The Culture
Culture is about how one conducts life on a day to day basis. Culture unites people of a single society together through shared beliefs, customs, and expectations. The total culture of any specific society is composed of seven elements. They are social organization, goverment,
economy, customs, beliefs, language and arts. Customs include traditions, values and social norms.
Some of us are fortunate to have a rich cultural legacy while the rest of us simply acquire values as we go along. Whatever be the case, we continually develop and define our culture. We continually decide on what to keep/acquire and what not to.
In a converging world, owing to globalization and digitization, there is a cultural synthesis in progress. While all the elements of a culture held almost an equal weight in earlier times, today, economic factors are dominant. Hence, the cultural synthesis is lopsided, in the sense that, the dominant world economies also dominate in the cultural realm.
It is true that one has to sail with the tide, but, it is also important to maintain the strength of the boat. Our decisions today will have a bearing on our children’s tomorrow. This article presents a few points to ponder over, in relation to culture.
It is true that one has to sail with the tide, but, it is also important to maintain the strength of the boat. Our decisions today will have a bearing on our children’s tomorrow. This article presents a few points to ponder over, in relation to culture.
Realize that we need to be responsible – In earlier times, culture was not a matter of choice. Wisdom was carefully packaged into a set of beliefs and customs and passed on through generations. Whereas today, social pressures are fading to give way to more independence. Freedom of choice means more responsibility. However, we do not give adequate thought to decisions and most of the times they happen almost subconsciously. We are increasingly adopting ‘convenient’ ways rather than the best ways;
Preserve our individual culture – Our strength is in preserving the essence of the individual culture one is born in, while evolving to a higher set of values. Social organization, government and economy are beyond individual control. Therefore, I refer to preserving culture in terms of the customs, beliefs, language and arts. There is merit in the argument that one must preserve individual cultures. Culture colors life. It provides a feast for our senses, while keeping the sanity intact. It provides for artistic expression, and a sense of belonging. It increases sensitivity. Most importantly, it is a subtle way of developing the intellectual and moral faculties in the next generation. It may not be possible to do all that our ancestors did, but one can definitely preserve the essence;
Acknowledge the limitations of our knowledge – Education brings with it scientific thinking, which is much required. When it comes to beliefs, traditions and social norms, let’s use scientific temper to weed out superstition, and any other negative aspects involved. However, let us also bear in mind that our knowledge has limitations. Therefore, we also need to learn when not to rely on reason. For example; when there isn’t any obvious reason to shun a particular practice, keep it. There must be some good in it that we don’t understand;
Bifurcate economic life and personal life – Our experiences and interactions in our economic life may be beyond the purview of our personal culture. Unknowingly, we let our economic life seep into our personal lives. We acquire values, habits and get accustomed to social norms that maybe necessary to survive professionally but we continue to live with the same in the personal sphere;
Evolve to a higher set of values – Lastly, let’s remember that individual cultures were formed in an era where resources and information were limited. Being part of a culture can also be an impediment to change, which one needs to overcome. While it is important to preserve the essence of one’s individual culture, it is equally important not to be limited by it. We must use the resources and information available to us today to acquire new values. For example, UNESCO has published a list of values which we can refer to. We can even imbibe best practices from other cultures.
The idea is to be aware that our choices today, will be our children’s tomorrow. If it is a cultural synthesis we are moving towards, let’s move to the best, while preserving the diversity that makes the world so beautiful.
Let’s preserve, and at the same time, evolve.
Let’s preserve, and at the same time, evolve.
“Culture is the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations” -Merriam Webster
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