Читать книгу Dr Eve's Sex Book: A Guide for Young People - Marlene Wasserman - Страница 14

Most people are born into a religion and a culture; it just comes with the territory. There are so many religions, like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. and there is variety in each one.

Let your religious beliefs become a positive place of belonging and acceptance for yourself, while tolerating the differences of others.

In South Africa cultures abound. Furthermore, eleven official languages with their own derivatives make South Africa a country of many diverse and fascinating bricks. What an incredible opportunity for a young person living in this country to learn about differences in people and lifestyles. Unfortunately this very diversity lends itself to us also learning about and experiencing prejudice, wrong judgements and intolerance – not great building bricks to self-esteem. If you are in a school, neighbourhood or community in which you and your family are the minority, you may indeed experience violence and discrimination. Feeling different in your own space can be harmful. However, it also allows you the opportunity of growing stronger, and full of conviction of who you are, thus building a really strong sense of self-esteem and confidence.

Religious and cultural identity becomes a brick that can add positively to your self-esteem, because it places you in a group. Each family practises its religious and cultural beliefs differently. Some families are dogmatic and very fundamental, which may mean that you are sent to a religious school and seldom have contact with people of other cultures and religions. Other families enact their traditional beliefs in a casual way. As a young person you may embrace your culture and religious beliefs without question, but remember: teenagers experiment, explore and get excited. You may suddenly really love the idea of becoming Muslim, devastating your Christian family. Or you fall in love with someone of a different faith or culture. Now there’s a stretch for the whole family!

Make your religious and cultural bricks work for you. Learn enough about it to withstand teasing, mocking, and even violence. If you have a low self-esteem, building a strong brick here will be useful to you. I do not specifically mean becoming religious, I mean establishing your own unique identity. Whatever your do – embracing your present traditional beliefs or creating a new one – let it become a positive place of belonging and acceptance for yourself, while tolerating the differences of others, even those of your family.