed foreign to me, but was in alignment with his regional and family culture. He is, after all, from New Hampshire. It’s like a foreign country. I told him when he did or said something that seemed odd to me, I’d say, “He’s frum the Noth, he cain’t hep it!” We all laughed. But he got it. Later in the conversation, he said “Well, in my country…” and the laughter started again.
Reflecting further, I think there are striking similarities to adding new family members and adding new members to our Parrish Medical Center team. We too have a distinct culture that may be foreign to some. Helping them understand it and become acclimated to it is an exercise in cultural competence. It requires respect and curiosity from us all. Accepting new family members as family is a sign of good family health, at home, and at work. So the next time you have the opportunity to welcome someone to your family, or to your work team, you could say, “Welcome to my country!”
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
As I often do with such things, I went off on a couple of tangents from the original intent of the teleconference. First I reflected on my own family system. All three of my daughters have now married. Accepting and welcoming new members to the family is an intentional exercise in cross-cultural communication.
My sons-in -law all come from differing family cultures and regional cultures and it has sometimes seemed as if they are aliens from a foreign country. Jessie’s husband, Josh, is a prime example. Every now and then he comes out with something that causes me to shake me head and go “What?”
Josh is as good-hearted a person as you’ll ever meet. He is American, Caucasian, Christian, and English speaking so you’d think understanding him should be easy for me. It is, most of the time. But every now and then, I just don’t get him. The same is true of the other sons-in-law to varying degrees.
The teleconference gave me an idea. What if I thought of Josh as someone from a foreign country? Then I wouldn’t be surprised when I didn’t get something he said or did that seemed foreign to me, but was in alignment with his regional and family culture. He is, after all, from New Hampshire. It’s like a foreign country. I told him when he did or said something that seemed odd to me, I’d say, “He’s frum the Noth, he cain’t hep it!” We all laughed. But he got it. Later in the conversation, he said “Well, in my country…” and the laughter started again.
Reflecting further, I think there are striking similarities to adding new family members and adding new members to our Parrish Medical Center team. We too have a distinct culture that may be foreign to some. Helping them understand it and become acclimated to it is an exercise in cultural competence. It requires respect and curiosity from us all. Accepting new family members as family is a sign of good family health, at home, and at work. So the next time you have the opportunity to welcome someone to your family, or to your work team, you could say, “Welcome to my country!”
Blessings to you all,
Jerald
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