An Altered Identity
All aspects of life and our viewpoints are shaped from our culture. We can choose how to live our lives. But our culture, no matter what our identity is, shapes us. We have all lived our lives following what our parents do, or whoever raised us. We learn, we experience new things, and then we incorporate our new knowledge gained from those experiences into our lives. The types of things we learn and experience depend on our cultures. There are many types of cultures that define different types of people. Culture is what makes up a person. The combination of education, family, wealth, tradition, moral, religion, and friends are just some of the cultures that make up an individual. It is true that we are all different as an individual, but culture makes individuality. These cultures combined can make an extraordinary person. We are shaped and molded by our cultures. The education we receive will influence our intake of knowledge. Family influences our habits and instincts. Materialistic wealth changes the way we value other things. Morals influence our beliefs. Spirituality changes our faith, and friends influence our interaction with others.
Hermann Hesse wrote of a man who desires enlightenment in Siddhartha. Siddhartha and his family were very wealthy. Siddhartha’s wealth was not everything he wanted. There was a thirst inside that he could not quench. “He had begun to feel that the love of his father and mother, and also the love of his friend
One can be shaped positively or negatively through events that him or her has been through. While people expand their horizons to other cultural
Though it does not come up in everyday thought, cultural identity is an idea that all humans possess. Abridged, cultural identity can be simply explained as the sharing of a similar culture by people of various ethnicities. However, cultural identity is more complex than that, defined by an individual’s values, beliefs, and ideas of moral behavior influenced by their culture. Furthermore, cultural identity is ever changing from individual to individual. This means that although two individuals may be of the same ethnicity, differences in circumstances may cause variations between the individuals’ personal beliefs. As a result of interracial interactions, multiculturalism has grown during the twenty-first century.
Take a moment to think about the following question: what is culture? Culture is everything a person does, believes in, creates, came from, and has done. It is also so much more than this simple list, but this is a good idea of what it generally is. Culture affects a lot of things as well. It can affect what you do, how you do certain things, and how you see things comparison to others. Culture is a major factor in how people perceive the world and those around them. Everybody sees the world differently through their cultural glasses. Some people see things as foreign and confusing, while others see the same things as daily life. The idea of different cultural viewpoints is shown in many articles throughout the years. Each of these stories
Culture influences our way of life and our identity is who we are as unique individuals. That is to say a connection between the two is evident; culture is the foundation of identity. As we mature into adulthood, our life experiences evolve to form our true self.
Does a person’s culture define who they are? People who come from different cultures view the world differently. Their views are based on how they were raised and customs that were taught to them by their parents and society. In Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier, Dimple Lala has difficulty choosing between two cultures. She cannot decide if she should be loyal to American culture or Indian culture. Due to the fact that she is exposed to two cultures, she struggles with who she really is.
“What could I say to you that would be of value except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find.” (113) Siddhartha, a book written by Hermann Hesse, is about this young boy who throughout the book grows to an old man who, throughout his journey, seeks to attain enlightenment. He comes from a Brahmin family and later decides to become a samana and lives in the woods with his “shadow”,Govinda. Siddhartha is distracted with obstacles throughout his life and ultimately finds a way to conquer them.
However, many can argue that someone’s identity is not always shaped because of their surrounding environment, which is believable to an extent. For example, a person could go to church for their whole childhood, but as they grown up they could interpret religion in a whole different way or not be religious in any way . If it was had just been based off their culture, then they would still be religious forever. Many people around the world may be trapped within their own culture like in the
In Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, a young Brahmin in the wealthier part of India, approximately three thousand years ago, decides to set a goal onto his life. He decides to journey along the path of enlightenment and reach Nirvana, a state of total bliss. His dear friend, Govinda, accompanies him on this journey. Siddhartha sets out to seek the path to enlightenment, but it is long and difficult. Along the way, he grows spiritually and intellectually from a young seeking Brahmin, to an old, wise, and content ferryman with the knowledge of
We are all born the same way into this earth. We are all the same, with the same type of flesh and bones. How do we distinguish ourselves from each other? Well, we have many ways of telling one from another and one way we use is using culture. The difference between other culture is it ideas and moral values. Culture plays an important role in many people lives. Although being part of a multi-cultural society helps understands one’s self and it also helps understand one another cultural view of our world. Many people identity are also created by our belief. My ethnicity isn’t the only thing that defines who I am. It’s also my culture, my environment and my personality who define me.
“Culture is sometimes described as a lens through which we view the world, meaning that one’s culture influences their perceptions and interactions in everyday life” (Davis, 2006). Every culture has different beliefs and customs
Although one’s culture is based on their experiences they have had, it is also based on values of family and education that help shape one’s opinion and view.
Sometimes I question if culture changes who you are. I try to pull up memories of the decisions I make, are they affected by my culture? Here is the response I came up with: Culture sporadically informs how an individual sees the world because, even being from completely different places and raised in contrasting households, people could still have similar views based on what they think of others and not how you are constructed with your culture, however, sometimes affects your perspective in certain occasions in circumstances where you wouldn’t face a community the same if you weren’t from the culture you were built in. This idea is supported by the personal essay by Bharati Mukherjee, Two Ways to Belong in America, the essay by Robert Lake, An Indians Father Plea, and also personal experience.
Several factors affect the formation of one’s culture, Palispis, E. (2007) quoted Sir Edward Tylor, “Culture… refers to that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as member of society.” (Palispis, E., 2007) In this context culture is something we acquire from the people we have lived with since we were born, it is not something a person can learn overnight nor can be disposed effortlessly.
In this sense, personal cultural diversity can be seen through the influences of personal experiences that have been acquired and accumulated by the individual through his or her lifetime. Another factor to consider is the individual’s religious background or influences, as this would determine the values and practice of morality of the individual. This would also define one’s behavior and personality in comparison to other individuals. In addition, the religious influence of an individual, along with his or her personal experiences determines his or her judgments and prejudices regarding a certain issue. Another important factor is one’s social-economic class background, which refers to one’s income levels and lifestyle backgrounds. One’s level of income and lifestyle entitles one to develop different views and perceptions regarding different issues or topics.
As a baby we aren’t born with culture. The people who are responsible for our socialization are our parents and others who we might associate with…teachers, friends, etc. As a very small child we learn about the culture we were born in as well as our gender roles. Depending on some cultures women for example are taught that they will be homemakers and do a large share of work. In my culture I learned my future role which would be a daughter, friend, sister, a wife in the future possibly, and then maybe a mother. This is also the time we learn what society expects of us; the norms per say. This is also the time in our lives that our personality forms. While our personality has much to do with our upbringing and genes it also is created by the culture we are in. “Research in geographical sciences has shown regional variation on a number of indicators—including public