"My first task in approaching another people
another culture
another religion
Is to take off my shoes.
For the place I am approaching is holy.
Otherwise I may find myself
treading on another's dreams,
their memories, their stories,
More serious still - I might forget
that God was there..."
These words, pinned up in a Roman Catholic convent in Harare, Zimbabwe, are quoted by Esther de Waal in To Pause at the Threshold (pages 86-7).
Esther de Waal then goes on to add: "...when I find myself on the threshold of another culture. I need to remind myself that as I meet them they will be bringing all their baggage of tradition and history, of suffering and triumph. So first I need to take time to look into my own self, to find in myself a willingness to be vulnerable, honest with my own story, its roots and its past..."
As I read and reflect, the ESL teacher in me says, YES. Living in our own cultures, we can easily forget that others have their stories, too.
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