In 1558, a young French Protestant fled a failing colony in Brazil and found himself living among the Tupinamb people. Jean de Lry did something almost no European of his time attempted: he listened. He transcribed their songs, learned their language, and recognized their full humanity. Centuries before the term existed, he practiced cultural humility as a spiritual discipline. His insight---that encountering the radically different reveals truth about ourselves---was prophetic. He glimpsed the oneness of humanity before it became our lived reality. Today, as we navigate a globalized world that demands respect across difference, Lry's sixteenth-century wisdom offers a path forward: the stranger as teacher, dignity as universal, and listening as sacred practice.
Transcript available at: https://harmonia.email/podcast-episode/jean-de-lery
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