“Selfishness” in N.Z.

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32849, 24 February 1972, Page 6

“Selfishness” in N.Z.

New Zealand, like a lot of Western countries, has an atmosphere of selfishness—the real effects of which New Zealanders have not yet seen, says Miss Eskefien de Ridder, of the European Christian Mission, who has been working in Christchurch. The selfishness and indifference was reflected in the attitudes of many of the people Miss de Ridder met while working at Christchurch’s Open Door. “They all had in common a general feeling of loneliness, meaninglessness and indifference towards society,” she said yesterday. In her six months at the Open Door, the problems Miss de Ridder encountered varied a great deal. However, she found the persons who came to the Open Door had several common denominators.

“Most of them have had an unhappy background. I think there were only about two people I met there who described their backgrounds as reasonably happy,” she said, adding that the feeling of “meaninglessness” also was common.

“You have to be a Christian to do this sort of work. A non-Christian can offet social improvement and all kinds of help, but only through God can these people find some sort of meaning to life.” However, the Open Doot was not a salvation post preaching scriptures to al) who step inside, she said. In describing her job. Miss de Ridder explained that she was “just there.”

“I just sit like a hotel receptionist or a mother. The people talk to me if they want to, or play games like scrabble with me. We only talk about religion if the person brings the subject up.” It was much easier to “relate” to a person with problems in an environment such as the Open Door, rathei than approaching them directly, she said.

“I have ‘squared’ a bit. That’s what we call trying to make contact with people in the street. However, people are always on their guard in that situation and you don’t get a good response.” What the users of the Open Door seek, Miss de Ridder believes, is a friend. And when a friendship is established, it is to the Open Door workers that the person goes when in trouble.

“They recognise that we are Christians and there to give help,” said Miss de Ridder.

The Open Door has links with prisons and welfare homes, but attracts all sorts of personalities.

“Their education varies quite a bit, and 1 not all of them by any means come from low economic backgrounds. Ages vary, too. Our youngest would be about 12 or 13 and our oldest about 60.”

Alcohol plays a large part in the problems of Open Door patrons. “We don’t see any evidence of the drug problem, but then those people usually live in a tight society. Alcohol, however, isn’t anti-social like drugs and it is the problem which worries us most.” Miss de Ridder has worked “spasmodically” with drug-users in Holland. When she returns, in April, she expects to work again with young people in the university town of Groningen. “We find that homosexuality is a problem among students. It and drugs would be the biggest problems among Dutch students I have dealt with.”

Homosexuality, she believes, can be cured if the homosexual becomes a Christian —“especially the man who has recognised his homosexuality but hasn’t given in to it. The ones who have lived homosexual lives can be cured, too, but of course it takes longer.” Miss de Ridder has worked for the European Christian Mission for five years, three of which have been spent in the Netherlands. She trained at the Bible Training Centre in New Zealand and has spent some time in both England and New Zealand.