Importance of Knowing Other Cultures

Question Answered: Present the ways in which cross-cultural experiences strengthen a continuous development of the world environment.

Cross-cultural experiences can be numerous things. It could be as simple as having a potluck, joining a book club, or participating in a forum. Cross-cultural experiences can also be moving to or visiting a different neighborhood, city, state, or country. All of these activities involve an exchange of ideas about people's identities.

Let us suppose an American boy, who I will refer to as "person A" for the purposes of this paper, visits his Japanese friend, "person B.," In their everyday interactions, they talk about their families, ancestors, history, favorite food, hobbies, etc. Person A, consciously or not, gives knowledge of the reality of his culture. As in any other initial exposure to something foreign, person B enters into this experience with some preconceived notions. As he listens to and observes person A, he comes to understand an identity - particularly, that of person A. Consequently, person B gains knowledge, and uses it to resolve his stereotypes and rightfully adjust his opinions. A more significant consequence of this particular cross-cultural experience is what results in person B. In such an exchange two things come to effect. One, person B becomes compelled to teach person A about his own culture. His appreciation for his new knowledge, as well as his own desire to rid others of misconceptions about his culture drives him to share his identity with those around him, starting with his friend. Eventually, the knowledge spreads; and so does the drive to educate. Two, this exchange allows person B to exercise the important virtue of having an open mind. He becomes open to experience different cultures because of a resulting desire to understand the diverse world. In turn, the world environment continues to develop because, not only are there more people who are willing to educate, more people are willing to learn with an open mind.

The evolution of the globalized societal landscape is directly connected to the occurrence of cross-cultural experiences. This is because, with more understanding about the world cultures, we can continue to evolve as a unified group of individuals. The world environment is defined by how we interact with each other. It involves relationships as inclusive as a country's interaction with another country or as intimate as someone's friendship with his roommate.