|
Wow, what a question! What comes up for you? I am reminded of an outspoken Texan I ran into a couple of years ago on his first trip outside of the United States to Costa Rica. His first day here he said, “Boy, these people sure do things backwards.”
By midweek he commented, “It aim’s so weird, just different.”As he was leaving he mentioned, “They got some ideas here I need to bring on home,”
Just so we can get on the same page (no pun intended), let’s agree that culture means “the products of human work and thoughts considered as the expression of a particular class, community, or population.” Our even more simply-how we be.
Does it matter? Of course it matters!
 The question is like asking if language or health matters. Culture creates a zone of comfort where a member of that culture can operate and interact with others, and have relationships that follow somewhat predictable courses and outcomes. Predictability is comfortable; uncertainty is not. When we inter-act outside of a known culture we are less sure of responses. As human beings we will usually find it easier to direct our discomfort back at what caused it.
When we encounter a new or different culture we can either retreat into our own comfort zone and be critical of how ‘those people’ do things or we can use it to expand our boundaries as we learn new ways to human.
The root of the word also gives rise to the word “cultivation” – preparing soil for new growth. Culture creates unparalleled opportunities for growth and presents unique situations that allow us to experience the fullness of our humanity.
Over the next months, we will look at culture from more specific viewpoints such as romance, commerce, and social interactions. An unscientific survey for sure, but, we hope, an anecdotal and fun journey as we learn how similar we really are.
Or are we?
|
