I was teaching in rural Africa about sharing wealth (crops, education, and other resources) among neighbors and I was shocked to find that rivalry between tribes still existed. I believe love doesn’t recognize tribal lines and God certainly doesn’t separate us by ethnicity, so I was left wondering… why would they be skeptical about the idea of letting go of tradition to share food with another family? Why do they compete with each other for ideas and technology? How could they be so consumed with only taking care of themselves?
Then it hit me… Here I am – the typical white American man thinking of scolding this group of West African men for their individualism and selfishness. This is ironic because individualism and self-centeredness are deeply rooted in my culture and my existence, and something I would expect to see in my community… but not in rural Africa.
What I thought was only an American problem might be a human problem. Apparently we have found a way to separate and reject each other in every language and culture.
