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You will encounter more people from other cultures as you age, maybe even from within your own town or nation, but sometimes from all over the world! It can be challenging to know how to interact with someone from a culture that differs greatly from your own if you haven’t met many individuals from that background. You may discover more about them and yourself with the help of this guide.
“Culture” is a complicated concept. Although the term has many deeper meanings, we frequently use it to describe things like food, holidays, attire, music, and religion. Your culture also includes your views, values, conventions, and behaviors. Therefore, even if we speak the same language or dress similarly, we may encounter significant disparities in our worldviews when we meet others from diverse origins.
Understand your own culture.
Analyzing your own culture is one of the finest methods to comprehend that of others. The majority of us take our heritage for granted and are unaware that our traditions and beliefs may look odd to others. It’s difficult to treat differences with respect if you consider your own lifestyle to be the norm and everyone else’s to be an odd deviation.
What do you think about the world and the proper way for individuals to respect one another? Have any of them been influenced by your upbringing and culture? Which behaviors best describe you, and would someone from a different culture find any of them strange or out of the ordinary?
For instance, when you enter a building, do you remove your shoes? Despite its simplicity, it is a powerful cultural indicator! In contrast to the United States, where many individuals don’t bother taking off their shoes when they enter, in Japan, you would never enter a building without changing from your outdoor shoes to slippers.
Although answering these questions isn’t always simple, taking the time to consider them is crucial to realizing your role in the world and, consequently, to better understanding others.
Find out
Perhaps you’re interested in the lifestyles of other people, or you’ve lately met someone from a different culture. Here’s how to find out more.
Become buddies. Learn about the traditions and practices of your friends’ families and how they differ from your own. The cultural differences between two people who live in the same place may surprise you!
Engage in conversation. Ask people from diverse cultures about their lives when you meet them. However, be kind and keep in mind that they don’t have to respond and may not want to. Not everyone wants to share every detail of their culture, and if they’re a minority in the area, they may frequently be asked the same questions. Ask only if you truly want to know them as a person, not merely as a representative of their culture.
Go ahead and read. Look for novels written by and about people who are not like you. Read novels that have been translated from other languages or written by authors who may have a completely different viewpoint on life in your own nation. Memoirs, biographies, and other nonfiction works provide a clear way to learn about the realities of a country or someone’s life.
Watch some films. As with books, you can watch non-fiction shows and documentaries; try other types of movies as well. Seeing the types of fictitious stories that a culture tells gives you a more diverse and nuanced understanding of that society.
Listen to podcasts and radio programs. Another excellent approach to gaining an insider’s perspective on a different culture is through listening to radio and podcasts, which frequently show people having more casual conversations.
Examine. Traveling and immersing yourself in a whole different culture is a fantastic opportunity to discover how diverse other lifestyles may be. There are pockets of other cultures in your area, nevertheless, even if you lack the time or resources to go to other nations. There are most likely immigrant neighborhoods or communities with their unique cultural history wherever you live.
You become more used to approaching cultural differences with curiosity rather than distrust as you gain more knowledge.
Avoid stereotyping
Stereotyping is another trap that might occasionally arise when you learn a lot about a different culture through books, movies, travel, or even friends.
When you meet someone from that background, you might feel tempted to brag about how much you know about that culture or location. However, assuming that all members of a certain culture share the same viewpoints and life experiences is problematic. These presumptions can be fairly minor and innocuous—for instance, not all English people enjoy football, and not all Jews were brought up adhering to kosher dietary laws—but they can also be detrimental if they cause you to prejudice or discriminate against someone based on your preconceived notions about their customs or beliefs.
People get the impression from these presumptions that you only view them as representatives of a foreign culture and not as unique individuals or human beings. Don’t do that to other people, even if you believe you have a thorough understanding of their culture. You’d be annoyed if someone assumed they knew everything about you based on your origins or your parents’ identities.
Recognize and value the differences
Life is extremely intriguing because of our differences. Therefore, accept the distinctions between you and your friends from other cultures, but keep in mind that what may catch your attention as a fascinating difference is only their everyday existence!
Finding a balance between inquiry and admiration is the best approach to showing respect for people from different cultures. If your friends are receptive to it, ask questions, but also learn to quietly notice and value the distinctions that make each of us special.