A Multicultural Entity Formed in Malaysia

1933 Words4 Pages

I personally believe culture does not have to represent a certain race or religion only. We live in Malaysia. Being Malaysian is our culture. Living in this harmonious multicultural country is a true blessing. Our culture is also very unique as it takes shape from the combination of the three main races in our country: Malay, Chinese and Indian. A multicultural entity is formed when Chinese and Indian immigrants entered Malaysia as workers during British times. These three and other races in our country have largely contributed to what we have now in Malaysia. Malaysia can be said to be a high-context cultured country. We are proud to say that we are members of Malaysian culture.

Key terms:

Culture is defined in many different ways across the world because people perceive it in their own unique way and it is a matter of perception and definition. Culture is how we perceive ourselves and how the world looks at us. It is the definition of ourselves and our background, the ethics and beliefs we hold on to, and it also represents the traditions and norms that we inherit and respect. Co-culture, on the other hand is the perception of membership in a group that is a part of an encompassing culture. Co-culture can be said to be the subdivision of culture. For instance, I am a Hindu. Hinduism is a co-culture. Most Hindus share the same festivals, rituals and customs such as Diwali celebration, wedding norms, traditional clothes and many more. There are many types of co-culture that people fit into.

When two or more of these cultures collide during a communication process, it is called an intercultural communication. To be more precise, intercultural communication occurs when two or more people from different cultures or co-cultur...

... middle of paper ...

...an only be comfortable in our life when standing high enough on the mountain. Somehow, a lot of adults treat their job as their best achievement in their life. Hence, they always work hard until midnight and rarely care about their family especially for men. The relationship with their child had been weakening due to excessive pursuit for the achievement.

In a nutshell, every culture is unique and special in its own way. It is just how we perceive it. There is always good and bad in everything. We as an educated and evolved generation should be wise enough to accept the good part and neglect the bad side of a particular culture. That way we can keep moving forward in life with a wonderful self-identity and life principles.

References

Adler R. B., Rosenfeld L. B., Proctor II R. F. Interplay. New York: Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2007.

Open Document