I’ve always loved being with a group of people from different nations. People who look different, sound different, eat different foods, and seemingly have nothing in common with each other.
They have different backgrounds, different religions, different views on life, different habits…
In a word they are ‘different’ to each other and I love it!
On Ariana, our project sailboat, I have always tried to mix the crew so we don’t have people from one country, or groups who all think the same.
It has caused a lot of problems over the last five years, but I loveto see how people who are seemingly opposites come together in common purpose, the purpose of sailing Ariana and keeping all their fellow crew members safe.
We have had buddhists, muslims, sikhs, aetheists, and christians on board, but whilst we are sailing offshore, the conversations never touch on religion, they focus on the task at hand, and that task is greater than any belief system!
Let me explain…
In a storm, who cares what you believe? The boat and the crew are in danger, and the most important thing is to protect the boat and the crew! So what does it matter if you believe christians are infidels and muslims are evil terrorists!
The crew work together to keep the boat safe that is all!
Who cares who your god is?
Who cares what your beliefs on marriage are?
Who cares what your views on infidelity, or honour are?
The sea doesn’t care, that’s for sure!
I bought Ariana as a place of neutral cultural territory, and to take people offshore , where they could be individuals, where they could be free of their cultural conditioning, and discover that underneath nation, religion etc. we are all one!
Instead of sticking with your own ‘group’ how about branching out and introducing yourself to the big group – the rest of humanity. You’ll soon find that you have everything in common with them, they are, after all, not russian, british, pakistani, muslims, or christians, they are one part of the most intelligent species on earth – homo sapiens – you and me.
Try it.
