Comments on: Metissage http://www.josephyiptong.com/2007/02/23/metissage/ My existence in the virtual world Tue, 14 Dec 2010 01:54:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.2 By: joseph http://www.josephyiptong.com/2007/02/23/metissage/comment-page-1/#comment-1014 joseph Sat, 24 Feb 2007 08:40:27 +0000 http://www.josephyiptong.com/2007/02/23/metissage/#comment-1014 Life is very much the maintenance of the tensions between the left and the right, the feminine and the masculine, the white and the black, the haves and the have not's,:in short, the opposing forces. We are permanently in search of the equilibrium. Harmony could well be the objective we are looking for, and in practice, achieving harmony is a balancing act.There, my Chinese culture drives me to always find the just mean in whatever I do. Balancing the Yin and the Yang! My journey in the Indian culture through the reading of (alas too little) vedic literature led me to bring in "detachment" in life. What will be will be. This faith and trust in God is reinforced by my strong Catholic upbringing. To accept the eyes and the opinions of others, sometimes violently in opposition to mine and my deeds is not easy. Respect and acceptance of variety of the universe are gifts to enrich all of us. Seeking the positive in what I may judge negative in the deed of my neighbor is my focus and challenge. Likewise I have to see the possible negatives in my perceived positivity in me and others. Metissage gives us the multi lenses we can see through the events of life. Life is very much the maintenance of the tensions between the left and the right, the feminine and the masculine, the white and the black, the haves and the have not’s,:in short, the opposing forces. We are permanently in search of the equilibrium. Harmony could well be the objective we are looking for, and in practice, achieving harmony is a balancing act.There, my Chinese culture drives me to always find the just mean in whatever I do. Balancing the Yin and the Yang! My journey in the Indian culture through the reading of (alas too little) vedic literature led me to bring in “detachment” in life. What will be will be. This faith and trust in God is reinforced by my strong Catholic upbringing. To accept the eyes and the opinions of others, sometimes violently in opposition to mine and my deeds is not easy. Respect and acceptance of variety of the universe are gifts to enrich all of us. Seeking the positive in what I may judge negative in the deed of my neighbor is my focus and challenge. Likewise I have to see the possible negatives in my perceived positivity in me and others.
Metissage gives us the multi lenses we can see through the events of life.

]]> By: christina http://www.josephyiptong.com/2007/02/23/metissage/comment-page-1/#comment-1012 christina Sat, 24 Feb 2007 05:18:52 +0000 http://www.josephyiptong.com/2007/02/23/metissage/#comment-1012 Yes, I completely agree. I personally feel enriched by my mixed cultural heritage and ability to navigate in different cultural settings. Yet, I also feel that this is an attitude thing; people who are of mixed or double blood sometimes feel that they do not belong anywhere specially when people around them are constantly questioning their position or making assumptions based on their physical 'ethnotype'. Depending on your strength of mind, this can surely affect you and cause anxiety and feelings of aliemation... I personally feel lucky that I can face up to such questionings... yet I am also greatly amused by certain automatic assumptions which also lead into what I call 'us vs. others' statements... As an academic who likes observing people (including myself) under what one could term 'anthropological/ethnographic lenses', I feel priviledged to be able to make such direct observations on the field.... Yes, I completely agree. I personally feel enriched by my mixed cultural heritage and ability to navigate in different cultural settings. Yet, I also feel that this is an attitude thing; people who are of mixed or double blood sometimes feel that they do not belong anywhere specially when people around them are constantly questioning their position or making assumptions based on their physical ‘ethnotype’. Depending on your strength of mind, this can surely affect you and cause anxiety and feelings of aliemation…

I personally feel lucky that I can face up to such questionings… yet I am also greatly amused by certain automatic assumptions which also lead into what I call ‘us vs. others’ statements… As an academic who likes observing people (including myself) under what one could term ‘anthropological/ethnographic lenses’, I feel priviledged to be able to make such direct observations on the field….

]]> By: Greg http://www.josephyiptong.com/2007/02/23/metissage/comment-page-1/#comment-1006 Greg Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:27:31 +0000 http://www.josephyiptong.com/2007/02/23/metissage/#comment-1006 Is Mauritius still the poster child for cultural harmony and trust? Have you red The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey? Dr. Covey's son. Is Mauritius still the poster child for cultural harmony and trust? Have you red The Speed of Trust by Stephen M. R. Covey? Dr. Covey’s son.

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