This Blessed House

Jhumpa Lahiri's "This Blessed House" really got me thinking. I really can relate to the character Twinkle. Unlike the narrator, Twinkle saw value in things that other people treasure. The narrator wanted to tear down anything that resembled a Christian influence, but Twinkle was fascinated by them. She was enthralled by the story that these objects tell about the family that came before them. So what if you are not Christian, one should still see value in what the symbols stand for, and what others believe even though they do not necessarily follow what you may believe. It gets down to mutual respect for other people and other cultures. 

By understanding people's beliefs and morals, you can get closer to truly understanding who that person is and where they come from. Nobody still worships the dead Pharohs of Egypt, yet we can still marvel at what those who did accomplished when we look at the pyramids. I feel like modern day, people are so caught up in what they believe and what is THEIR culture that they forget to keep an open mind when it comes to others. I also feel that those that claim to be accepting of other cultures are actually just tolerant that other beliefs exist but actually have zero interest in learning about anything different than what they already know. I think Twinkle and the guests at the party were fascinated, intrigued, and open to the new things they were finding in the house. Throwing away something that represents so much to so many people is not something Twinkle would do, but I personally feel like it is something that  most people would do in our world today. They would be more like the narrator and find it ridiculous pointless stuff that means nothing to them. That disappoints me. How far does acceptance of other cultures really have to go? Should we leave them be and just continue to exist in seperate spheres, or should we honestly show an interest in understanding other's cultures and have a mutual respect for their beliefs.

In order to solve the problems our world is facing today we must work together. This requires a mutual respect for each other. If you truly want to help somebody you must understand who they are, where they come from, and what they believe. This is the first challenge that we must all face.