An Interesting Encounter About Haillie Selassie
At the Car Rental desk in Phoenix I asked a man about his unusual name. It was Haillie. "Where are you from?” I asked. "Africa" he replied. I chuckled, and inquired for a more specific answer. He laughed, in turn, and said "most people are satisfied with my answer. They think Africa is just one country." Then he told me he was from Ethiopia. "Oh" I said "Haillie, like Haillie Selassie". I was shocked that my brain came up with that so quickly. He seemed pleasantly surprised that I knew that name, and asked how it happened. I explained that I studied theology and Haillie Selassie, Christian leader of the Coptic Church, and the Emperor of Ethiopia, was supposedly in the line of the Queen of Sheba, one of King Solomon's wives. He nodded in agreement.
Then I said: "We have heard the legend that the Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia." He quickly rebutted my remark. He said, "it isn't a legend. It is there. Some day I intend to go and see it." Suddenly I was at a whole new place and I apologized for my word "legend". That was a three minute educational event. Something I had fixed in stone was suddenly modified. Now I'm open to the possibility of what he believes.
At the Car Rental desk in Phoenix I asked a man about his unusual name. It was Haillie. "Where are you from?” I asked. "Africa" he replied. I chuckled, and inquired for a more specific answer. He laughed, in turn, and said "most people are satisfied with my answer. They think Africa is just one country." Then he told me he was from Ethiopia. "Oh" I said "Haillie, like Haillie Selassie". I was shocked that my brain came up with that so quickly. He seemed pleasantly surprised that I knew that name, and asked how it happened. I explained that I studied theology and Haillie Selassie, Christian leader of the Coptic Church, and the Emperor of Ethiopia, was supposedly in the line of the Queen of Sheba, one of King Solomon's wives. He nodded in agreement.
Then I said: "We have heard the legend that the Ark of the Covenant is in Ethiopia." He quickly rebutted my remark. He said, "it isn't a legend. It is there. Some day I intend to go and see it." Suddenly I was at a whole new place and I apologized for my word "legend". That was a three minute educational event. Something I had fixed in stone was suddenly modified. Now I'm open to the possibility of what he believes.
No comments:
Post a Comment