Blue Skies in Jakarta this morning…

and that is a rare treat indeed. Yesterday’s rain has kept the pollution down and, while there are forecasts for thunderstorms later, it is quite lovely outside right now. This morning the participants are learning about personal security and contingency here in Indonesia. Its interesting to hear their ideas and feelings about security. I learned about situational awareness back in my student pilot days, and so I tend to take it for granted. However, some of our group seem to struggle with this. They are learning about managing risk, strategies and such. I find it interesting though that this is primarily a Western or maybe merely American concern. Not that we do not have the responsibility to be stewards of ourselves and the things we have, just that there is too much of a concern for this. And while we need to do what we can to blend in, to fit in and be as unobtrusive as possible… some of this, at least it seems to me, can lead to paranoia or unnecessary nervousness. And not that I am an expert, but it seems to me that we should do our best to think and act like Indonesians. And so we would think differently about security. Further, it seems that our trust in God should eclipse our desire for safety and security. Not that we would take unnecessary risks. But that we would focus on the relational, the organic, the communal. And not the personal. At least not ourselves.