During the semester, we have analyzed and discussed about the oriental perspectives of life, and how this is been influenced nowadays by the media and the marketing. One of the things I recalled from class discussions and it really called my attention was the discussion between the professor and the young Spanish student about destiny, where the generational and cultural gap was clearly observable.
As we know, the way of thinking of a culture and the values they pursue are mostly related with the religion they profess and the most extended beliefs of the people that surround the person during the crucial years of childhood and adolescence. Destiny, in a Buddhist-related Chinese conception means “the predetermined principle that dictates a person's relationships and encounters such as the affinity among friends or lovers”. To simplify such a deep idea, is "binding force" that gathers people together in any kind of relationship.
“Predestination" and "Providence" are not exact translations of yuanfen, because these words suggest that things and events happen by the intervention of a God or gods, whereas yuánfèn does not necessarily involve this divine interference.
Some people believe that what is fated, in terms of the events of your live, has a strong connection with the consequences of your behavior or what you have done in former lives. Therefore, we can easily find the relationship between the ideas of destiny and karma in Buddhism. However, while karma used to refer to the consequences of an individual's actions on him- or herself; yuánfen, on the contrary, is always used in conjunction with two persons.
One of the most similar ideas in the occidental world is the concept of “synchronicity” from the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung...
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...ture, what make us overthink about the future and regretting about the past, forgetting that life is a journey, not a destination.
It would be wise not to judge point of view of other cultures as erratic. As I have learned during my stay in Taiwan when it comes to different points of view, especially in an environment surrounded by people from many nations, the best advice I can give is to keep yourself being open minded. Try to understand the opinion of the other person, not only from your point of view but from their culture as well.
Sometimes a discussion won’t finish with two people agreeing with an idea, but respecting and understanding both points of view. This kind of situations gives us the opportunity of analyzing things that have not been written on stone and learn from other cultures, and, someday, it could help us not only for business but in daily life.
Some people may not believe that destiny is something that truthfully exists in the world. These people doubt that there is anything that is actually meant to be, or supposed to happen, thinking that there is always a way around troubling predicaments, knowing that it is not necessary to turn out just one certain way. They trust that whatever occurs in their lives comes as a result of the decisions that they make with their own free will. Others believe that whatever happens during the course of their lives is inevitable and every event is laid out before them like a road map to life, in other words, fate. William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet has fate as an exceptionally crucial element which makes fate as important as any character in the production. The events leading up to and during the party were definitely caused by fate. The moment that Romeo and Juliet meet is the exact incident that leads to their death, however unaware these "star-crossed lovers" are to that fact. Thus, fate is undoubtedly the most responsible influence for the couple's tragedy.
One theme that I found to be very interesting is the struggles that Asian Americans have faced in the past and the present. I never knew about the struggles that have been happening in places like China and Laos. I never realized how many families come from poverty and violence. I have only learned very little about historical events such as Vietnam. I am only now becoming more aware about the human rights problem in China. I am so used to seeing places like Tokyo, Japan in movies and television. Everything seems so clean and the city is lit up with bright lights and amazing buildings at night. Before this course, I thought that most Asians live this kind of life. I never knew that these events had even occurred and I was amazed at some of the things Asians have had to go through over the years.
If you are a European American traveling in Italy, the cultures will seem very different. One of the biggest is the concept of time! Italians will usually be late to appointments and not think anything of it. Americans are always frantically running. They don’t want to be late to work or an event. Even if they are on time, they feel late so they need to come earlier. Neither is right or wrong, it is the culture that makes them different. Communicating across cultures is challenging. Each culture has set rules that its members take for granted. Few of us are aware of our own cultural biases because cultural imprinting begins at a very early age. And while some of a culture's knowledge, rules, beliefs, values, phobias, and anxieties are taught, most of the information is learned subconsciously. The challenge for communication has never been greater. Worldwide business organizations have discovered that intercultural communication is very important, not just because of increased globalization, but also because domestic workforce is growing more and more diverse, ethnically and culturally. We are all individuals. No two people belong to the same culture and they are not going to respond in exactly the same way. However, generalizations are valid to the extent that they provide clues on what you will most likely encounter when dealing with members of a particular
regret. The idea of time and how it is finite is one of the main
Unsuccessful intercultural encounters can sometimes result in tremendous consequences like losing business deals, breaking relationships or even destroying blood ties. In fact, for those who have watched the documentary “Daughter from Danang”, the idea of the last consequence would emerge vividly and hauntingly. The documentary, directed by Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco, tells the reunion between a daughter and her long-lost birth mother. The reunion, which is expected to be an exhilarating experience, unfortunately becomes a painful one with heartbreaking moments. The failure of this reunion can be attributed to a number of reasons, but the most visible one is perhaps the issue of cultural differences. through the lens of intercultural communication,
Fate is the development of events beyond a person’s control. Essentially it means that there are certain events in everyone’s life that are predetermined and completely unavoidable. In The Iliad, fate is even unchangeable by the gods. The belief is that there is a fixed natural order to the universe and that
In this paper I will be sharing information I had gathered involving two students that were interviewed regarding education and their racial status of being an Asian-American. I will examine these subjects’ experiences as an Asian-American through the education they had experienced throughout their entire lives. I will also be relating and analyzing their experiences through the various concepts we had learned and discussed in class so far. Both of these individuals have experiences regarding their education that have similarities and differences.
I definitely identify most with modern American culture. Although I am half Hispanic and half white, I was raised more “white” than Hispanic (e.g. food, language, holidays, music, etc.). On the surface you can see a white American, English speaking, femininely dressed young lady, but I am much more than what is on the outside. Like I stated earlier I was raised more “white”, but I still identify a little with my Hispanic culture. In this paper I will be addressing 10 surface and 10 deep aspects of my cultural identity.
Fate is non-existent as one's future is based upon their own personal decisions. It is believing
Fate is the development of events beyond a person’s control that is determined by a supernatural power, whereas God’s providence is the plan, or guardianship, that God has for every creature. The difference in definition is subtle, yet it makes a large difference in application. Pagans have little or no religious beliefs and base everything off of their observations of the world around them. While surrounded by disasters caused by the forces of nature, it w...
Fate is defined as a natural power that causes or controls events and actions and the results cannot change or be controlled. It is a theory created within
What I found is that if one were to sit down, and think of their future realistically, they could certainly find an approach on life that will not cause one to regret the...
THE POWER OF THE MOMENT: The ability to stay in the present is a virtue. Most people are always living either in the past or in the future. So they are either worrying about the past, worrying about the past pains, the past results, the past failures, past relationships, past struggles, or they are ruminating about the future fears, the future impossibilities, the future achievements, future possibilities. Worrying about the past or future would not benefit you as you are putting yourself in a position of disadvantage.
Effective communication with people of difference cultures can be especially challenging. The way people interpret the world can be strikingly different between cultures. Intercultural communication occurs when a member from one culture produces a message that is absorbed by a member of another culture. How that message is understood by the communicating party is a vital part in intercultural communication. For example, in Cambodia it would be considered rude to discuss business in a social setting (Language, culture, customs and etiquette, n.d.). However, in the United States this is a common practice and is almost an encouraged event. Another important factor and consideration in intercultural communication is the importance of understanding cultures, values, history and beliefs. For instance, in Cambodia, if you deliver a present that is wrapped in white paper, this is considered to represent mourning. This is one of the many reasons why it is important to assimilate into a culture and be mindful of communication between cultures (Language, culture, customs and etiquette, n.d.).
In a battle, the stronger and more powerful is the one that comes out on top. The power of fate is divine and godly. “Destiny guide me always Destiny find me filled with