As a kid, I look forward to being exposed to different worlds of thought, which means that I will get to know other people who don’t speak and think like me because of varying cultures.
I always think that “there’s a bigger world out there,” and it always excites me to meet and talk to people outside my hometown and country. I was even encouraged to learn about the universal language because I was taught that it could help me reach a bigger audience, bigger than where I grew from.
And now you know why I can write (this way) in English.
The earliest memory I have about seeing white people and people of color was from magazines (like Reader’s Digest) that I used to read again and again as a kid (because they are the only ones we have at home).
Sure, you can meet so many people in life, people from all over the world, if you find yourself in a kind of work that allows you to connect to the global village. And living in the 21st century, attending international conferences has become easier because you can just Zoom into these gatherings without leaving home.
Now that I’m becoming more exposed to the global village than I could have dreamed of (but still far from what I could be), getting out of my cultural bubble made me more aware of how global powers drive international relationships and economics. At the same time, watching news from diverse sources allowed me to learn more about the social issues and political landscapes at work beyond my home country (and are affecting what is happening in my home country).
Being overwhelmed by how complex the world I live in, my belief tells me that “There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 AMP).
And regardless of the governing rule of the present age, Christianity taught me that this is how I should live as a follower of Jesus Christ:
Romans 13:1-7 (AMP)
Be Subject to Government
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God [granted by His permission and sanction], and those which exist have been put in place by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists [governmental] authority resists the ordinance of God. And those who have resisted it will bring judgment (civil penalty) on themselves.
3 For [civil] authorities are not a source of fear for [people of] good behavior, but for [those who do] evil. Do you want to be unafraid of authority? Do what is good and you will receive approval and commendation.
4 For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, [you should] be afraid; for he does not carry the [executioner’s] sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an avenger who brings punishment on the wrongdoer.
5 Therefore one must be subject [to civil authorities], not only to escape the punishment [that comes with wrongdoing], but also as a matter of principle [knowing what is right before God].
6 For this same reason you pay taxes, for civil authorities are God’s servants, devoting themselves to governance.
7 Pay to all what is due: tax to whom tax is due, customs to whom customs, respect to whom respect, honor to whom honor.
jessa 