Youssry Jaranilla Philo104-A

Unity in Diversity
Culture is like wealth; it makes us more ourselves, it enables us to express ourselves. This line came in to my mind while we were having an activity in our philosophy class which is about understanding different cultures and religions. This quotation simply encapsulates this activity since I noticed all of us were very happy and proud about our tribe and religion. And despite of the biases we received from other cultures we seemed to be contented of whom we are and what group we belong to. This only shows how we cherish our own culture. I also noticed how comfortable we were when we were grouped according to our religion and culture. The way we interact and express ourselves shows how the wealth of the culture helps us to be more like us since culture is part of ourselves, it allows us to be more like a human being, and it helps to express how we live. On the other hand as a viewer and listener of the other cultures and religions, I was amazed by some of their beliefs and practices and the reason behind their actions. I felt like I was a stranger in a new culture who only sees what I know. Although I thought I knew some of my classmates culture but surprisingly it turn out that I only knew the superficial part of it. And this activity enabled me to grasp deeper and to understand more about the rationale of some of the practices being done and their way of life. I realized that most of us tend to judge and make assumptions based solely on what we see, and not what we know. There is so much diversity in this world, and I realized that everyone needs to learn to be more open-minded and accepting towards other cultures. We are all different and unique, yet there is so much that binds us together. One thing that caught my attention was the culture of the Samals. Although I have little strands of that tribe but Im not totally ingrained on their culture because I grew in the culture of Tausug and Chavacano. I was struck because besides that they are peace loving people and they want to live near the sea, they also have different priorities in life which immediately caught my attention while listening to the discussion. They prioritized livelihood than any other things like ceremonies and education. I pity them especially the children who are not educated because they need to work for a living to help their family in sustaining their needs, but I respect their belief and I understand why they are prioritizing things. Hence, I feel blessed that I grew up in a culture that is more civilized and making education as one of the priorities in life. As our activity ends, I realized that people learn about culture through interaction rather than through the memorization of a text. To become fluent and aware in any culture you have to experience it and become involved in it. We should try to get in to their shoes to understand whats the reason behind their actions. There are also many ways how a culture can be shared among people without them being fluent in it such as food, customs, clothing, language, beliefs, and behaviors. Moreover, education is also an important factor in preventing biases and discrimination. Through education, we become open-minded and we try to understand their culture and religion deeply. We should all understand how all individuals are similar. Although we all have different character traits and originate from different cultures, our basic human desires are quite the same, which makes our living in the same community possible. By living together, our similarities help us bridge all other gaps, such as language and cultural differences. This experience teaches us to be more kind and respectful towards others and to really appreciate other people, no matter where they come from. Hence, through studying different cultures we learn more about our own culture. Yet to become aware and sensitive in other a culture, a person cannot simply study it; he or she must interact with the culture and experience it firsthand.