“Where are you from?”
It is a question with many meanings. The meanings vary by the one asking as well as the one answering. Depending on the context, I answer the question differently. It is not that I am trying to deceive or mislead. I am proud of where I am from. I know my origins have shaped me in more ways than I imagined. My answer varies with the audience and how I imagine them using my answer.
My identity, and how I self-identify, is shaped by the time of life when I began to see myself as an individual who made his own decisions. In hindsight, this time in my life could have been earlier. Considering my maturity (or lack of), the timing could also have easily been several years later. Where I am from, is Bangalore India. More precisely, it is D Costa Layout in Cooke Town.
I woke today thinking of friends from that era, defining moments of my life, and the links to who I am today. Central to this awareness are friends linked to the earlier generation of the High Gates Hotel. It was with them that I began to understand the experiences that emerge with unconditional acceptance, belonging, and community. As I look towards today, life reminds me of the following.
I am from a place of hope. While there was so much that we did not have, we had the essentials for real living. “I grew up with them. They had everything going for them – family, glory, covenants, revelation, worship, [and] promises.” (Romans 9.4). Their values and Divine views gifted me with insights that I still carry. Their relationships showed me the meaning of fidelity. I learned that I could always trust their word.
I came from a place of work. Most results came from individual labour working in harmony with others. From food to creative car designs, from home remodelling to making kayaks, everything started with raw materials, human creativity, and the willingness to bring the efforts together.
Today is the next generation of my origins.
