Fragile

[Appleblossom]

Thank you @Till23 my first friend after a couple years in state care was an indigenous girl. We were in regional NSW. I was 7-8 and she tried to explain the differences in cultures to me before they moved her again. She was happy to be going back to her people. In some ways I was left open to huge neglect but I am also trying to make the most of my journey and treasure all the gems of my life, and they are 2 little stories in it.  I also met my father's friends from his orphanage days. They all had good interactions and it was obvious they respected and cared about others. That must have made its mark on me.

[Appleblossom]

@Abner keep sharing away.

I have my European side and value those cultures too. I am interested in all cultures really... All demographics.... All species.... When working at the zoo... Different monkey/different gorilla 

.... Different dynamic or culture.

Maybe it is my resilience from my hard luck story that is now a gift. So long as I don't try and stretch myself to breaking point for people without awareness... Like the tenor diva, I struggled with for a whole year, that I just had to manage.

I politely queried his leadership skill and skill at vocal regulation to the acoustic space. He said he was loud because the singers were "recalcitrant". BS. They were having a go learning new skills. They needed encouragement not blasting. I have had the good fortune to hear fabulous lyric tenors, sat next to counter tenors. One of my jokes is ... I am not as dumb as I look.  I am an all-rounder. Not brilliant at anything. I just couldn't keep putting up with feeling bullied in my own house, no matter what his deal. 

The way we use words changes. In the old days there was more mention of someone being cultured or cultural, than the way we talk about multicultural these days.

A neighbour stopped me today in the supermarket and I saw his elderly sari robed family visitor. I could easily do the prayerful gesture and nod.... And say Namaste. At some level all cultures have good in them otherwise they wouldn't survive. 

[Till23]

I agree @Appleblossom @Abner I love hearing people’s stories regardless of their backgrounds. You can learn so much from hearing and seeing other people’s history and culture it can change your perspective on things or broaden your perspective, which is never a bad thing I think. I don’t just mean ethnicity though also religion, gender diversity, neurodiversity, politics etc you may not agree with everything, but it’s a different perspective and if that makes you think and be more broad minded then I think it’s good.

 I have a European part as well a great, great, great grandmother who was Portuguese other than that it’s English and Scottish. I identify with the Scottish part mainly and being me, and my love for nature, I spent some time on the Outer Hebrides.

[Abner]

That's true @Appleblossom @Till23 , and I don't think we appreciate that different perspectives on culture and life are both valid and inevitable.  We shouldn't all hold the same views,attitudes or perspectives

[Dimity]

@Abner true openness is so contested. The left fear hate speech and the right disparage wokeness. Multiculturalism can be used to divide rather than open up opportunity.  

[Abner]

I @Till23  and @Appleblossom , that the European attitude towards nature been at best utilitarian.  It's not occurred to us until now that our environment is a living organism that like us can be very badly hurt and become dysfunctional and unstable as a result.  We're very good at hurting things and not so good at healing them.

[Abner]

Exercising free speech is one thing @Dimity , but exercising it knowing it's at someone else's expense is another, and unfortunately our species is always going to do both of those things; we'll never stop either from happening, and I for one intend to stand up to anyone who knowingly exercises their freedoms at the expense of others.  

When we talk about freedoms, there was a time when people in Europe had a freedom to send people to concentration camps and death camps.  As apalling as that is it was a freedom at that time to denounce them ànd do that.  Just because something  is a freedom doesn't make it right or conscionable.

[Abner]

In essence @Dimity , there are times that require us to think about our freedoms and ourselves "Will I use this freedom here, or now...or will I use it somewhere else."  And having freedoms means deciding whether one is willing to hurt others in the exercise of their entitlement.

We all hurt others,  that's inevitable in life, but to willingly hurt others in the exercise of one's entitlements is gratuitous, especially when you have other people and places you express those views with.

[Zoe7]

@Appleblossom @Shaz51 Short on words so sending🥰

[Appleblossom]

@Zoe7 so lovely to see you drop by. Hugs to you and @Dimity @Till23 

@rav3n hey!