A servant's Life

Afghanistan – touch down in flight (by Augustin Pictures)

I adore this video. I adore it because it challenges me. With places like Afghanistan our perceptions of the land and the people are often shaped by news sources focused on the worst and we come to view them as torn, ravaged, harsh places and whilst this may represent part of the truth, it does not ever represent the whole.

As with most places where humans reside there is love, beauty, community, relationships, and life and we must seek out images that will help developed that nuanced perception for us if we are to truly respect those who inhabit those places that are ‘other’ for us.

As we develop more nuanced views of what is ‘other’ for us, we must then allow that to feed into our own perceptions of the ‘self.’ Not just the personal self, but also the communal self in which we reside. What are we blind to simply because we are in it? What do we not see that must be challenged and what beauty do we miss because it has become our normal?

If our ‘other’ were to look at us, seeking to develop a nuanced perspective of who we are, what would they see as beautiful and what would they see and consider needs to be challenged? These are worthy reflections.