The Importance of Culture

     This week in class our discussions were centered on culture and all the aspects of it. These are some of the things that play a part in what makes up culture: the environment and surroundings, traditions, mindsets, religion, behaviors, norms, shared values, attitudes and goals, and the people in our lives. In some way, most of these things are passed down through the generations, and they are affected by each generation—they are changed, altered, and sometimes kept the same. This is because times and circumstances change which often causes what one generation did to be different than what another generation will do or has done.

     The environment and surrounding where someone grows up is important to how they are brought up. For instance, people in different parts of the world are able to do different things—they have different hobbies, work experiences, living circumstances, lifestyles, and the list goes on—than those in other parts of the world. It also has an affect on the things that are available to someone—time periods and where someone lives has a huge Impact on those things. A tradition is an inherited pattern of behavior/action, values, etc. that have been passed down through the generations. Mindsets—how people think—is a part of culture because parents and close family members may have an influence on how they are onto other generations in their family. Religion plays a huge role in the way that people live and, a lot of the time, generations pass down their beliefs by teaching it to their kids and they do the same thing and so on. Even the things we do and the things that we have learned to do may have been impacted by those that came before us and those that come into our lives—expected or unexpected. What may seem normal to one person may be odd or different to someone else because they did not grow up with things being that way—it was not a normal way of life for them, like it is for another person. One of the most important aspects of culture, in my opinion, is that values, attitudes, and goals are shared. Families are brought together; they grow closer and become a stronger unit because of these things. The people in our lives have a huge influence on our culture as well. This is because who we surround ourselves with has an impact on how we think, act, and see.

     All of these things have had and continue to have a big impact on my life and how I see and act in the world. They have made me who I am today because they have always played a huge role in my life, especially my religion and the people in my life. My family is very important to me and I treasure all of the things that make it the way it is—the good, the bad, and everything in between—because it has shaped me in ways that I never imagined.  

     In class I learned that family culture matters most out of all of the cultures that there are and I wondered why that is. I came up with two main things: (1) it influences all other cultures in society and (2) it influences how people act outside and inside the home. The home is central—it is where a lot of learning, teaching, and growing takes place. All these things are taken out into the world so that others can learn, grow, and teach.

     My parents are from two different cultures, and when they got married they brought their own cultures together to create the culture that they raised me and my siblings in. I think that I benefited by having both of the cultures that I did growing up because I was able to connect better with those around me. As I became older, I wanted to know more about each culture that I was a part of and because of that I grew closer to my parents. Culture is so important in many different ways and for many different reasons. I think it is good to know where you come from and why you do the things you do. It is something that has interested me a lot lately, and because of that I wanted to get to know my family more—I hope after reading this that you might want to do the same.