What is beautiful about this culture is that everyone relies on each other and expects that you will do something for them and they will do something in return. It is really how our world should operate with respects to every human being. It is not considered taking advantage of someone or rude to ask for help and to ask for something from someone because it is believed here that everyone must help each other, everyone must lean on each other and it is this way that everyone will make it from day-to-day. It is this culture that I am experiencing in my work environment as well. The people I work with feel compelled to help the community at large and help them understand the risks of HIV and domestic violence and teach them that it is not OK for their partner to disrespect them, they do this through the understanding that this will benefit the country of South Africa in the long run. The selflessness that many people in this country have towards helping each other is not something that I experience every day. Given, it is not everyone in the community who is this way but on a general level I have witnessed strangers talking to each other and getting together to share ideas; women lending their food, time, or money to help out someone else in the community. Myself, as an outsider, I have been given for my use peoples’ old phones, internet modems, SIM cards, and other things that are necessary for me to get by on a day-to-day basis here. This generosity from people who have only known me a few days is really beautiful. For me it has been quite a culture shock at the same time however, I am very used to living in the United States where everyone seems to be skeptical of help and assuming that someone wants something in return for helping you, I have also sometimes become concerned that people will feel I am just using them. I have still not yet quite gotten used to the generosity that I have been receiving from everyone over here but it has made me respect human connections more.
In this day in age everything is computerized, how we talk to each other is through typing words through a text message or on Facebook, yet here the people live on getting together and sharing a helping hand. They have made me realize that we are not islands all to ourselves but rather human beings who must rely on other human beings for assistance. It is this type of culture too that gives me strength to continue my pursuits in finding a job that will help people get on their feet and become active members of society. It is because of this experience that I feel next time that someone asks me why I am so interested in helping other people when everyone should really just help themselves I can answer honestly that we all rely on other human beings in our lives to help us survive, and it is through these connections that we become stronger together. It is within this past week that I have learned this lesson, that I have come to understand that without support from other people none of us will survive in this world, despite scientific breakthroughs, or new technological advances, it all really comes down to the human connections that we make and the assistance that we give and get in return.
In this day in age everything is computerized, how we talk to each other is through typing words through a text message or on Facebook, yet here the people live on getting together and sharing a helping hand. They have made me realize that we are not islands all to ourselves but rather human beings who must rely on other human beings for assistance. It is this type of culture too that gives me strength to continue my pursuits in finding a job that will help people get on their feet and become active members of society. It is because of this experience that I feel next time that someone asks me why I am so interested in helping other people when everyone should really just help themselves I can answer honestly that we all rely on other human beings in our lives to help us survive, and it is through these connections that we become stronger together. It is within this past week that I have learned this lesson, that I have come to understand that without support from other people none of us will survive in this world, despite scientific breakthroughs, or new technological advances, it all really comes down to the human connections that we make and the assistance that we give and get in return.
