Happy 2007, everyone!
2007 is here, and I would like to wish everyone a super year with a lot of love as without it, our lives means nothing.
Me, this year, I especially do not have any resolutions, I think many of the things we want to do or achieve are in our abilities, only to see how strong our will is. The end of 2006 gave me much of nostalgy of what had happened, and at the result, I was feeling a little bit melancholy.
But a new year is here, and it deserves a bit of reflection. What I am about to write is two sensitive subjects, religion and racism. Many of us think that Muslim is a religion with trouble and there are certain practices that we see as wild like killing a sheep to worship (and I still believe that no beings should be killed in the name of any supernatural power "people"). But there always are good Muslims who do not eat pork because pork is an animal which can eat anything for its intestinal system is strong in defending against sickness. For Muslims, God gives us a healthy body, so we are not allowed to destroy it by drinking alcohols and eating pork (our bodies do not have strong defense against sickness). A truly practicer in any religion is good. My uncle told me a story long time back that he forgot his wallet at the market in Kigali (there is a big number of muslims there), and the guy who sold something to him looked for him, and gave him back the wallet. That is a real practicer.
Unfortunately, there is always a rotten egg that makes the whole basket smell, and we tend to assume a lot after the first impression or experience. Moreover, somehow deep in our unconciousness, some of us are racists. The difference is that before, it is more transparent (which is easier to see to fight), now it is hidden. I am not only talking about racist about skin colour, but disability, and people who are illiterate. Sometimes our behaviours are so systematic that we do not realise that we hurt other people feeling or creating a serious offence. Even in a country, in the past when I was young, I really do not like anybody who come from North, let alone the people in the Central (and I am sure they do not like us in the South). For people in the North, we are those who only know to live life extravagent, only to spend, not to save, who only know to party, not to study because of the climate, and prosperity, richness of foods, rice, seafood that our live daily life easier than the rest of the country. People from the Central suffer the difficult climate, that they can not do anything to produce foods, that make they live with saving, with a typical characters that sometimes still irritate others. In fact, they only want to take in, and not give out.
While working in the hotel industry, I notice a tremendous difference in the way people behave toward people who are in the office and people who are doing the hard work (those who actually do the difference between a four stars and a five stars). People in suits think uniformed people are stupid, and the uniformed people (because of the treatment think that they are racist-at some extent I understand them) think the managers are *sshole who know nothing but to give orders (and at some extent this is true ;-)). In a company, we could hardly see it, but in hotel you see this every day. I guess that is the only thing I do not like in hotels. People automatically presume that workers are illiterate, and therefore dumb.
A few months ago, a friend of mine told me she heard a white woman talked to a black server that he had to serve her because she is white! This kind of things you do not expect to hear nowadays, but I think people like that exist in great number. That is scary.
So, the new year comes is the time for all of us to start noticing our own behaviours, the things we do, or say should be thought over, don't let anger blinds us to avoid hurting feeling. Be generous is probably a resolution!
Again Happy New Year, dear friends!
Me, this year, I especially do not have any resolutions, I think many of the things we want to do or achieve are in our abilities, only to see how strong our will is. The end of 2006 gave me much of nostalgy of what had happened, and at the result, I was feeling a little bit melancholy.
But a new year is here, and it deserves a bit of reflection. What I am about to write is two sensitive subjects, religion and racism. Many of us think that Muslim is a religion with trouble and there are certain practices that we see as wild like killing a sheep to worship (and I still believe that no beings should be killed in the name of any supernatural power "people"). But there always are good Muslims who do not eat pork because pork is an animal which can eat anything for its intestinal system is strong in defending against sickness. For Muslims, God gives us a healthy body, so we are not allowed to destroy it by drinking alcohols and eating pork (our bodies do not have strong defense against sickness). A truly practicer in any religion is good. My uncle told me a story long time back that he forgot his wallet at the market in Kigali (there is a big number of muslims there), and the guy who sold something to him looked for him, and gave him back the wallet. That is a real practicer.
Unfortunately, there is always a rotten egg that makes the whole basket smell, and we tend to assume a lot after the first impression or experience. Moreover, somehow deep in our unconciousness, some of us are racists. The difference is that before, it is more transparent (which is easier to see to fight), now it is hidden. I am not only talking about racist about skin colour, but disability, and people who are illiterate. Sometimes our behaviours are so systematic that we do not realise that we hurt other people feeling or creating a serious offence. Even in a country, in the past when I was young, I really do not like anybody who come from North, let alone the people in the Central (and I am sure they do not like us in the South). For people in the North, we are those who only know to live life extravagent, only to spend, not to save, who only know to party, not to study because of the climate, and prosperity, richness of foods, rice, seafood that our live daily life easier than the rest of the country. People from the Central suffer the difficult climate, that they can not do anything to produce foods, that make they live with saving, with a typical characters that sometimes still irritate others. In fact, they only want to take in, and not give out.
While working in the hotel industry, I notice a tremendous difference in the way people behave toward people who are in the office and people who are doing the hard work (those who actually do the difference between a four stars and a five stars). People in suits think uniformed people are stupid, and the uniformed people (because of the treatment think that they are racist-at some extent I understand them) think the managers are *sshole who know nothing but to give orders (and at some extent this is true ;-)). In a company, we could hardly see it, but in hotel you see this every day. I guess that is the only thing I do not like in hotels. People automatically presume that workers are illiterate, and therefore dumb.
A few months ago, a friend of mine told me she heard a white woman talked to a black server that he had to serve her because she is white! This kind of things you do not expect to hear nowadays, but I think people like that exist in great number. That is scary.
So, the new year comes is the time for all of us to start noticing our own behaviours, the things we do, or say should be thought over, don't let anger blinds us to avoid hurting feeling. Be generous is probably a resolution!
Again Happy New Year, dear friends!
posted by Vagabonder @ 1:05 PM
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