I spent some of this week watching "Anne of Green Gables" and its sequel. Interesting movies. I was almost certain that I would dislike them after watching for the first half hour. By the time I had finished, though, I can say that I really enjoyed them. I may pick up the books sometime. They teach a good lesson about cantankerousness. I once played Gilbert Blythe in a short high school play, which is interesting, because after having watched the movies, I find very few similarities between us.
I had never seen an episode of Survivor until I came to Calgary. Now, what with the Bible study, I haven't missed an episode. I figured I'd tolerate Survivor in order to attend the Bible study, but I've gotten interested in it. I'll have to finish watching the season when I go back to Newfoundland.
I've been reading "Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life" latley. One of the stories imployed in the novel was "The Watermelon Hunter", a Sufi tale. It's fairly short, so I'll include it here:
Once upon a time there was a man who strayed from his own country into the world known as the Land of Fools. He soon saw a number of people flying in terror from a field where they had been trying to reap wheat. "There is a monster in that field," they told him. He looked, and saw that the "monster" was merely a watermelon.
He offered to kill the "monster" for them. When he had cut the melon from its stalk, he took a slice and began to eat it. The people became even more terrified of him than they had been of the melon. They drove him away with pitchforks, crying, "He will kill us next, unless we get rid of him."
It so happened that shortly afterward another man also strayed into the Land of Fools. But instead of offering to help the people with the "monster," he agreed with them that it must be dangerous, and by tiptoeing away from it with them he gained their confidence. He spent a long time with them in their homes until he could teach them, little by little, the basic facts which would enable them not only to lose their fear of melons, but eventually to cultivate melons themselves.
That really made me think. Hopefully it stirred up some brain waves with you too.
I had never seen an episode of Survivor until I came to Calgary. Now, what with the Bible study, I haven't missed an episode. I figured I'd tolerate Survivor in order to attend the Bible study, but I've gotten interested in it. I'll have to finish watching the season when I go back to Newfoundland.
I've been reading "Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life" latley. One of the stories imployed in the novel was "The Watermelon Hunter", a Sufi tale. It's fairly short, so I'll include it here:
Once upon a time there was a man who strayed from his own country into the world known as the Land of Fools. He soon saw a number of people flying in terror from a field where they had been trying to reap wheat. "There is a monster in that field," they told him. He looked, and saw that the "monster" was merely a watermelon.
He offered to kill the "monster" for them. When he had cut the melon from its stalk, he took a slice and began to eat it. The people became even more terrified of him than they had been of the melon. They drove him away with pitchforks, crying, "He will kill us next, unless we get rid of him."
It so happened that shortly afterward another man also strayed into the Land of Fools. But instead of offering to help the people with the "monster," he agreed with them that it must be dangerous, and by tiptoeing away from it with them he gained their confidence. He spent a long time with them in their homes until he could teach them, little by little, the basic facts which would enable them not only to lose their fear of melons, but eventually to cultivate melons themselves.
That really made me think. Hopefully it stirred up some brain waves with you too.
David whispered at 3:28 p.m.
2 Comments:
i wonder what the lesson is.
I mainly thought about it in the context of missionaries. Too much missionary work has consisted of spreading Christianity mixed with Western ideals and traditions in foreign countries rather than the pure, simple, unadulterated gospel. The unique culture of the place should be considered first, and its truths should be celebrated and accepted by the missionary. Then, after developing a relationship with the people, he or she can explain how Christianity can be understood in that cultural context. That's just what I got out of it. It started out as a Sufi tale, so that obviously wasn't the intended moral. Did you take a different lesson from the story?
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