Building Bridges of Cultural Understanding: The Architects, Builders & Welders

cultural understanding

Clearly etched in my mind are three incidences which occurred sometime in in September of 2010 that threatened social ease and deeply affected public discourse. First, the threat to burn copies of the Holy Koran by a Florida Pastor, second, the Iranian President’s inflammatory remarks that the September 11 attacks were caused by the United States and third, the public outcry against the construction of a mosque near ground zero in New York City.

Unfortunately, these extreme views drowned the wishes and views of millions of others who hold a more moderate view on things. As a keen observer and admirer of the colorful cultures around the world, I was saddened by the lack of respect, civility and tolerance exhibited by some of the debates and how some people in public life use their authority to influence negative outcomes. These attempts at perpetuating social discord should be condemned so as to send a powerful message that many more are in favor of peace and unity than disharmony.

There is something fundamentally wrong with the idea that a Pastor (a man of God) considers burning the holy book of another religion. Not only is this an assault on that religion, it also undermines his own religion’s integrity and its place in a world full of historical and religious diversity. Also, the fact that the current President of a modern nation charges another country of causing a disaster that claimed thousands of lives is a gross violation of international norms of diplomatic engagement. It is also problematic that a citizenry would object to the construction of a place of worship in a country that prides itself on freedom, liberty and justice. This is clearly double-edged and does not exemplify religious tolerance. Unfortunately, instead of using their positions to build bridges of cultural understanding, these leaders use their positions to effectuate differences between people and destroy prior attempts to build and grow the world community. History tells us that such issues can cause major upheavals that can potentially destabilize world peace.

In light of these frictions, I have been searching my mind and asking myself several questions. The most fundamental questions being, what type of people do we need today to forge international cultural understanding and appreciation? What type of people do we need today to reclaim our public discourse?

In my view, a great way to reclaim our public discourse is to seek leaders who are willing to fold up their sleeves to build a strong local and global community. In essence, our world needs ‘architects’, ‘builders’ or ‘welders’. You can be one or all of them, if you care about a world that is peaceful and prosperous!

The ‘architects’ will redesign new walls and windows of cultural engagement, the ‘builders’ will build and rebuild the fracturing walls of our cultural inter-play and the ‘welders’ will meld and weld together new beams of transmission to enhance communication between the West and the East, the North and the South.

When more architects, builders and welders populate our world, we will live in a world in which we build, cherish and adore our God-given diversity. This is not as utopic as you may think. We already have examples of such architects, builders and welders at work in our local communities today. You just have to watch carefully and you will see them at work. Consider joining them.

The Architects

The architects are those who consistently identify fragile bridges and re-design them to ensure that peace reigns. They think, conceive and implement new ideas that enhance cultural understanding. They are bold and have the guts to challenge the status quo. Architects clearly understand our interconnectedness and challenges of forging cultural understanding in a world that is rife with strife. Such individuals and organizations are few and far between. One individual who exemplified the qualities of an architect of cultural understanding and peace was Alfred B. Nobel of Sweden. It is thanks to him that the Nobel Peace Prize was founded back in 1896. Mr. Nobel was an architect par excellence! Although he is long gone, his legacy lives on.

The Builders

The builders are people or organizations that are culturally at work every day. They work as peace ambassadors and goodwill messengers. Everyday, they build to make a better world. Builders use ‘bricks’ and ‘mortar’ by using their ideas and experiences to cobble together harmonious relationship between regions, countries and continents. Usually the builders are technocrats. Others are sports figures or religious authorities and celebrities. Some are ordinary citizens. One individual who exemplifies the qualities of a great builder is Joseph Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA. The Swiss-born economist has worked tirelessly to promote the beautiful game in faraway places. He has also backed campaigns against racism in sports. Mayor Bloomberg is also undoubtedly a builder. He acted courageously by speaking in favor of the mosque, not withstanding the political risk. Apparently, he saw the mosque issue as a new opportunity (bridge) to strengthen cultural understanding and vice versa.

The Welders

The welders are people who are regularly on the ground trying different ways to mend and weld together critical components of bridges of cultural understanding. Such people are not under any obligation to act, but they do so regularly. They do whatever they can to enhance harmonious inter-cultural issues. Instead of running away from such issues, they embrace them and make a difference in families, boardrooms and communities. Some organizations that exemplify the spirit of welders are American Peace Corps, Doctors without Borders and Japanese Volunteers Overseas. In recent years, a lot of celebrities are also embracing the role of ‘welders’ as UN Ambassadors. For example Jacky Chan, Youssou N’dour, Shakira Mebarak, Angelique Kidjo, Angelina Jolie and so on.

The essence of this article is not only to give credit to the architects, builders and welders, but also to encourage everyone to foster a more positive public and political discourse with the sole aim of creating harmony worldwide. Will you to step forward and be counted as an architect in your community, or will you shy away? Will you build bridges of cultural understanding or will you watch others take control of the discourse? Let us all effectuate positive change in our own circles of influence.

Gideon’s website: www.storywarrior.us

(Article courtesy: DUNIA Magazine print issue 2)

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