Lila the fox had never left her forest home. One day, she traveled to Zariya, a bustling town full of bright colors, strange smells, and animals she had never met.
At first, everything felt confusing. The rabbits bowed when they greeted elders, the birds shared food before talking, and the squirrels waited patiently in lines for the bakery. Lila didn’t know the rules and worried she might make mistakes.
The first day at the market, Lila reached for a basket of shiny berries—but the vendor held it back. Lila froze. Then the wise old owl nearby whispered, “Here, you ask first, then take. That’s how respect is shown.” Lila nodded and tried again. This time, she asked politely and smiled. The vendor’s eyes twinkled, and she received the berries with a kind nod.
Each day, Lila watched carefully. She learned to greet politely, to wait her turn, and even to offer tea before chatting with strangers. She didn’t get everything right at first, but her efforts showed that she cared. Slowly, the animals of Zariya welcomed her as one of their own.
By the time Lila returned to her forest, she carried more than souvenirs—she carried understanding, respect, and new friendships that stretched across worlds…
This fable reminds me that I need to take a deep breath when entering a new culture or context, whether it’s just down the street or across the world. At first, it can be difficult to find your bearings when the surroundings and customs feel unfamiliar—especially if you add the challenge of a language you do not speak.
In situations such as this it’s easy to feel out of control. This unfortunately can evoke rash judgment on everything and everyone that is not your normal reality. Why do they act like that? Why do they eat that? Why do they talk like that? It’s all so odd and disconcerting…to you.
“The greatest proof of humility is not in renouncing one’s own culture, but in being willing to enter into the culture of another.” T.S. Elliot. And Nelson Mandela reminds us, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
The reality is that entering into new cultures and contexts requires humility and respect. It calls us to put on new lenses, seeing the world not as we are used to, but with openness and possibility. It means adopting a posture of listening and learning—one that often leads, at the very least, to appreciation, but quite possibly to an entirely new world of connections and relationships.
Theologian Thomas Merton reminds us: “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy.” Augustine put it more playfully: “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” — Matthew 25:35
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