Although Belize is a developing country with many needs and challenges, it is also a country that has a lot to offer. One such area is its witness to human diversity.
Belizian population is made up of indigenous Aztec and Mayan. It also has strong and deep African and Spainish ancestry's. And now with modern mobility globally, other cultures are also finding a home in Belize.
Such cultural diversity has evolved over the centuries to a more and more open acceptance and normalcy. In every gathering I've been part of since my arrival, I am amazed at the very obvious differences in ancestral backgrounds of the people gathered. Yet they are all "Belizian." What amplifies this sense of unity is the common use of Creole - a unique form of broken english that most of Belizians use.
Last night Bishop Phillip took me to the launching of a book on the Mayan calendar and the erroneous stories about the end of the world in 2012. The world will come to end at some time, but there is certainly no predicting it. There is nothing in the Mayan system that says the world will end in 2012; its calendar does end there, but it is designed to start again. What was most important about last night's presentation was how it highlighted for me the very rich and diverse people of Belize.
We can learn from the witness of Belize of how to better live with human diversity.
1 comment:
Very interesting about the Mayan calendar. I'll have to send a link to two people who asked me about it.
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