Collectivity, Reciprocity, Transformation and Essence

photo credit: Kristen Garvin

I recently came across a framework for how the indigenous people of the Andes view the world, and it has been bouncing around in my head ever since. While we are not living in an indigenous community, the mestizo Ecuadorians with whom we abide have been shaped by their deep indigenous roots, and there is much about this schema that resonates.

I wanted to jot down the words and take a moment to reflect briefly on our experiences of these values. This feels particularly poignant as we are about to transition back to the US, back to cultural norms that will likely feel more "normal" to us and maybe even more comfortable, but may not always be how we wish to frame our thinking and/or actions.

Collectivity is the understanding that things must be done for the good of the people, not the person. That is, the group is more important than the individual. It is not a secret that American culture centers, elevates, protects, and celebrates the individual over the collective. I see my American individualism and own my self-centeredness clearly in myself and in my parenting. Here, I am often in awe of (and sometimes perplexed by) the bond and commitment to family and community that permeates individuals' decisions. This includes a wide range of situations, from the communal care of and attention to children and elders, to backing a loved one's loans even when one knows they are likely to default.

Reciprocity: means that individuals and groups in different areas help one another, This means that if you drop off fish and yuca for me when I am unwell, I will do the same for you when you are in need. It also means that if your community's bridge washes away in the heavy winter rains, our community will help because we know you would do the same for us. I feel blessed in my life with the reciprocity of deep friendships, and we saw examples of loving reciprocity in the aftermath of our 2017 Tubbs Fire. But, particularly when I think about the struggles of working parents with young children, I am certain our American society does not readily embrace this notion.

Transformation: is the constant state of change in the world including movement from the life to the afterlife. The indigenous believe death is not the end; there is a spiritual world as well. This dovetails interestingly with now widely held Catholic beliefs as well. For example, during El Día de los Difuntos, families visit cemeteries, leaving food to share with loved ones who are now in the next world. Of course, American spiritual beliefs are all over the map, and I personally struggle with this one, if only because I so wish I held a strong enough belief in the afterworld to grant me comfort and peace in death. I feel just as lost when discussing this topic with my children.

Essence: is the belief that it does not matter what something looks like -- its outward appearance -- it is the inner meaning that matters. Brynna said to me several months ago, "Mommy, it is funny that sometimes the houses in Ecuador look really really bad on the outside, but they are so beautiful on the inside." And she is right, tropical mold and mildew, heavy rains and mud make keeping a house looking sharp and shiny an almost impossible task, but that does not in any way take away from the beauty of the people inside. For the record, what Brynna is seeing inside houses here that is "so beautiful" are not designer couches or fancy kitchen appliances, but rather kindness and love.

In sharing these concepts, I am in no way intending to romanticize them or co-opt them. While noble, there are ways in which these cultural values can be problematic and even cause harm to individuals and/or families -- particularly in a modern post-pandemic capitalist society. And yet. . .food for thought.

What is your worldview? What do you live by?

I will end with what I consider my adult-adopted framework, The 8 Principles of Unitarian Universalism. Number eight was recently adopted in my home congregation, UUCSR. While there is definitely some overlap, they still feel very "American", for lack of a better word, perhaps because they still ask much of the individual:

source: https://wp.uuclvpa.org/about-us/our-beliefs/uu-principles-and-sources/