1). Do you agree with anthropologist Ruth Benedict that we are "creatures of our culture" and that our habits, beliefs, and impossibilities are shaped by our culture? If so, how can we break through the limits of our cultures?
I would have to agree that we are a creation of our culture. It starts out when we are children and what are parents begin teaching us what is right and wrong based on what society has taught them to be true. What are habits are, our beliefs, and what we can or can't accomplish is outlined for us by the culture in which we grow up in because it is usually all we know.
Most people do not get the opportunity to live in another country or culture with different values of their own so they do not know any better. The closet thing someone might come to experience different culture beliefs is if they go on vacation to another country, and even then, they might see that country's culture as "weird" or "not normal".
To break out of the tendency to follow what culture has made us believe and the path to follow, is learn about different cultures and live it. Communicating cross culturally is beneficial because you receive more perspectives in life than just your own, or perspectives that have been given to you. Being able to utilize and experience other cultures beliefs may begin to develop your own beliefs even if it does not follow your culture's norm.
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Great post regarding how communication cross-culturally helps us understand the world better and the people that live in it. Our way of thinking is usually outlined by our surrounding and if we are not educating ourselves, sadly that is all we know then.
ReplyDeleteWe tend to limit ourselves to only what we know and or what is around us, but the great challenge in life is to go beyond that and realize full potential and thus cultures will make more sense. I believe that if we did more cross-cultural communication, there'd be less prejudice on other people their cultures. We are very quick to point out the wrong in somebody's culture because it's vastly different from ours, but we fail to realize that world is much bigger than where we live.