April 2010 Archives

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I am an American by birth and by culture. Having spent all my life in "the land of the free" where everyone fights to grab his or her own slice of the American pie, I was only concerned with what I thought and wanted. In my opinion, the individual mattered most. That is, until I traveled abroad. In Senegal, the community is more important than the individual, and their culture benefits in many ways from this idea. In the "individual vs. community" debate, almost everyone wins when the community wins. How did I come to this conclusion? Well, it was a relatively short journey.

The year after I graduated from college I decided to teach in Dakar, Senegal. My choice was influenced by personal interests in travel, the opportunity to learn a new language, and the availability of the program. In preparation for my year abroad, I had underestimated the subtlety of the cultural differences. Community, while it exists in America, has a stronger resonance in Senegalese culture, and the lesson we can derive from it as Christians is the importance of accountability.

            On my first day, I did not even get past the informal introductions without being confronted with how cultures varied. "Good morning, my name is Bamba Sy," one student in the classroom would begin. "Bambasy?" I would repeat as rapidly as the student had said it.  "My name is Oumar Cheikh," said a student in the hallway, and I'd echo, "Oumarcheikh?" with my American accent. After a few days, I realized that when teachers asked me my name in school, I'd commonly give a first-name-only response. But in Senegal that was not the custom. My students had been saying their first and last names so closely together that, as someone unfamiliar with the traditional importance of community, I could not hear the distinction. The first name is nothing without the last name in Senegal because the last name ties you to a larger family history. The community expects every individual to give reverence to the family ties that surround them. Thus, the students feel accountable to their family, and their behavior often reflects a desire not to shame their community.

For example, the most anxious I ever saw my seventh grade English class was on what seemed like an ordinary Monday. The group of usually reserved students might have been disturbed by a big test or the upcoming talent show, but that was not the case that day. As it happened, a teacher contacted their parents because they had performed poorly on a test, and that notice sent my students into a spiral. Palms sweating, fidgeting in their seats, they waited to be called out of the room one by one as their parents arrived. My seventh graders were not alone in this reaction. Typically students who were sent to the administration would return from the office with a down-turned, remorseful expression after only the threat of family involvement. Both students and teachers benefited from a calmer learning environment than one sees in many American schools. Iit was all because of the children's sense of accountability to their community.

            My experience in Senegal taught me the value of seeing myself as more than an individual. My actions reflect my family and the values that they have instilled in me. I take that to heart as a Christian because when the world sees me, it should be more than just Melanie. They should see God in me.

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Dorothy Height, a leading female voice of the 1960s civil rights movement and a participant in historic marches with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, died on April 20th at age 98. She led the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years and continued to speak out on civil rights issues into her 90s.

According to the Associated Press, President Obama called her "the godmother of the civil rights movement" and a hero to many Americans. Obama said in a statement that Height was the only woman at the highest level of the civil rights movement and witnessed "every march and milestone along the way."

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by: Jessica Newman (18 yrs old, 12th grade)

I believe that when a person is born, he or she is dealt a set of cards. Some people have a good hand; others are dealt a bad hand. Regardless of what type of hand people are dealt, a game is won or lost based on how well a hand is played. Someone with the good hand, for instance, can play a bad game. In the same way, someone with a bad hand can play a good game.

I recently traveled to Ghana, West Africa. Upon observing some of the differences between the cultures of Ghana and America, I have concluded that in America, for the most part, people are dealt a good hand, but play a bad game.

There is no doubt that America is the land of opportunity. You can see this by the number of people coming over here from less-privileged countries seeking a better life for themselves and their families. They recognize that Americans have better hands. But they are also coming to a land with many problems that result from playing a bad game.

Not everything in America is great. Historically, Americans have misused and abused people. The explorers who first settled in America took the land of others and called it their own. They took Black people from their homeland, brought them to America, and treated them as less than human during the era of slavery. Presently, living in America in Chicago, Illinois, I have seen how Americans continue to play bad games with good hands. I have witnessed how adults misuse their power of educating. I have friends who have had someone they know and love die from gun violence. I know many women who cannot walk down the street on a beautiful day without being inappropriately approached. I have seen sisters and brothers mistreat their younger siblings. And I am embarrassed to say that I have seen women in music videos with too few clothes on as men rap about sex, money, and drugs. Youth in America who soak in worldly values are more likely to play a bad hand as well. This can change if we read our Bible and go to church.

In Ghana, West Africa, I saw a lot of differences between their culture and American culture. The most significant difference I noticed is the seemingly bad hand they've been dealt. At first, I felt blessed to live in America, but as I became aware of how they played a good game, I started to appreciate their different way of living.

Ghana, West Africa, is a country of dignity despite the hardships they face currently and those they faced in the past. The women in Ghana are fully clothed. Men respect the women and children. The boys are studying and helping their families. Girls hold their sisters on their backs and food on her head as they walk. I did not see a lot of guys coming up to girls and talking to them or touching them inappropriately. Females were acknowledged as beautiful, not sexy. 

Although Ghana is a poor country, the thing that I admired about Ghana is that the youth are still praying. Some remote parts of Ghana still have no electricity. Technology is not as available as it is in America. Opportunities are not as abundant. Yes, many Ghanaians were dealt a bad hand resulting from the slave trade and colonization; however, they are playing a good game. Ghana is a country of pride and dignity. They are pressing to triumph over their hardships. Even though the government currently owns the schools, the students are still praying and trying to find ways to make their villages and their country a beautiful home and society. Their youth are not picking up guns and tearing down the communities. They are trying to prosper in bad schools and fewer resources. This is not only impressive; it is admirable. I think many youth living in America can learn from our brothers and sisters across the ocean in Africa. In Ghana, I learned to play a good game at life no matter what kind of hand I was dealt. I will be successful not only for my family, my community, and myself, but for the world.

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By Janet Grier

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (3 John 1:2, KJV).

You're probably hearing a lot of people saying they want to get in shape for the summer. As a matter of fact, you may have said it your self. But just because you don't have to wear a swimsuit in front of your friends, it doesn't mean that you don't have to eat right or exercise daily. Healthy habits should not change with the seasons; they should be a consistent lifestyle.

Easier said than done, right? Let's be realistic. Convincing yourself that you need to optimize your health just for the sake of living a longer and more comfortable life sounds like a monster task. It's hard to pass a fast food restaurant when you are really hungry. It's hard to stop eating when there's plenty of food left over and you don't have the feeling that you're full. It's hard to exercise every day, especially with all the work you have to do; believe me, I understand. But no one said it would be easy. I will guarantee, however, that it will be worth it. If you want to start a consistent healthy lifestyle, don't wait another day. Here are eight steps to get you going.

1. Decide to care for your health. You must make a choice to live a healthy lifestyle. Until you make up in your mind to do so, you will continue to change with the seasons. It shouldn't take someone you know and love to die from health complications for you to decide to be healthier. Neither should it take you to be diagnosed with a disorder to force you to change your habits. Choose health so you can breathe easily, think clearly, and just plain feel better.

2. Drink life. Your body needs water and fresh, unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices. How much you need depends on your age, current weight, activity level, metabolism, and even climate. The average is eight cups of water and two cups of fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

3. Eat life. Eat raw, living fruits and vegetables every day. When foods are cooked, their natural enzymes are killed, and some of the fibers in the foods are broken down. Cooking (and especially overcooking) foods can reduce the amount of vitamins and minerals.

4. Eat fewer animal products. That's right; meats and dairy products. They have no fiber, and they are the primary means that we ingest cholesterol.

5. Break addictions. Avoid smoking; reduce or eliminate caffeine, salt, and sugar. They all make your body systems work harder than they have to and cause strain on these systems.

6. Exercise. Do whatever you want to do that gets your heart rate up. Three times a week for twenty minutes per session will help. Check with your health care provider if there are physical challenges you have to work with.

7. Rest Trust God, don't worry, get enough sleep, relax your mind, remove or minimize stress, and do something enjoyable. Resting doesn't always mean logging more sleep hours. Take yourself away from your routines, even if it is for 15 minutes a day. Shut the phone, television, and radio off. Be still.

8. Cleanse your environment Treat yourself kindly by using natural products on your body and in your home. Man-made chemicals are all around us--in our foods, in the products we use, and even in the air we breathe. Be aware of them and try to avoid as many as you can.

Optimizing health can be done if you take small steps or huge leaps. Decisions have to be made because everything we eat, anything we spray, or even how long we sit will affect our health over time. Do research. Make sure there are different colors of food on your plate every day (if it's all one color, you're missing some nutrition). Be active. Use what God gave you, and don't settle for what's easy. You are worth the time and effort that it takes to be healthier.