Our culture of care and love

Dear Editor,

Re: Countering lies with the truth

“The Samoan culture is misrepresented, misconstrued and misunderstood in so many ways. One of the ways where this has been happening for years is through the  notion that the abuse of women and children is part of the fa’asamoa.”

I truly admired and appreciated the great effort by our Editor to correct the misrepresentation of our culture, and rightly so. But the mere fact that this has come with a plea for our people to change our attitude, mindset and the cycle of viciousness means the perceptions about our culture has become a reality. 

As the Editor put it, “unless such attitudes and mindsets, which have developed into solid strongholds over the years are changed” means it has developed into a culture of its own. Sad to say.

“The question is how do we do that? How do we rediscover ourselves?” “The truth is Samoan men have an unspoken covenant to protect women, their children and their families.” If the court called slapping a woman, it’s at a lower end of seriousness. Then unless God in his divine nature intervenes, I’m not so sure if we could change this on our own. The breakdown of villages, councils no longer rule, the breakdown of families, parents no longer teach and discipline their children. The application of human rights and the child’s rights has removed parental authorities. 

The interference of government into families and villages affairs, just overwrote any hope of corrections to be made plus the unruly behaviour of the youth,  this creates an atmosphere of explosion that can go off any given time.

Men who hit women were considered cowards in our culture. but sadly most men are cowards and are not ashamed of that label because there is no more moral agent to guide them, no wisdom to know how to feel ashamed at such an ugly label of a coward.

If we only have the wisdom to listen and respect our elders instead of thinking that their ideas are ancient and not fit for today. 

Not knowing there isn’t a new thing under the sun. 

We have the materials to make technology work, but our elders had the knowledge but not the materials to bring it to life. We haven’t yet built a building that reaches heaven with our technology.

 The tower of Babel did reach heaven built with the technology of the heart. If we listen to our elders and put our hearts together, we can restore our Samoanness with the technology of the heart. And our culture, love and care for our women and children will once again come to life.

Galufatuo’o Tautuailevao

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