Unity

The ancient Greeks had the idea that we as humans, no matter our ethnic group or political or national affiliation, fall into a community under a single morality. Cosmopolitanism, as it is called, is the belief that we are all citizens of the world.

Sure, that was over two thousand years ago, but even today many cosmopolites adhere to this traditional Greek notion.

 

  Kwame Anthony Appiah gives the ideology a modern treatment in his book Cosmopolitanism:Ethics in a World of Strangers. He shows that this ancient system is still substantially applicable to contemporary society and I can see that. We all have our differences. Americans love guns, French like baguettes, but these cultural differences are no reason to fight over and alienate each other. We inhabit the same planet, feel the same feelings, and experience the same struggles regardless of where in the world we live or what food we eat. This is, after all, a time period where being “global citizens” is important.

When I traveled to Greece a few years ago, I feel I experienced something of cosmopolitanism. During one evening in Karpenisi, Greece (a sister city to Asheville, for what's it worth), my cohorts and I were invited to a traditional Greek dinner with the assistant mayor, Papadopoulos (amazing Greek name), and various other citizens of the city. It didn't matter that we were American; at that table, we were all citizens of the world, dining together on Greek delicacies and living it up as if we were one in the same. 

Being in Greece the whole time as an outsider never seemed like a bad experience. People rejoiced over the election of Obama and yearned for a greater global community. When I was in Turkey as well, the people sought solidarity among the nation especially with the Turks being excluded from the European union and shunned by Greece.

Similarly, I like when Appiah writes, “a lot of what we take to be right or wrong is simply a matter of customs.”  We may judge the practices of another culture or group of people, but when we do so, we inevitably use our own values as a point of comparison. Should we give each culture a fair view, perceiving them not as wrong but simply different. I think not; that is what we call, as you may know, cultural relativism. I have a firm set of moral beliefs rooted in my faith, and I have no problem applying what I believe to the rest of the world’s practices, because I believe my faith is universal. I do believe activities like genocide or genital mutilation are wrong because my worldview is steeped in love, and I have no interest in perceiving other cultures as merely different. The whole idea of cultural relativism seems lazy.

This notion of cosmopolitanism causes me to think about my own Christian faith. I believe that we all do fall under a shared, single morality system, one originating from a single omnipotent God. As Paul writes in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” With the person of Christ, all are reconciled and fall under equal justification in a way that seems even more logical and beautiful than cosmopolitanism can articulate. There is a lot of stigma associated with evangelical religions because the nature of proselytizing seems to indicate, “we’ll only love you if you become one of us.” I don’t see it that way at all; the whole message of Christ revolves around and love and unity, bringing all individuals unto the unfailing love of one God. Any fault in the approach is of the messengers and not the message.

Even in the apocalyptic prophecy of John in the Book of Revelation, we can find instances of international harmony. He writes, "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev 7:9-10). In the realm of Christian eschatology, in the end, all people will come together under a common cause, and that is the kind of end which I try to bring about in my daily interactions with people around me. Although I recognize the various differences in the people around me, their strengths as well as their shortcomings, I do not let that hinder the way I treat or try to love them. Where it counts, we are no different.

Regardless of whether you accept or adhere to another culture's beliefs, I think the real question is, "Can we all get along?"