Why
The empAθos way of life is set in gentleness. As we are few, and Non-empAθos People are so very many; as we are so lacking in violence, and Non-empAθos People are so reliant upon violence; as we are so very different from our Non-empAθos ancestors and our Non-empAθos contemporaries, we feel the need to relate our uniqueness as a measure to preserve who we are.
Our culture is limited to and shared by a very few individuals. We are surrounded by cultures that are populated by billions of people, almost all of whom are ignorant of our way of life, and who count their own way of life as being the only one that should be adopted by all the people in all of creation. But, we believe that all life is part of a chorus that should be singing in harmonies and mixtures of tonalities and colours and vibrancies that move in a contrapuntal symphony, and give balance and support to each other, rather than trying to aggressively drown each other out. If only one culture were to be adopted by all of creation, then we would have a monotone, empty and flat, and devoid of life, and devoid of the dynamics of creativity and growth.
We are a culture of only a few, but a culture of only one, is no less valid than a culture of billions. We empAθos learn from our neighbors, from their successes and their mistakes, just as much as we learn from our own. We share in these pages our reasonings and our discoveries, so others can learn from us as easily as we are learning from all the other cultures that we are privileged to observe. This is, however, not an invitation for intrusion. We remain protective of our small place in the cultural chorus, and because we are so small, we are well aware of the tyranny that the majority cultures can foment upon such a small band as we. Our view is one of non-interference in the cultures of others. We expect the same respect.
We have seen a great maturation of culture on this American continent, starting with indigenous People fighting each other for primacy and survival on the land, who were suddenly faced with strange people from across the Atlantic, first come to trade, then come to colonize. Then, those Europeans from across the Atlantic, who could not get along with the Europeans on the other side of the Atlantic, fought to free themselves from that trans-Atlantic governance, and then turned to conquer their indigenous neighbors, and enslave another population from the African continent. They characterized themselves as "the land of the free", and others fleeing oppression came to seek that freedom only to learn that it often was not as advertised. But, a great mixture of populations and cultures began to emerge, Indigenous People, Europeans of every sort, Africans, Asians, Jews, Muslims, Oceanic People, Indigenous Australians, and people from almost every culture, all of them came to America, each with their own culture and their own point of view. Here they would fight with each other for respect and acceptance, and here each would learn from each other, or learn to hate each other, or learn to delight in each other.
We live in a time when People are no longer accepting the foolery of failing to see who their neighbors really are. We are in a time when People learning that concepts that were forced upon them to separate them from each other are being shown to be falsehoods, and that they all have much to share in culture and tradition. As empAθos people we have been protective of ourselves against the tide of human hatred and bigotry. We tentatively venture out into the sight of Non-empAθos People with these pages to share our culture, in small, easy to digest bits, so Non-empAθos People may learn to understand our differences and delight in them, while seeing our similarities and embracing them. Ten years ago, this might not have been possible, but the new Gregorian Millennium may see this extraordinary opportunity become a warm and welcome age of respect, and acceptance. This is our hope as empAθos people. At least, we can hope for the best in this.
|
