College 3. Azn Culture in College Campus

A few years back, before I went off to college, my Godfather Marvin said to me, "Now son, don't you get stuck in the [AZN-ness] culture." I knew what he meant and it took some time to figure out what is the alternative. For me, it is even stranger, because I immigrated to this Country when I was in middle school, and I had much memory of my youth in Taiwan as I was growing up: the customs, culture, and practices sticks with me. What does Marvin meant then, of all this AZN-ness culture?

Well, I knew what he meant, but I could not quite put words to it until I've been at college for a few years living farther away from my culturally close-knit family and friends. For once, I was able to live just as me, living as a Catholic Christian in a diverse campus at UT. And I made a decision to stay away from the all too familiar "culture organizations" such as TISA, TASA, CSA, AACM, or the like. Why? I am Chinese, so why do I not belong to such organizations? Why do I not try to find my roots and get to know those of my origin? And to add to this further, there was often talks about "diversity" or recognizing "diversity" on campus and how there should be more awareness and what not. But in truth, all of these attempts are simply trying to point out the difference and make the contrast of difference that much more tensioned.

In these above organizations, and surrounding, people either have a feeling of comfort in knowing their superiority or have the flame to fight for injustices due to unfair treatments (and sometimes even for unbalanced treatments). And it is all to popular to see on facebook or casual conversation of people's stereotype relating to the AZN culture. They're smart, hardworking, innovative, etc., etc. But some things that people did not say: they're inclusive, always speaking their own languages and leaving others out, or they have such pride that it becomes difficult to exist with them together and not being the "white man" or other forms of odd one out. And to point out of the diversity, further antagonizes the situation. In instances, people within the group promotes this sort of "we should have our own [insert stuff]", and thus arriving to a separate but equal proposition, much to the contrary goal of "ethnic diversity" or "diversity awareness" in trying to integrate a large campus of diverse populous.

There is a second point that I wish to discuss of this issue, in relation to my Catholic faith. A very key and important aspect of the Church is that it is Catholic, or universal, in that it possesses the fullness of truth and that in many aspects of its Mystical Body such truth is encompassed. And to be separate into different branches of interests and even ethnic segments thinking that each segment have the full truth contradicts that spirit. We have to work together -- not separately on our own -- there is not a different Heaven for Asians than the Caucasians, nor the African Americans, nor the Hispanics, nor whatever division that separates people. At this point though, I must point out, however different my philosophy may be, or however crude and un-politically-correct it is, I do not intend to harm or charge the situation. My goal of writing this article, is to treatise and obtain for me the principle reason why I do not participate in the whole AZN-ness culture, and as part of my larger discussion in trying to define "Chinese Catholic in America".

And I understood a little bit of what alternative I should have of this AZN culture. I shall expound on this later.

TMH