About Culture Again

Last September I wrote about culture. It came to my mind about culture once again. The thing about culture is that not only every country has a culture every state, city, and neighborhood has a culture. Some countries have some very strong culture ties because of religion, and other countries like the USA is different because they allow the freedom of religion so there is multiple religions within the country. Religion is a very strong part of culture because it is what makes us especially how we think and relate with other people. It is important to treat people with other religious backgrounds in the same way we treat those in our religion. The problem though is some religions are very strong, and if you are very zealous in your religion you may not feel that way.

There are other things that can influence the culture that we live in besides religion. Another can be economically; this is whether you live in either a rich or poor neighborhood. Also, another can be diversity; this means if you live among those with different nationalities or skin color. For example, where I live in Gig Harbor there is very little amount of diversity. Though there are more minorities in Gig Harbor then when I was growing the majority are still whites. It is not that minorities are not welcome it is more has to do with economics. Gig Harbor happens to have a higher standard of living then other communities in the area. However, there are neighborhoods that are not as high as there are others. I think that most minorities just do not feel like living in Gig Harbor. I know personally I would welcome any one regardless of their diversity. Both Seattle and Tacoma have high diversity population so their cultures will be much different then Gig Harbor.

I believe that culture has its positive aspects but they have their negative ones as well. It is important to recognize both of them especially the negative ones. I believe if it is most important to us we can actually change the culture around us. It is easy to spend time with those who are like us; however, I believe it is important to spend time with those who are different from us. It doesn't matter if it is because they have a different skin, maybe speak another language, or economically we must embrace each other. When it comes to change culture it does not necessarily mean that we have to change the people around us. In fact, I would say it is important to change us. We are all imperfect people and we must learn to get along with each other. Our challenge should be to meet those who are different from us. It could be just those who have a different personality or family background. Let us stretch ourselves.