mur-c-mi

Big Blue Marble

When I was kid there was this show on TV called the BIG BLUE MARBLE. Each episode featured a kid from another country. We would learn about their families, their schools, what they did for fun. Now days we have cool shows like GLOBE TREKKER with explorers armed with video cameras running around the world, but back then still in the throws of the cold war, this was quite an innovation (this was the 70’s – some of you readers may not have even been a “twinkle…”).


It seems like this show and others like “FREE TO BE YOU AND ME” might have sown seeds of the mindsets of today, namely the concepts of global village, diversity, religious tolerance and so forth. But that’s a whole other blog post. Anyway, in May I started a job at a law firm where I call Oahu, Hawaii to interview plaintiffs in a large lawsuit. All day long I chat with a bunch a great people regarding their work as Police officers and Firefighters on the Island. Most have some pretty interesting stories to tell. I’m learning a lot about the Islands. I’d love to spend time there.

I’ve learned that the mountains on the Island are 4000 feet high and down along the coast there are untouched jungles and rugged cliffs. I’ve learned the city of Honolulu and vicinity has more than a million people while other parts of the Island are very rural if inhabited at all. One guy told me he lives so close to one of the sets for the show “Lost” that some of their cables go right through his property.

After a few weeks into the job I searched the web for the history of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii became a state in the mid 1800’s. Of course the United States’ relationship with this small nation began with economics. The United States imported all kids of stuff including fish and whale products and sugar (sugar cane was actually introduced to the Islands by the Portugese). Basically, we decided we didn’t want to pay tariffs anymore. So we took it. The queen of Hawaii knew she was no match for the great US of A and peacefully let us make her Islands the 49th state. Imperialism at it finest. If you’re big enough you can take what you want and not pay for it. There’s actually a movement afoot to end the “illegal occupation” of the Hawaiian Islands by the United States.

Anyway back to my job, in much the same way these guys (and some gals) worked in a department that wanted work done and didn’t want to pay for it. So a startling amount of overtime worked has gone uncompensated My heart goes out to these loyal employees who just want to do a good job for their city, their department and for their co-workers. So many of their experiences clearly depict blatant mistreatment by the administration. It cost many of them their marriages. The common phrase they use is “it was for the ‘love’” meaning “we did it for the ‘love’ of the job”. They sure didn’t see much “love” come back to them - hence the Lawsuit.

The Islanders have such a different experience of life than me (Incidentally an Islander is not only someone from Polynesia (sp?), but Islanders are Phillippino, Indonesian and a first nation person of New Zealand). When they tell me that after the interview is over they’re heading out to go deep sea fishing, or surfing, or golfing (in the sun) I realize we really are worlds apart. But, then as I hear kids playing in the background or traffic go by as they drive talking on their cell phones I realize we are so different. This was the point of the show THE BIG BLUE MARBLE. We are all different yet the same, living on the same ball spinning through the universe. It causes me to reflect on the marvel of God’s creation. We all in our diversity are made in HIS image. We were created to worship and reflect HIS glory.

I started this blog about looking West a while, but ironically I'm finishing it as I’m literally flying East. Most of you know I’m heading to yet the UK to meet new wonderful people who are different from me, yet the same. Ah, one of the other Longitudes for which I pine. I go East as a representative of Portland, a wonderful part of the globe where the Lord WILL have His glory be known. So many longitudes so little time. Ah, to have nine lives.

posted by kt @ 6/07/2005 11:25:00 PM