"Serving is Different From Helping and Fixing" I LOVED reading this article. The part I especially resonated with was when author Rachel Remen referenced how using words like "helping" invariably establishes a relationship of hierarchy and of dominance instead of a relationship grounded in a mutual exchange of knowledge and information. She made a similar parallel with the use of the word "fixing" where she mentions that using such a word implies that the person being helped was in some way "broken" prior to receiving the help. In my personal experience, serving others has been a learning experience on both ends. I have been able to grow as a person from exchanging stories with people who have different backgrounds and it has broadened my sense of social responsibility to hear and witness what other people are experiencing.
I thought his explanation on why historians often only focus on Eurasia was also interesting. I always thought it had to do with white supremacy but it turns out that actually, during the Common Era, 85% of the world's population lived in Eurasia, so that's why historians tend to focus so heavily on it. Strayer wrote about Christianity spreading to Northern Africa and even specifically mentioned how Christianity "found an even more permanent foothold in the lands now known as Ethiopia" which I found interesting because I have several Ethiopian and Eritrean friends who are deeply Christian (more than my other Christian friends) and who put their faith in God before everything else. I thought it was cultural and had no idea that this goes back to the Classical Era! Lastly, I was saddened to read about the way Oceanic women were treated. Strayer described how women were treated as dangerous and were ISOLATED during childbirth and menstruation. I can't imagine a ...
I thought it was awesome that Strayer included a whole chapter on inequality. Not to impose my political views, but I am saddened by the current political situation with President Trump - especially as we see gender equality at the forefront of the news.
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