True Test

Raising kids is tricky. We want to let them experience everything good the world has to offer, and protect them from all the bad. We live the way we live, respect the ways of others and all is good. It is so easy to talk the talk of acceptance, but occasionally, things pop up that rub the wrong way. As a "global community" we are all trying to get along, to live and let live, to embrace cultural differences and exercise tolerance. The real test comes when our fundamental morals clash.

Between households or countries if we fail to recognize the boundaries of our own moral convictions, then we fail to live by standards we have made for ourselves. Sometimes it is very difficult to truly accept the differences between cultures. However, in spite of how offensive it may be, if we can accept cultures next door or across oceans, then we have done our part to make the world the place we want to live in. Otherwise, we send the message of "Let's all live in peace and harmony, and live like me."

Recently my kids got a good look at how personal matters can be interjected with opinions of others who with good intentions overstep their boundaries. They were able to observe how political pressure coerces people to act against their own convictions. Like climates in Costa Rica, micro-cultures exist from door to door. Before we can shake a finger of judgement in the direction of the world's worst conflicts, we have to check that we are practicing tolerance and respect in our own homes.