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Culture and intelligence introduction
Cultural awareness and cultural intelligence
Monotheistic religions 3
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As much as we may think our lives are so much different from others, there are many ways that they can be similar. I learned this in a novel called “The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir” by Farah Ahmedi. Although the similarities of our cultures are there, the differences are obvious from the beginning. For example, the way we dress, what religions we believe in, and the food we eat. There are many different ways that our cultures compare, including our religion, how we eat, and our languages.
Religion is one aspect of culture that is Farah and I share. Both Farah and I believe in a god, however, we each believe in a different one. “Allah dear, my mother is suffering so!” (Amedi, 133) Farah believes in Allah and I believe in Jesus. Even though the gods we believe in are different, we both have someone above us to thank and praise. We also both believe in just one god. Some religions believe in many gods, this is called “polytheism” and there are many gods above them to have faith
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in. Both Farah and my religions believe in just one god, this is called “monotheism” and there is only one almighty god who we can have faith in."My mother and I will be among the thousand. Thank you, God" (Ahmedi, 133) We are also different in the way that we dress differently. “They all wore baggy trousers, long shirts, head scarves, and turbans, traditional Afghan outfits.” (Ahmedi, 76) Farah has clothes that are required by her religion, when in my religion, there are no dress requirements.There are many ways that our religions compare. Food is another attribute of culture that is shared by Californians and Afghanis.
Our families eat in different places. “My parents served all five of us children off of a single platter.” (Ahmedi, 9) In Afghani culture, the people and families are all rather poor so they can not afford furniture so they all eat on the floor. In America, we eat at a table. Also, what we eat with is different “...each of us cramming the food away by the fistful…” (Ahmedi, 9) In Afghani culture, they eat with their hands sharing a platter of food with most of the family. At home, I am fortunate enough to have my own plate and utensils without worrying if the rest of my family is going to eat the food before I get my portion. One way we are similar is that we both gather with our families to eat. Even if it is not every meal, no matter the situation there is always a struggle of finding time to eat dinner with my family. Where we eat it, what we eat it with and who we eat food with contrast in several
ways. Language is another element of our cultures that share similarities and differences. Our languages are similar because both of them allow us to communicate with others. “I could not enter an ordinary public school until I spoke English” (Ahmedi, 187) Farah and I would be lost if no one spoke the language we grew up around. Although we do communicate with others, we do not do it the same. We both speak different languages. Farah speaks Farsi and I speak English. For example, if I went to Afghanistan, I would be completely lost, and would struggle to learn the language, just like Farah and her mom were when they first arrived in America. Another thing that our languages have in common is passion. For example, music, worship, and love. Both of our languages have the potential to have passion. Our cultures, both function and flourish because of language. Our cultures compare in multiple ways. The first way they can compare is when it comes to religion because we have different gods and different clothes, but we both believe in just one God. The next way is food. We eat in different places and what we eat with is different, but we both gather with our families. The final way that we compare is language. Both of our languages allow us to communicate with others and have the potential to have passion, but they are different languages. Sometimes it may be hard to see how my life in California and Afghani culture compare, but if you really think about it, there are many ways it does. In conclusion, Farah and I share many similarities and differences in food, religion and language. I am thankful that my daily struggles in California are very small compared to Farah’s on the other side of the other side of the sky.
In her article, “Sweet, Sour, and Resentful,” Firoozeh Dumas directs us through on how her mom readies a feast. She gives us detailed description on how her mother cooks the food for the guests by starting out grocery shopping until the part that the food is ready to be served. She writes about how because of their Iranian traditions they have to prepare a Persian feast for their newcomer friends and family, which brought joy to everyone, but her mother. Yet, we can see that she is trying to make sense to it all, every weekend they have guests over since the Iran’s Revolution started. Vitally, traditions stay great just when they convey satisfaction to the individuals celebrating those traditions. Also, the food that we choose tends to be based upon our culture, economic and social aspects. I agree with her even though traditions within various cultures are very different, but they all are supposed to do one thing that is bring everyone closer to each other, and bring happiness. However, that’s not always the case, especially in this article.
In “Seeing Beyond Our Differences “by Sheri White, the author writes about how people are different in their appearances, race, and religion. After all, everyone is human and almost identical. The author points out how her mother is from India with a dark skin color and her father is from Indiana with a light skin color. Her parents still able to get married and there is no obstacle in their marriage. As a daughter, the author has never noticed that her parents are different in their skin colors and races. They both are the same as human to her. The author’s main idea is to let people know that no matter what race they are, what religion they follow, or how they look, they all are human. Deep down inside them, in their DNA, they all are 99.9 percent the same and almost identical. In this article, the author uses expressive purpose and descriptive pattern to express her main idea.
Expressions such as family, dietary restrictions and religious taboos are all present in every culture. But the way they are interpreted differs around the world. The notion of a family in the Akan culture is different from the perception of family in the Canadian culture. Appiah states: “the conception of the family in Akan culture is what anthropologists call matrilineal”. The Akan family Structure follows the mothers’ side of the family. Where in the Canadian culture it’s patrilineal and follows the fathers’ side of the family. Whether it is matrilineal or patrilineal both societies still consider this family. Appiah also explains that family is not the only term that seems to change. Dietary restrictions is also another term that is constantly shifting. People often assume that others are just like them. It is through multinational discussions where such assumptions are but to test. Appiah explains the difference in terms of dietary restrictions across difference societies through the Bush clan. Appiah states:” Bush cow clan is forbidden from eating bush meat. Your clan animal is symbolically a relative of yours; so for you eating it and its relatives is a bit like eating a person”. While this explains the reason as tow why the Bush clan cannot consume cow meat, the idea of comparing eating a cow to eating a relative might seem
Throughout reading these novels, with all the similar messages that are obtained within them, one main message from each other is similar, a better understanding of cultural differences. Authors Dai Sijie, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Wole Soyinka all exemplify what life is like in other cultures and regions of the world. The Machiguenga, the Yoruban tribe, and people involved in the Cultural Revolution era, are all timeframes and people that we will never understand or have to experience first hand due to where we come from. The life that we are used to is so different then what the life is like from the readings of these books, that these authors express that even if it’s different, we should be accepting of all lifestyles, even if we don’t fully understand their beliefs.
In conclusion, this book gave me a whole new view on life and how we can interact better with different people. The book emphasized that culture is key to understanding people. Sometimes it is hard to connect with others because they are indicated as different but in due time we can adjust. Every culture has their own traditions when it comes to what they eat, what to wear, dating, various ceremonies, holidays and more. Reading this book helped me become more accepting of who I am and where I come from.
Marcus Garvey said, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” (Vinod, 2013, p. 358). According to (Cole, 1986) Culture is “a people’s patterns of behavior; the totality of values, ideas and means by which a people deals with its geographical, social, political and economic environment” It is considered as way of life adopted and exercised over a given period of time some bordering to centuries. Different communities have different cultures which are essential in assigning each of these communities an identity. With globalization and modern trends, cultures have been shared among countries leading to determination of newer cultural practices corresponding to the society in question. Cultures give rise to behaviorism and inform the social relations among people and countries. Cultural pundits have argued that the Bahamian culture and the American culture are highly similar and related in terms of dialects, beliefs and values. However, major differences in language, religion and traditions show that the Bahamian and American cultures are more different than many people believe.
Whether you have experienced a lot of traveling to other countries and continents or perhaps you have never left the East coast, it can be assumed; whether through school or a work environment, you have had at least one experience dealing with different nationalities and cultures. The realization is that we may come from different places and have different backgrounds but most people, cultures included, have more in common then we could imagine.
Many practices within diverse cultures are familiar, leading us to the realization that even though people have different beliefs and different values, and come from different countries, there are also many similarities. When analyzing the various practices withing diverse cultures, you begin to see the likeness of a society that reflects your own customs. Through out The Namesake, symbolic meaning contributes to the overall message of being able to establish an identity and embrace the identity of others.
Ruth Benedict’s anthropological book, Patterns of Culture explores the dualism of culture and personality. Benedict studies different cultures such as the Zuni tribe and the Dobu Indians. Each culture she finds is so different and distinctive in relation to the norm of our society. Each difference is what makes it unique. Benedict compares the likenesses of culture and individuality, “A culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern of thought or action” (46), but note, they are not the same by use of the word, “like.” Benedict is saying that figuratively, cultures are like personalities. Culture and individuality are intertwined and dependent upon each other for survival.
During Gilbert’s time in Italy, she learned that Italians value in-the-moment pleasures, such as eating delicious food, much more than Americans do. As I read along with Gilbert as she combines values from all of the places she travelled—Italy, India and Bali—I realized that it is not only okay, but also beneficial to explore other cultures and even respectfully adopt their values and practices to create your own culture rather than passively accepting the culture in which one is raised. After reading Gilbert’s narrative about her time in India, I thought that cross-cultural similarities make various cultures valuable, but the book as a whole taught me that there is a lot that diverse populations can learn from differences between each other’s cultures and those differences can be much more valuable to learn about and consider than the similarities amongst all people. My bias towards beliefs with similarities to my “White Anglo-Saxon Protestant” upbringing did not indicate the value of these beliefs, I realized. Various cultures are valuable no matter how they are related to other cultures. There can always be something learned from exposure to different cultures, even if you don’t want to adopt Buddhism as your religion or hedonistically eat dessert with every meal. Simple tolerance and acceptance is a significant gain that can come from education on and experience with cultures and beliefs different than one’s
Prayer in both religions can be done in a person’s own words asking for forgiveness, mercy, or guidance. Prayer is important to a person’s faith because it gives them an outlet and way to personally connect with God on a deeper level. God will respond to prayers and provide his followers with unconditional love. Charity is also similar in both Christianity and Islam. Muslims and Christians alike believe it is important to share wealth with those in need or the poor. Jesus said those who serve the poor are also helping him. Muhammad would say that those who give of their personal wealth are following the holy way of life and submitting to God’s wants. The Shahahdah or confession is the declaration of the belief in only one God. The belief in only one God is central to the Muslim and Christian tradition (although Christians believe in the Trinity: father, son, and Holy Spirit). The belief in only one God, or monotheism, was mentioned in Nostra aetate as a uniting characteristic of Christianity and
Commensality can be defined as the notion of eating with others. It is the act of two or more people consuming a meal together (Pearsall J 1999). The purpose of commensality is much more than that of allowing survival. It pushes beyond this and becomes a practice of socialisation. Anthropologist Martin Sahlins suggested that not only does it provide opportunities for people to integrate socially, but that it can be the starting factor and maintaining factor in which enables relationships to form and develop. For example, he found that at the beginning of relationship formation commensality tends to involve the sharing of drinks and snacks. As relationships develop the meals become more complex. He claimed that the traditional cooked dinner of meats and vegetables is one mainly shared among families and rarely with friends (Lupton 1996). This suggests that commensality is often used as an expression of closeness and the extent of such closeness can be discovered by looking at ...
Ben laughed, as he'd earlier in the car when he'd discovered the woman didn't possess a licence, however, rather than in relief, this was a full-blown, natural laugh that emanated from deep in his belly, and the man's eyes watered when it eventually stopped, and they landed on Sky. "The balls are the only location that an MI6 agent is scared to be hit in. Every man has one weakness, and I'm afraid you've discovered ours. Don't let on to our opponents." Ben replied, tapping her on the shoulder, and bumping his hip against hers. I guess I'm fortunate that I don't believe in the Big Daddy, and perchance if M'aam is curious?"
Although many religions have different sects; which, may share different ideas just like in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is evident that these religions believe in one god. The teaching and traditions of each religion make each religion unique in its own way.
In the end, what we learn from this article is very realistic and logical. Furthermore, it is supported with real-life examples. Culture is ordinary, each individual has it, and it is both individual and common. It’s a result of both traditional values and an individual effort. Therefore, trying to fit it into certain sharp-edged models would be wrong.