Identity

While here in Iceland I've been thinking  about the idea of national identity. As we've been visiting with different people and in seeing different  places, we've experienced a few things that really seem to contribute to a sense of national identity for Icelanders.

As a couple of my fellow travellers have mentioned while at Skaholt, we experienced an evening of fellowship with several pastors of the national church. This evening was
entitled Holy Chaos or Divine Disorder. It was a good time all around, but what really intrigued me was the group singing. Once one pastor started singing a song, others would immediately join in. There were folk songs and hymns, etc. It was wonderful to listen to and see the way it connected them.When we asked them about this, they said it is not uncommon for groups of Icelanders to gather and spend time doing similar. When they asked us what songs we all had in common as a group and just as people from the USA, we just stared at one another trying to think of just one. It was actually the Icelanders who ended up suggesting songs we all knew such as Amazing Grace. While all of us in our group know that song, I would not be surprised if there where several US citizens who don't know the words and wouldn't be able to just join in.

Also as we've been visiting different churches and just talking with different people about the national church and Icelandic identity, we have heard over and over how it is very difficult if not impossible to seperate one from the other. Though the church and the state are independent, they are still tied together. The state collects member fees for the church and the church is a vital part of disaster response along with the authorities and others right from the beginning.

These aspects of national identity are rather surprising to me having grown up in the United States. While I definitely  consider myself as a person from the United States of America, someone from Florida can possibly share no sense of identity with me apart from paying taxes to the same government. I coming from Montana have a different idea of the things that connect me than someone from a different state. We've even seen this within our group as we've discussed different things about growing up, living in, and being from our respective states.

I believe some of this has to do with the wide variety of different ethinic backgrounds that make up most citizens of the US. I identify with my Scandinavian ancestors where a friend of mine identifies with her Irish background. Of course we wouldn't be familiar with similar folk songs and we grew up with different religious backgrounds. Of course we do share identity markers since both of us grew up in Montana, but it makes sense that on a national scale it is hard to find common aspects of cultural identity.

In the end, regardless of specific national identity or reigional identity, we all share one common identity that matters more. This being all being children of God. Still, it is interesting to see how this differs here in Iceland as opposed to the US.

God of all, Thank you for the people we have had the opportunity to meet and learn from. Continue to open our eyes so that we may learn from our brothers and sisters here in Iceland. Amen