The root of reality

When all is said and done, the world as we see it is nothing more than the world as we see it. Yes, it really is that simple, but in saying that, I have to acknowledge, that it really is rather complex. Not complicated, mind you, rather complex.

We only have our senses. We only have our own experiences to fall back on. But all of that, whether we like it or not, is individual, not necessarily valid for every other human being on the planet. What this tells me is that we should tread slowly. There's no use in proclaiming we've found the secret of life when in the end we have only found the secret of our own lives.

We share a lot with others, no doubt about it. And for this simple reason, it does us well to share with others whenever we can. Personally, I think it is even better when we can share more with others who are more different from ourselves than we can imagine. I have to admit that my current job, though not always the most exciting or demanding job I've ever had, offers me these particular kinds of opportunities to a degree I never thought imaginable.

Not only was I born into one culture, I have had the wonderful opportunity to be exposed to more: to have lived in a "home culture" other than my own (PA vs CA), to now live in a second version of a foreign culture (HE vs BW), but to spend most of my working time dealing with individuals with similar interests and concerns from very different cultures as well (AT, BE, CN, CZ, FR, ES, FI, FR, GR, HU, IT, JP, LI, LU, NL, PT, PL, SL, TR, UK, just to name the most frequently occurring). And, I can assure you all, my life has become all the richer for this reason. What I have learned is that there are so many different, but meaningful, ways of slicing up reality that it is hard to say ... no, it is impossible to say ... which one is "right" (or good, or proper, or most sensible). All of the people from all of these different cultures have all had something to share with me, be it emotionally or intellectually, and from each I have learned a little bit about who they are and what they think and how they see the world, but even more about myself. Each and every one of them has provided me with an additional "standard of comparison" for what I believe, think, and am.

All of this interaction has gone beyond the mere obvious, the superficial, the everyday. We have laughed and cried together, we've shared meals and experiences and sometimes tribulations together. Each time I was guest anywhere, my host has done what was humanly possible to allow me to experience the world as they experience the world. And, each and every time, my life has become richer because of it.

What fascinates and amazes me about all this is that not a single one of them has ever, ever asked for anything in return. The notion of self-interest, oddly enough, has never played a role in any of these experiences. Yes, I know, there are those who would like to reduce all of this to their simply wanting me to see their own culture more favorably. The problem is that to see them that way is to demean their sharing with me. I firmly believe that they all have done this for the very simply reason that they would like for me to at least once experience what reality means to them. I, for the other, am more than grateful for the opportunity.

Yes, I have tried to thank each and every one of them each time for what they have given me, but for the most part, they think it is self-evident that one would share. This is, when you really get down to it, a very basic, fundamental, human way of being. Sharing, it would seem, is much more basic, much more fundamental than any economic "system" could ever be. I don't know about you, but this give me plenty to think about. There are infinite ways to slice reality, but at root, there may not be such big differences after all.