(At the risk of referencing The Lion King yet again—but I do live in Africa—and it’s so true!!!)
Ebby, our African cultural guru, made the statement yesterday, and it’s stayed with me ever since. Life in Africa happens in a circle. Houses are circular. Villages are circular… usually with water at the center. Townships are circular, government in the middle, surrounded by shops and markets, with farms branching out around the edges. Meetings are always conducted with people sitting in a circle. Even relationships in Africa are circular. Everyone in the community works together, raising children, sharing resources, looking out for those in need. There is very little private property; even children belong to the entire family, not just the parents. Everyone and everything is connected.
In the circular community that is Africa, it is easy to see the shortcomings of our linear, American society. We see everything within its boundaries. I have my house with my yard surrounded by my fence. And my property ends where my neighbor’s begins; there is no overlap. My children are my responsibility, and I dare anyone to discipline them without my express permission. At the end of the day, my family goes inside my home, where I enjoy my possessions… which no one else better touch.
Don’t get me wrong—America is blessed, and it is home for me. But I’m starting to see that with our linear, boundary-driven mindset, we miss out on the community that is such a blessing in Africa. I don’t know how to change this… I just know that I need more circles in my life.
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