A couple of Samoa church bells - hit with a steel
I stumbled upon a great comparison of the Western culture vs the Samoan culture while “working” today . . .
| WESTERN CULTURE | SAMOAN CULTURE |
| 1. The individual is central | Family and community are central |
| 2. Respect is a right | Respect is earned |
| 3. Speed and efficiency | Relaxed and methodical |
| 4. Wealth = money and possessions | Wealth = Family, friends, food and shelter |
| 5. The squeaky wheel gets the grease | Only respectful requests earn an audience |
| 6. Leadership is grasped through authority | Leadership is earned through service to others |
| 7. Adulthood is a legal status granted based on age | Adulthood is a social status earned through demonstrated contribution and responsibility |
| 8. Complexity and busy multitasking | Simplicity |
| 9. Children and adults interact as peers | Respect is given to elders and those with more experience |
| 10. Fast, restaurant food | Slow, home-made food |
| 11. Blood is thicker than water | Everyone who comes here is embraced as family unconditionally |
| 12. Learning by experimentation | Learning by tradition and custom |
| 13. A focus on material things | A focus on people |
| 14. Youth-driven culture | Love, respect and care for the elderly |
| 15. Independent or top-down decision making | Consensus based decision making |
| 16. Objectification of women | Respect for mothers, sisters and women generally |
H/T CRA: http://bit.ly/nvtQFk
Well written and surprisingly looks like an original list and not copied from another website as far as I can see. Congrats to C.R.A.
My comments:
The list is almost 100% accurate – theoretically – but I think there is a major disconnect though between the theory and reality. What I mean by this is that the traditional and “godly” attributes in the RHS above are under constant threat, usually from within.
For example, respect (2) is earned seems great until you meet a High Chief who lords it over their people who respect him because he is High Chief, out of fear and not of love. A not-too-subtle difference. Jesus was hated by many but earned respect in the long term by giving sacrificially in the short term. It is rare to find someone in power in Samoa who does not use it, especially when that power is threatened.
In village conflict, village bans are often all about retribution for shame, rather than exercising true biblical correction, godliness or personal responsibility, and while consensus-based decision-making (15) sounds “cool”, if there is mob rule or vindictiveness (Samoans can get very personal) then the ultimate responsibility for any injustice is difficult to attribute. I note here that it’s not that Samoan values are better and Palagi independence is worse, it is a difference. My own thoughts are that it is wrong/ungodly when consensus protects the status quo at the expense of truth or biblical leadership. Again, the consensus about Christ was that He was a common criminal, but the early church leaders moved in unity. Likewise, Peter’s strong independence caused Jesus to call him the devil, but Saul’s independence of thought and leadership brought some of the most valuable words written outside of the Master’s! There is a time and place for each.
I disagree with her assessment of leadership (6). The Samoan community is ALL about position. Nobody will do anything until the “big man” says. The politics of Samoan society would keep a blogger buried for decades! Leadership in all forms in Samoa – church, state and village is very much created by, and maintained by authority.
There are flip sides to most of these lists as well. While the West really needs to learn service to and respect for the elderly (14) when taken to the Samoan extreme it hurts and in my eyes is unbiblical. Total obedience to an elder who does not have one’s best interest at heart is servitude, not service. The bible exhorts children to obey their parents and adults to honour them. Samoan theology extends this just a little to demand obedience, claiming that this is godliness, to the grave and beyond, hence I have had to counsel grown men here that they were actually free to make their own choices in the power of the Holy Spirit, even if that ran counter to their deceased parent’s wishes or examples. It’s a hard word when Jesus said that His followers would find themselves pitted against their own family, and a very unpopular one in Samoa. Again a balance, wisdom and sensitivity is required.
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