Race. Culture. Envy

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Of my dad’s grandparents, two were born in Croatia, one in Greece, and one in an orphanage in Canada.
My mom’s ancestors have been in this country since before the Revolution, so I’m super-mixed but all-European (and DAR) on her side.
My Catholic elementary school was super-multiracial and nobody really cared one way or the other (except the staff made a big deal about it).

So… one of my (Mexican) friends invited me to her church’s Fiesta. A black friend had her parents speak for Black History Month. A Phillipino family had parents who spoke Tagalog. An article in the local paper celebrated a full-blooded Native American. A friend won a scholarship for being Irish.

And I envy all that.

All of it.

I envy that I’m just boring white with no culture, whereas these people have some background to be proud of.

And in one of my more emotive times I made a list of what I think makes America great. Melting pot stuff. Mixing and blending cultures. Things like Taco Bell (which isn’t very Mexican) and Chef Boyarde (which isn’t very Italian). An Irish pub we went to in Atlanta served O’Quesadillas. I’ve had Mexican Pizza before.

I saw on the back of a cereal box (amazing what you can learn from those!) that there’s a Greek custom to crack Easter eggs against someone else’s and try to break theirs but not yours. My (half-Greek) grandpa does this every year. I almost cried when I read it. Cracking Easter eggs is the only tie to any culture I have.

I guess the grass is always greener… but am I the only one who envies culture and heritage? Am I wrong to do this?

Please… don’t take me for racist. I have enough friends of other races that if I were racist I’d be a loner.
 
**When we compare our insides to other people’s outsides, we get in trouble. **

That you see no heritage, is your blindness. You have family that have overcome being in an orphanage, pverrcome coming from a country with many wars and racial strife – still.

What there is to be proud of (within proper bounds of humility) is within you – you just have to look or take action.

I have adopted special needs kids and work hard to be good mom, wife, neighbor, friend, and Catholic. These are my claims to self-esteem. That and a Savior who loves me (amd you) so incredibly much that He redeemed my sinful soul.
 
It is better to be known for your talents and gifts, personality, and virtue. Be thankful that you do not have to cope with prejudice and culturally-based stereotypes. Be thankful you are being raised in an environment where cultural diversity is appreciated. Now, build on yur own personal attributes. There is more to life than carrying around a label black, Hispanic, Indian, Fillipino. Everyone is unique.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many members, yet one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 24whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, 25that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 26If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.
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Try being my Spanish/Irish Children (they are exactly 50-50) trying to prove they are Irish on St.Paddy’s Day with a Spanish surname, dark hair and dark eyes!!!😃 One actually got in trouble for lying.:whacky:
 
Why don’t you do research on the customs and cultures of all of the nationalities that you know are in your family that make up your unique heritage?

Maybe there are those of us who have a single heritage who are jealous of those like you who can celebrate many more things than we can…:ehh: .

The key is to embrace what you have and not wish for what you don’t. We would all be happier if we did that.

Malia
 
Hello??!!Of course you have a culture! Look around you. do you not live in a culture? Wake up call. Your culture, your life, your families own little traditions are just as real and valid as any that have gone before. Embrace them. Don’t get lost in the mythical idea of the “good old days”, Today is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad!

And if you feel your family doesn’t have any traditions (but please, take a good look before you declare this, it is often a case of not seeing the tree for the forest) start some of your own!

You don’t need to envy what they have, if you will open your eyes to what you have. You have culture too! You also have the wonderful opportunity to be able to learn about and share some of thier culture through your friends.

A tradition does not have to be 500yrs old to be worthy. My family has traditions we started with our own kids (my oldest is 18) that have become very dear to us, and to our friends.

I hope you can see how rich your life is. Judge it on its own merit, it doesn’t need to parallel any one elses.

best to you,

cheddar
 
every family has culture and traditions, but every member may not be aware of them or have experienced their expression. do some research, starting with geneology a terrific hobby, but as all-absorbing as the forums so we may not hear from you much any more.

my ancestry is English and German, so I have all of Western Civilization as my cultural heritage, not too shabby and nothing to apologize for (although there are some individual Englishmen and Germans we are not too proud of) but ah, it’s a good time to be German - Bavarian too, where my dad’s maternal ancestors are from – and also Benedictine. God is Good, all the time.
 
Sweetie, I am almost as mixed up as you culturally. My poor children have no less in their backgrounds than (are you ready): Italian, Sicilian (NOT the same as Italian to Sicilians), Irish, German, Austrian, English, Czech, Polish, French, a smidgen of what the family always termed “Moor”, and Oklahoma Cherokee (not enough for any scholarships or grants). My cousins get to include Armenian (where they also have Easter egg contests as you describe).

All those are a lot of different cultures!!! Whatever you are, you are a part of it. BE PROUD!!! Think of it as being actually more interesting- you are not one culture, but many. You are American, where such muilti-culturalism is appreciated.

But most of all- YOU are a child of God!!! And His culture is certainly the best there is.:angel1:
 
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