A past experience but something reminded me of it.

An RM was telling me about his travels in specific areas in my country of origin and I was JUST NOT FOLLOWING because I was only born there and visited when I was 12. When I told him that (politely), he got all huffy about it and the conversation ended abruptly.

I was kind of confused at the time but now I find it rather funny.

When children are growing up, they frequently go through a period of time when they assume that what THEY know is something everyone else (including adults) SHOULD know too, and they are contemptuous if this is not so. (I remember doing this to my Grandma when I was little, and I have been ashamed of myself ever since.)

Although this period of human development should have been passed though by the time someone reaches young adulthood, this isn't necessarily so...

...and evidently, the RM you talked to still had this particular aspect of maturation still ahead of him...no matter what his chronological years were when you and he talked about this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2017 03:16PM by Tevai.

I've been guilty of it too. And I regret exercising that kind of unfair judgment.

Of course he had no idea what he was talking about.

The idea that one could spend only two years in a different country and culture and have one-tenth of a clue what the place is about is ludicrous on its face.

I've lived in a few countries in addition to my country of birth (the U.S.), where I lived for almost 60 years. I'm now living in Ecuador, going on three and a half years. I'm married to an Ecuadorian citizen and live with her and her family. In no way am I up to speed on this country, and I will die before I get anywhere close to proficient.

In his defense, however, he was a callow whippersnapper at the time he stuck his foot in his mouth. I was stupid and arrogant at his age, too. Comes with the territory.

Let's be clear on this--every missionary goes into a family, community, or country to tell people that they are wrong, and the missionaries are right with their religion and associated Western American middle-class culture and values. No one can really learn about a different culture when that person is trying to change the fundamental core beliefs of that culture.

My TBM wife is an RM, and it's disgusting to hear what she says about the people and culture she was supposed to teach. The anthropologist's Boner.

Just like cut #14 from the Book of Mormon musical, "I am Africa".

Missionaries go into foreign countries and think they know everything about it.