In 1774 the Virgina Colony invited six Indian nations (The Iroquois Confederacy) to send six of their young braves to be educated at Williamsburg Collge. This was the reply from The Six Indian Nations:
We thank you heartily. But you, who are wise, must know that different Nations have different Conceptions of things; and you will therefore not take it amiss, if our Ideas of Education happen not to be the same with yours. We have had some Experience with it. Several of our Young People were formerly brought up at your Colleges; there were instructed in all your Sciences; but, when they came back to us, they were bad Runners, ignorant of every means of living in the Woods, unable to bear either Cold or Hunger, knew neither how to build a Cabin or take a Deer, or kill an Enemy, spoke our Language imperfectly, were therefore neither fit for Hunters, Warriors, nor Counsellors, they were totally good for nothing. We are, however, not the less obliged by your kind Offer, tho' we decline accepting it; and, to show our grateful Sense of it, if the Gentlemen of Virginia will send us a Dozen of their Sons, we will take care of their Education; instruct them in all we know, and make Men of them.
~The Six Indian Nations
The lesson here is to ask ourselves where in our lives are we assuming we know best, and that our way is right for everyone. Have we forgotten to recognize that different people have different needs in different situations? How does this apply to you?
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