Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Not wearing my seatbelt?

I am learning more and more as I think about rules that each community has. Actions of a person can be determined by the rules of the community they are in. What we do, or do not do can be shaped by these community rules. Even how we feel when we do these actions can be determined by our cultural views.

While camping this last week I had sort of an “aha!” moment. If you read my previous post you would know there seemed to be a bit of drama from my last camping trip. So while I was in the middle of the drama I tried to help the situation. The effects of my efforts might have been little, but I was trying. Since people had different views of what to do or not do during camping I could see some separation taking place between group members. One boy in particular was having a harder time getting along with the others. I found myself trying to help him and the situation.

We were going to Arches Nataional Park. There were six of us and only five seats in the car. So what did we do? Yeah, we tried to hide the sixth person in the back of the car. It was a sort of a jeep so they were in the car with us, but in the back part without a seatbelt on. I am all about wearing seatbelts, but it did seem silly to split us into two cars, pay extra, and not be as one whole group, so I went along with it. I was not the one in the back, the boy who was having a harder time getting along with the others volunteered. We hide him with jackets, book bags, camel backs, etc. We got through the entrance without being stopped by the rangers.

Well as time went on and we drove through the park I notice that this boy was not really part of the conversation, mainly because of where he was geographically in comparison to us. We all had our backs to him and since he was not getting along with everyone else as much I felt like he was really being cut off from the group. We ended up hiking and then when it was time to get back into the car I found myself volunteering to be the one in the back. I never do that! This is coming from the girl who wrote her senior paper in US Government on seatbelts. My objective for that paper was to try to get a harder law passed in Idaho to make people wear their seatbelts. I guess I wanted this other guy to feel part of the group so I volunteered to hop in back. I knew I could still keep part in the conversation even if I was in back because I would extend that effort.

There I was sitting in the back of the vehicle without a seatbelt (mom I hope you are not reading this). I was a little surprised at myself for volunteering to do that. I paid attention to my feelings and realized that I felt bad because I didn’t have my seatbelt on. Then it hit me. Because of the action I had taken and the community I was in I felt bad.

When I lived in the Dominican Republic I went everywhere in cars without a seatbelt. They didn’t have them and I didn't feel that bad not wearing one. Often times on the public bus system because it was so crowded I would find myself holding onto something almost half out of the bus as it speed down the street.

I was doing the same action, not wearing a seatbelt, which I had done so many times before in the Dominican Republic not feeling bad about doing it. However, at that moment in time I felt bad not wearing my seatbelt. I realized I felt that way because of the community I was in and the rules I was braking. The action was the same in both places, but my feeling were different due to the rules of the community I was in. How interesting!

I realize that in Mexico I will be doing different actions. Actions that in my community I might feel bad doing, like not wearing a seatbelt. However, in their community and with their rules maybe those actions I will be doing, or not doing, will be okay. I should not let myself feel bad in these situations. I will want to be sure not to make myself feel bad by placing my community rules to their community setting.

1 comment:

  1. These are some interesting thoughts! So, what happened with the quiet guy when you took the back seat? Did he get more involved in the group? As we prepare to get involved in another culture, I think it's good to think through how we are learning about the other culture through our own experiences, but even more important is how are we affecting other people? How do other people react to our actions? That can give you a lot of insight into what is appropriate or not appropriate in the culture. And can help you have an experience with the people rather than just among the people. Does that make sense?

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