Re: meeting of minds

On Sun, 20 Dec 1998, Kristian Jensen wrote:

> Well, perhaps - and I could be wrong - the main reason I indulge in
> this activity is because I have what several call: "Identity
> Crisis". That is, I do not have any sense of national patriotism at
> all. NONE WHATSOEVER!! I'm essentially a product of at least two
> cultures. My mother is a Filipina and my father is a Dane. I have
> never been raised "locally". Never been educated "locally". I went
> to International Schools in Southeast Asia where the culture may be
> described as Pseudo-american. I was brought up in a very close
> circle - the International Community in various Southeast Asian
> countries. Many Int'l School alumnis call this circle "The Ivory
> Tower" in that we belonged to an affluent circle who were never
> really a part of the respective local societies. Some students had
> never set foot on their parents home country. As a result, there are
> many international school alumnis who have this "identity crisis" in
> that they were never "raised locally". To some, its a serious
> emotional problem.
>
Browsing through a missionary display at a Christian event some years ago
I came across a group involved in outreach to children of "Third
Cultures".  These were missionary children, born in one culture, but
raised in another, but they belonged to a "third culture" which was
neither, an idio-culture, if you like.  I think Kristian could probably
claim to be a third culural person.

It would be tempting to claim to be a Comro, (a native-born Brithenig
speaker) but I resist the temptation to be a culture of one.  I am a child
of my culture, an English-speaking European-descent culture, and Comroig
culture is subject to its alternative historicity not my personal
subjectivity.  (I must see if the Chomro will speak to me, they haven't
yet, but I haven't put my mind to it!)

- andrew.

Andrew Smith, Intheologus                       hobbit@earthlight.co.nz
Q. Why are there so many Smiths in the Phone Book?
A. Because they all have telephones!

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