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The Veritas Forum Vol. 2


ANTHROPOLOGY: THE STUDY OF MAN, HIS ORIGINS, HIS BEHAVIOR
By: AGT "Ka Jeng" for short

A few months back I wrote an article on ARCHEOLOGY-- because in a
way we are all "archeologists" as we travel back in time digging our past
and reminiscing the good old days of our youth. Today, as we progressed in
our diggings, I cannot help but think that we can become anthropologists,
too, in the process, like it or not.

Anthropology as Webster defines it is a science dealing with the
study of man and his origins. In the book "DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF", the
author Richard Carlson defines anthropology as "being interested, without
judgement, in the way other people choose to live and behave". "This
strategy", he wrote, "is geared toward developing compassion and patience.
Beyond that, however, being truly interested in the way other people act is
a way of replacing judgments with loving-kindness. When you are genuinely
curious about the way someone reacts or the way they feel about something,
it's unlikely that you will also be annoyed. In this way, becoming an
anthropologist is a way of becoming less frustrated by the actions of
others. More understanding of their actions instead of merely being tolerant."

Indeed, when someone acts in a way that is strange to
you--especially if you have known the person from way back when--rather than
saying, 'what happened? or how can he/she do or say that?', etc., it's best
to say, 'I see, so that must be the way he/she sees things in his/her world
today. Very interesting!'

Becoming an anthropologist while being an archeologist at the same
time, helps us become genuinely interested in other people's perspective and
helps us avoid the pitfall of judging. In this way, too, we learn to
understand our separate realities--the vast differences among peoples and
cultures. Espousing this principle of separate realities helps change lives,
eliminate quarrels and misunderstanding, elevate our compassion for others
and further helps us appreciate our individual uniqueness.

As part of this wonderful group, I thought I should share this great
thought for its relevance...We are over with our 'hellos' (although there
will definitely be occasional ones), and now, we move on to 'how has life
been'. Currently engaged in sharing letters, photos and video, occasional
face-to-face encounters, the group heaves and sighs and breathes, and stirs
according to its own choosing...but whatever, let it be a wonderful journey
of knowing each other once again.

Thank you for your indulgence!