Serving with Eyes Wide Open by David A. Livermore

Author:David A. Livermore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL045000, Short-term missions, Cultural intelligence
ISBN: 9781441241139
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group

The K.I.S.S. Principle

North American Christians have often embraced the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle for many purposes. K.I.S.S. is a familiar mantra in short-term missions too, whether it’s the importance of simplicity in planning our itinerary, our testimony, or our plans for follow-up. “Keep it simple,” we’re told.

There is a place for the K.I.S.S. principle. I spend a great deal of time in university settings, where we often make things unnecessarily complicated. Overcomplexity can paralyze us and keep us from getting anywhere. But many times K.I.S.S. becomes a hindrance to cultural intelligence. If we overemphasize the K.I.S.S. principle and never ask the deeper questions, we’re at risk of missing some core issues, particularly in cross-cultural work. We’ll keep it simple but remain stupid.

We already looked at how easily we inaccurately interpret familiar behaviors. Short-termers assume smiling, nodding, and silence mean the same things for all people. Likewise, the way we too quickly apply the behavior of one person to everyone in a culture is another demonstration of the K.I.S.S. principle negatively at work.

I first became aware of the prevalence of the K.I.S.S. principle in short-term work when I began asking short-term participants what they observed about the new context they visited. When I asked, “What’s the number one thing that stands out in your mind from what you experienced in this new cultural context?” I most often heard these kinds of responses, from both adults and youth:

“People were driving on the wrong side of the road. That was the first thing I noticed, as well as the foreign language of course, and having to figure out their money.”

“I always notice the children most. I never get used to seeing these young kids have to beg for food. It’s so unfair that kids have to grow up there.”

“It’s not as modern as things here. They don’t have jetways at the airports, and they aren’t very organized.”

“The buildings and cars are different. . . . They don’t have standards for that kind of stuff like we do.”

“The poverty is what I notice the most. It’s hard to believe people live in conditions like that. And they have chain-link fences everywhere.”

“I just notice how happy everyone is. They have so little but they’re so happy.”

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