Learning how to be human in Asia

You would think that you and me, we’re human, no?

Mother and daughter outside their yurt in Central Asia with a bowl of kumis, fermented mares milk (Pioneers.org)

A recent conversation with a friend on the other side of the planet went into a curious rabbit hole: “people” vs. “human”.

The concept is related to modernity, otherwise known as Western civilisation. It is marked by separation:

• Separation of cultures, stories, beliefs
• Separation of nations, narratives, politics
• Separation of communities, workers, students
• Separation of services, functions, roles
• Separation of families, friends, others
• Separation of children, parents, teachers
• Separation of self: work, home, peers
• Separation of inner self: mind, body, spirit

Bukharan Jews of Central Asia (Geni.com)

Here in Asia, we thankfully exist in a pluriverse: a world where many worlds fit. Western civilisation is a One World world, where one worldview dominates and overtakes.

The person is disconnected. They exist only in disconnect, identifying themselves by a series of separations. The person is out of touch, seeing themselves in the way that…