Pulchritude is Merely Epidermal” and other famous Sayings
We use them all the time, little English phrases or parables like the one used in the title, dropped causally into everyday conversations to make a point or to indirectly communicate an idea we don’t dare directly state. One of the phrases which has been useful for life here in Taiwan has been “tenets of transparent abodes should abstain from hurling granite fragments.” If right now you have the same look my third grade class has when I ask them “how old are you” don’t worry. I didn’t make up some new proverb, you just probably know this saying as “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
It takes a little while to use to living in a glasses house, after all as an American I have a RIGHT TO PRIVACY. A hard lesson to learn is that my right to privacy ended at the cross. From children who are fascinated by endlessly touching my arm hair, to school leaders who make the investigation of my love life (or lack their of) the topic of meetings, privacy is something which I had to leave in LA.
Why I am writing about this after being in this county for more than eight months? Because like the title says beauty is only skin deep, so after all the press conferences and people telling you your nose is beautiful, you have to get down to the work loving the people, and it is easy to say you love them, but your life has backs up what you say, they see straight into our little glass lives.
Join with us in praying that as we would live up to the high standard of excellence that the Taiwanese have for us, and if you are about to hurl a granite fragment, remember I am not the only person who lives in a glass house.
Ben Jacob
