WHEN THE EAST MEETS WITH THE WEST

JUST THINKING:

We meet with people daily who are from different tribes, countries, and background. This has become possible because of globalization. The world has become a global village that traveling, communicating, and living together have become easier and more interesting. What was impossible years ago has become very possible today.

However, one will think that globalization will make us live together in one accord. But this is not the case because when people meet, they may have cultural problem, language problem, tribal problem, religious problem, beliefs challenge, and background problem and so on. Many years ago, I was taught in school that the problems with international trade are the language barriers, currency, government policies, inflation rates, exchange rates and so on. 

When the East and West meet, love should prevail. Love breaks barriers the Easterners and Westerners experience when they meet. Love makes you accept people for who they are no matter their colour, background, tribes, mentality, culture, status and so on. But, there is so much segregation, hatred, anger, war, racism, bitterness, strife, and so on in the war today. Nations fight against nations, family against family, friends against friends are what we see and hear about daily.  This problem is affecting us in many ways and it makes it difficult for "The East and West to meet". But love conquers all. Love is the element that makes the elements (East and West) come and live together in harmony.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 says, “ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”.

People will segregate but love does not do that and it does not look down on people. It forgives no matter what because it does not keep record of wrongs. Also, for the East and West to meet, live and do business together, they need to trust each other. You can’t trust without love. Loving someone means you have to be patient and kind to them. It is not touchy, haughty, selfish, rude, irritable, and glad about injustice or other people’s downfall but it rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.

Ordinarily the East and West cannot meet without fighting, arguing and scheming each other. But with Love, both of them can come together and live as one if only they will embrace love. I am not talking about Hollywood kind of love or Disney-world kind of love but the God kind of love that forgives easily because as long as you are on the earth, people will offend you.