Thursday, March 1, 2012

Easier Said Than Done


In my previous post I discussed that one needs to find themselves and understand what differentiates their culture in order to understand others.

Easier said than done, these tasks are difficult to tackle as our culture tends to become such a big part of us that it is like the air we breathe, almost as if it doesn’t exist.  Even so to an extent where we start thinking that the norms we are used to, is the way humans in general should behave. 

This is when we start to develop ethnocentrism, which is the belief in the superiority of one’s own race and culture. Stereotyping and prejudicing will only take us back from understanding each other.  

 Remember, culture is something that is learned. Two people living in different countries may have different ways of accomplishing the same goal.

Therefore, it’s very important to overcome ethnocentrism and deal with matters with tolerance and patience, because only then will you have the ability to be open minded towards other cultures.

 “We must create a kind of globalization that works for everyone... and not just for a few.”
 
-Nestor Kirchner
 

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