Making friends takes time, effort and thoughtfulness. Yet, all the people I have ever been lucky enough to meet have much in common. Let us start with respect for one another; it matters not what nationality, creed or religion. The other important part is education and the curiosity to learn. Life is learning about all these great gifts … gifts we were born with.”

1. “Borders are in our head.”
Christa Dowling
Meeting Christa Dowling
Christa Dowling christadowling.wordpress.com Cultural Communication Advisor

2. Christa Dowling christadowling.wordpress.com Cultural Communication Advisor

3. “Borders are in our head.”
Christa Dowling
Not too long ago, I had just arrived from abroad and wanted to spend some
time with Christa Dowling. We were sitting in a Café overlooking the Hudson
River; it was a cold but sunny day. The air was crystal clear and the waves were
bobbing up and down in the chilly wind. We were comfortable inside.
Christa had just remarked “borders are in our head.”
I asked her “what do you mean“?
“You travel much and see the world. In many ways we create our own reality yet
it seems through our advanced technology we are forced to reach out to the
world all the time, saying we have hundreds of friends, yet if we are fortunate
we might have five or six.”
“Yes, but this does not answer my question.”
“No it does not; I am just setting the stage. Defining my answer I would need to
go a bit further. Making friends takes time, effort and thoughtfulness. Yet, all the
people I have ever been lucky enough to meet have much in common. Let us
start with respect for one another; it matters not what nationality, creed or
religion. The other important part is education and the curiosity to learn. Life is
learning about all these great gifts … gifts we were born with.”
“You mean to say life is a patchwork…like a quilt.”
“Yes, indeed it is how we weave this patchwork of experience into a whole
picture. As life demands we need to be authentic, true to oneself…to make sense
of reality”
“What has influenced you to have come to this insight?”
Christa Dowling christadowling.wordpress.com Cultural Communication Advisor

4. “Oh, I do not mean to sound pretentious, just contemplative. One was the
encouragement by my parents…to learn…to know what you know…no one can
take it away. I have also been fortunate to have been exposed to some great
learned people. My assignments as a writer or editor-in-chief has given me the
chance to experience many parts of the world. These assignments in
Germany, Italy , Africa, Israel , Egypt or Brazil have always mirrored this
feeling of ‘there are no borders.”
“How do you see these experiences today?”
“In ways these many experiences have also helped to formulate a work ethics
which I am talking about today. My purpose is building bridges for a better
understanding between people…in art and commerce. For example it takes
funding to present
music or art, in any form. The thought is that art, in dance, in music enriches
people’s lives. Music has a language of its own …and no borders. “
“Tolerance would be part of this thinking?”
“Yes, very much so. It comes with the territory! I remember being in Gambia,
West Africa…and was watching people drumming their drums in a musical
discord to my ears. Small ones and very large ones…and all of a sudden their
drumming rhythm fell into a harmonious sound. It was as if the language they
used…from different parts of the African continent… had one sound of joy and
finding ways to speak in a common language of music. The language of human
need for love, shelter. It was very moving.”
“Now …I feel to understand your remark, your contemplation. Thank you for
sharing it.”
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Christa Dowling christadowling.wordpress.com Cultural Communication Advisor