To be understood in a different world.
Why write? I’ve heard it said that everyone wants to love and be loved. However, I believe that first, we all want to understand and be understood.
My transient life means that I’ve built many social connections in many places; however, the vast majority of them has been short term. Writing is my attempt to be understood in a world where so much time is spent online.
A focus of my writing will be on differences and similarities between people based on my engagement with others, especially in light of current affairs running through the media.
“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities” (Stephan Covey)
Work and leisure have taken me through many countries over the last 25 years. This means that I’ve experienced many cultures, norms and practices different from mine. However, I felt comfortable with most of the differences, perhaps because I’ve always thought myself to be different. Different when I was part of the out-group, different when I was part of the in-group and different when I wasn’t part of any group.
I wanted to start writing about this because it helps me to process my own thoughts and because I think there might be others that feel the same. Many of the things that are current news remind me of conversations, experiences and observations that I had many years ago. This was experienced in different social groups at school; church environments and in providing humanitarian assistance in different countries. My curiosity about those that are different and the similarities I discovered when engaging with the difference helps to explain my fragmented life, identifying with everyone, but struggling to belong anywhere.
All these thoughts, experiences and observations were filtered through a Christian lens; however, that lens was also shaped as I discovered other Christians with different worldviews. This journey helped, and is helping, to develop my understanding of who Christ is, what it means to follow Him and why that is changing my Christian worldview over time. Life is a journey, and the same can be said about my faith.
I will be sharing more about my thoughts on differences, connecting the present to the past based on what I’ve experienced, read, saw and understood.
Hope this is interesting and thought-provoking to someone else out there, but if not, that I’m at least better understood.