A Different Approach

Today my employer presented one of the coolest job related days with which I have been involved. I work for a high tech firm which has employees from the far corners of the globe. They today honored those who come from the Indian subcontinent by hosting a Dansherra festival celebration. All of the activities were presented by the employees from the region. There was dancing, an art/drawing competition, decorations, food and the employees were wearing regional dress. The pride and pleasure at sharing a little bit of their homeland with the rest of us was clearly evident as they served up a marvelous buffet.

Now to be perfectly honest I know nothing of Dansherra and quite frankly shame on me because I know no more now than I did this morning but it was there to learn. There were pictures with explanations and a host of smiling people I could have asked. Don't know why but uncharacteristically I didn't. Maybe because I don't know any of the hosts. But the point remains that the chance to bridges two very different cultures was clearly available to me and presented by people I walk by every day.

So to the title of today's post. This strikes me as a far healthier and more productive way to work toward peace and understanding between disparate world views than invading. When a way of life is perceived to be threatened it is natural to react violently. Look at the rhetoric of the American right. If people are accepted and respected for their culture and beliefs the urge to violence becomes weaker.

I am not naive enough to believe that no one will resort to violence but if we had had a better understanding of west and west central Asia before sending troops we would likely have met with more success or better still, may not have had to go at all.

In any case, I strongly recommend this sort of event if your workplace represents several cultures. It just may be a small step toward world peace.