What should we do when we are confronted with different colors of the culture spectrum?

      There are 4 races, 7 continents, over 4300 religions, and around 10,000 languages in the world. Why would the Creator of the World, whether if he/she is God, Buddah, or Allah, place so many different cultures on one planet, on one earth? Was it because he/she wanted to watch humanity turn against each other and shun those who are different?

No, I believe that the God of the universe created our world this colorfully to give people the opportunity to experience other cultures and grow open minded about their world.

      Unfortunately, there are so many times when we refuse to welcome different cultures and fall into the cowardly resolution of ostracizing those who do not belong. A couple of days ago, I was watching a documentary on YouTube called "Welcome to North Korea by Peter Tetteroo and Raymond Fedemma". Halfway through the documentary, I found myself clucking my tongue in pity and grimacing at the North Koreans for holding such groundless trust in their totalitarian leader. I was ashamed to discover myself looking down on the people who were supposed to be my blood related brothers and sisters. To me, confronting different cultures has always been something greatly challenging...and I must confess that, at times, living inside my own culture bubble seems so much easier.

      Luckily, by reading the Peace Child, I was able to learn from Don Richardson how people are to appreciate the colorful spectrum of the different cultures in the world. Even after spending his whole life in a modernized and developed society, Richardson was still respectful towards the primitive tribes that were cut off from the rest of the world. He endured to an extent all the conflicts and wars between the New Guinean tribes and payed respect to all the villagers. The thing that struck me as greatly thoughtful and mindful on Richardson's part was the way he was willing to learn about the Sawi culture. He attentively learned the Sawi language, actively sought for more knowledge on the tribe's customs and rituals, and willingly assimilated into the Sawi culture.
      Richardson also taught me that if we really learn how to respect different cultures, then we eventually become capable of rectifying some of their erroneous ways. Wait, let me add onto that. Richardson showed me that not only are we capable of correcting wrong customs, but we also want to do so. After watching his comrades destroy each other through war and murder, Richardson desired to persuade the Sawi to give up treachery and their thirst for power. Knowing the wistful attitudes the Sawi held towards killing and violence, Richardson disapproved of their treachery in ways that would reach across the cultural gaps and directly strike the Sawi.

Richardson strikes the Sawi once:

As we were leaving, I gazed straight into Mavu's eyes, burning with desire to say something to him, but what could I say? I knew if I upbraided him for nearly killing two men, he would only shrug his shoulders as if to say, "So what?" So instead I said cryptically, "You have made my wife's hands bloody." The remark took him by surprised. He glanced quickly at Carol's hands and a sudden realization of the inappropriateness fo the scene he had help to create seemed to startle him. Mavu winced, fearing he had unwittingly committed some dark impropriety of cosmic consequence. -Page 141-

Richardson strikes the Sawi again:

"But Myao Kodon love us so much that...He gave His Son freely knowing men would despise and slay Him. In fact, through the wisdom of Myao Kodon, the men who shed the blood of Yesus actually provided a  raendep, 'an atonement' to quench God's anger against men. They slew Him wickedly, but Myao Kodon was so maraviap, 'ingenious', that even the very worst men could do only furthered His purpose! If it had not been so, there would be no hope for any of us."

They sat there musing in silence, when Hato's voice came to me softly, "Myao Kodon nohop kahane savos kysir nide?" My eyes welled at his words. He had said "Myao Kodon must have been sad just like me." -Page 185-

Spreading cultures = colorful masterpiece

      In the second example of when Richardson tries to correct the wrong ways of the Sawi, he offers the primitive tribe people an alternative to their treacherous ways. He introduces the alternative, his own culture (Christianity), in ways that concede with the Sawi culture. Not once did Richardson force the gospel on the people; he let Sawi decide for themselves what they wanted to follow. The sole purpose that Richardson presented the tribe with Christianity was because he wanted to spread and share his own ways with a different culture.

      Don Richardson's book, Peace Child, moved me in so many ways. It taught me the importance of faith, informed me about all sorts of different people, and gave me an insight into missionary service. However, the most important and ground-shaking lessons that I received is that we are to be respectful, compassionate, and attentive when we confront different cultures and that it is our responsibility to spread our cultures in different backgrounds. That's truly how we can fully appreciate the colorful culture spectrum that God gave us.