Experience Of Values From Different Cultures example essay topic

When I was a child I was exposed to many cultures, much in the same way as a military family would have been. With my father having worked on C ecom Fort Monmouth since the time I was born, I have been exposed to different cultures, races, and religions all of my life. This small fort in the middle of Eatontown is a perpetual melting pot of ideals, colors and beliefs. As far back as I can remember, I have always had many friends.

However, until this essay was assigned, I didn't think about the fact that as a young boy, I was expose early too, people coming from as far as Africa, Korea, and several from Spain. At the time, I didn't have any feelings on the matter. All I knew is that I had new friends and they were all interesting and different. I had no fear or wrongful emotions directed towards any of these new and different people, I was only a boy.

After all, man, much like the dog, isn't afraid of man until it has done them wrong. The little that I can remember was a definite positive experience; the main feelings that I experienced were those of confusion. I did not understand many of the habits and religious aspects of their lives. My family, even if it's appropriate for me to speak of their feelings, showed no malice for theses peoples.

My father worked alongside them day by day, went out to dinner with them, family barbecues always included my fathers co-workers and their children for me to play with. In general, it seems that they were friends and co-workers, nothing different, they would even discuss different things from our different countries after dinner, as a group on occasion. About the only thing we could have done to make this experience more positive would have been to visit our friends respective foreign lands and experience there cultures first hand. It was definitely a positive experience and still remains so at my current juncture in life. If I had to give advice to the younger generation on their inter-catmint with different cultures, I would probably make the statement, "You are born into a world without meaning, not knowing how to dress, what toys to play with, how to eat or even what gods to worship".

(Samovar / Porter. 29) I would stress that I an opportunity arises to intermingle with people of different backgrounds, take it. Many of the worlds problems come from those who would not experience new views, or who were influenced by their parents and other figures viewed with integrity. A major benefit for the youth of America would have to be the experience of values from different cultures.

Values are "culturally defined standards of desirability, goodness, and beauty that serve as broad guidelines for social living". (Marcionism. 31) I personally rationalize with this statement, if it wasn't for my mixing of different cultural values I would have no understanding of why people do the things that they do. I also believe that morals go hand in hand with values. My beliefs now were shaped by cultures, if I wasn't exposed to theses cultures at an early age, I would have no place going into a criminal justice field. If one cannot understand the reason, how can he relay the punishment or leniency?

"At best, everyone has a different culture, molded from the beliefs and actions of others". (Samovar / Porter. 34) My views on culture didn't really sink in until I started reading our textbook, but I feel that I am fairly well rounded and educated on the matters of man..