What is culture?
“Culture is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups. Culture often originates from or is attributed to a specific region or location.” (Wikipedia)
“The written and spoken languages, food, lifestyle, dance forms, art, music, choice of clothing, talking to others, working style all come under the huge umbrella of culture. In India, with 28 states and 7 union territories, the culture differs from one region or state to another.”
Thus, we can speak of Indian or Chinese culture, Bengali or Tamil culture, Eastern and Western cultures, etc.
Some Truths We May Forget
No one chooses one’s own parents or mother tongue or place of birth. We find ourselves as Indians or Japanese, as having this or that mother tongue, or belonging to a particular ethnic group or nation. These are parts of who and what we are. They are neither merits nor demerits. A person cannot be praised or blamed for belonging to a particular culture. Someone from a particular culture has no right to look down upon another culture or despise its expressions.
To speak of superficial examples: A typical European is used to eating with cutlery. A typical Chinese or Korean eats with chopsticks. Most Indians eat with their hands.
So, too, with ways of dressing, ways of relating in the family, ways of expressing affection or anger. Thus, Italians and Spaniards are used to hugging and kissing. Not so in India or Sri Lanka.
Indian women wear the sari or churidar. The men wear kurta and pajamas or dhoti and shirts.
Arranged marriages as in India will sound absurd and unjust to a typical European or American. Parents in old age are looked after by the sons, or one son, in India, while a Western family has no such practice.
Fr Joe Mannath SDB
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