Our friend will lose her job in about 2 weeks. Her employers leave the country. (She works as a house helper.)
So we asked if she would like our help in finding a new situation. She said no. She wants to wait until the family she serves leaves before starting her search.
As I pondered this, first I thought of how much faith she has that God will provide for her needs. Her faith humbles me. (I like to get as many stinking ducks in a row as I possibly can!)
But then the other side of the coin is cultural. Many Africans are more content to live in the present than Americans are. Jesus tells us to let tomorrow worry about itself. So it’s a spiritual issue too.
Climate influences attitudes toward planning ahead - when a sub-zero winter is looming, you must store up food or die. North Americans and Europeans have faced that for centuries, which has affected our thinking. No such winters have ever hit Nairobi.
I'm just observing - not being judgmental. I hope you've picked up that from reading my blog.
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3 comments:
That's an interesting thought, I hope your friend finds a new job.
Never thought about it like that -- the lack of winter preparation, etc., affecting the "live in the present" mentality of Africa. Interesting observation.
Side note: a friend is considering traveling to Africa to help on a social / educational excursion and is interested in firsthand information about the potential experience. If you have a moment, please email me and I can put the two of you in touch.
jkownacki at somethingtobedesired dot com
Would be nice to just lay it out there that you are so judgemental about Nairobi, Kenyans (even generalizing it to other Africans) and everything else.
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