Hi Jean,
I'm puzzled about this. On one hand I have a hightened sensitivity to
cultural respect. On the other, I cannot see how using a custom from
another culture raises the dilemma. Could you develop your thoughts a bit
more?
Thank you.
Bill Braun
[Host's Note: In an earlier discussion of the talking stick here, a
person of Native American blood said he and others were concerned that
a sacred ritual was being copied without a serious effort to understand
and respect its origins. After that comment, the suggest of using a
microphone appeared. ...Rick]
>I think this raises a wonderful question. I share the concern about a
>cheap appropriation of spiritual symbols, especially from native
>traditions that I value, but know too little about. I recognize that that
>can feel like (and probably is) a kind of cultural imperialism. But I
>struggle with how to put that concern together with the integration of
>spirituality and the workplace that lots of us are thinking/writing about.
>
>I also know that when I use a symbol like the talking stick, and introduce
>it with care, it does help people shift into a different way of
>approaching dialogue---less from the head only; more from an integrated
>center.
>
>So I wonder, are others puzzling about how to benefit from using symbols
>like the talking stick without doing violence to the cultures they come
>from or to our own understanding of those cultures?
--Bill Braun <medprac@hlthsys.com>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>