Gaudium et Spes is not the Church's only writing
on intercultural dialogue. In 2001, John
Paul II devoted his homily for the Celebration for the World Day of
Peace to dialogue between cultures. He so valued dialogue between different
groups of people, that he felt it was the most relevant way to bring about
peace.
He acknowledges that people mostly see other cultures in how
the new culture differs from their own. Each culture is unique, but none are
less than any others. We should value and respect all cultures and the people
within them. We should also be able to see the limitations of all cultures
including our own. Culture is constantly changing, and if we cannot accept the
limitations of our culture, it will only change for the worse. Female rights in
America is an example of a culture realizing its limitations and changing to
improve them. Though women and men are different, this does not make women any
less than men.
He ends the homily by calling young people to "become
craftsmen of a new humanity, where brothers and sisters — members all of the
same family — are able at last to live in peace." This seems like a tall
order for young people, but Gaudium et Spes had a similar call
when it said that "we are witnesses of the birth of a new humanism, one in
which man is defined first of all by this responsibility to his brothers and to
history" (55). Young people will shape the future, and the increase in
cultural dialogue is on their side as they do it. Respectful conversation
between peoples of different cultures will ultimately bring humanity closer
together.
This is an oversimplified explanation, and this process will be long and arduous. If at any point you are frustrated and do not know what to say, remember: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
It is very true that we only see cultures in relation to our own, which can immediately cause judgement. The first thing we can think of is whether our culture does that one thing better than another. It is extremely important to remember the point that you made about female rights. No culture is perfect, and we have to realize that things can change in both cultures. Education is the foundation of how we decide what to make of people with differences from us. We can teach love or hate, and whichever we chose is what we will implement in our daily lives.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that you mentioned seeing the limitations in our own cultures as well as others. It is important to be open to and accepting of change. Our culture is not perfect. As a culture we must realize our imperfections and be open to change.
ReplyDeleteAs an education major, I understand the importance of a culturally diverse classroom. When people are exposed to different cultures, they are more likely to be understanding and respectful of these cultures. It is important to educate children about different cultures in a respectful way.
I like the part where you talk about how it is the youth that craft humanity. It is true that this gives young people a lot of responsibility but it also gives them a lot of power; without their efforts, change and learning from other cultures would not really be possible. it is so true that when we think of different cultures we think of how they are different from us and sometimes we forget that our culture is only "our normal" and not a "normal" that everyone shares. Each culture has a lot that they can teach to others and a lot that they can learn as well.
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