Page 216 - A People Called Afrika

A PEOPLE CALLED AFRIKA

Concerning compassion, scriptures paint several pictures of Je-
sus as He related to the multitudes of people that thronged Him
each day. He interacted with them with compassion and abso-
lute mindfulness of their pains, weaknesses and circumstances.
His mindful attitude towards them created compassion within
Him and always birthed healing and miracles among the peo-
ple. Yes, healing does happen when we are mindful of others.

Every nation on the earth has a culture and way of life that
sets them apart from others. These are the unique behav-
ioral patterns that reveal the true heart of the people and
what they believe and stand for. Some of these behavior-
al patterns were passed down from generations of those
who lived in that manner, and some were created afresh.
One such nation is Japan. The Japanese people are wide-
ly known for their art of mindfulness. Mindfulness, for the
Japanese, is not just something they adopt along the way, it
is what inculcated into them from childhood and that which
they are compelled to reciprocate by what they see others do.

For those people who may not know what mindfulness, or its
absence, looks like in real life, see the examples below:

Suppose you are getting late for work and you are rushing to
catch the peak hour bus or train. As soon as the bus door
opens, you are likely to run inside to grab a seat for your-
self (or even to find a place to stand) without actually wait-
ing for people to get off first. Even though you know you are
being downright offensive (to others), you nevertheless do it,
because of the fear of getting another nasty “late for work”
email from your boss, or because you really do not care
about who is hurt or not, as long as you have your own way.

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