Culture

This week in class we discussed culture. Culture is defined as “the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social group” it is not defined by skin color, language, or geography. Many people don’t realize that culture is all around us. We have culture in our countries, in our religions, in our friend groups and in our families. Culture doesn’t have to be big. One of the cultures in my own family is the act of serving others. My parents taught their children from a young age to serve those around us. They would invite new people at church over for dinner or help someone move. It made a big impact on my life and I now try to keep an eye out for opportunities to serve those around me.

We talked in class a lot about culture in the families specifically when a situation presents itself where a child has to take on the role of a parent. Let’s say we have a family with a mom, dad, and three children. The dad ends up getting cancer and dying, and so the oldest child feels the need to step up and help the mom take care of the rest of the family. They might get a job to help mom pay the bills, or if they’re not old enough to do that, they will watch the kids while mom goes to work. Mom might make them responsible for cleaning the house, making dinner, and helping their younger siblings with homework so mom can work, and they can keep their house. Before you know it, the oldest child takes on the responsibility and burden of being a parent. Does this sound fair? No, not at all, but it is happening all around us.

Another thing that was brought up was whether parents should let their children carry their burdens. Let’s say that instead of the dad dying, mom and dad are fighting and are thinking about getting a divorce. Mom talks to the oldest child and dad talks to the second oldest child. This intune causes the children to take sides. The oldest child starts resenting dad and blaming him for all the problems going on in the family. They feel like he’s never there and when he is, all he does is yell at them. On the flip side, the second child starts resenting mom. They feel like mom has put too much pressure on the dad to provide for the family. They don’t feel like mom truly listens to them and is being too hard on dad. Can you see the issues here? By mom and dad bring the children into their problems, it's dividing the family.

Different countries have different cultures. Yes, some are better than others, but just because one is different doesn’t mean it's bad. A lot of people end up coming to America because they believe we have a better culture than they do. In class we discussed a story of a family who lived in Mexico and wanted to come to the US. They had a great life in Mexico and were really happy. The mom was able to stay home and take care of the house and kids while the dad was able to work and make a living for the family. They decided to come to America because they’ve heard great things and wanted the opportunities the US brings people. It took the family several years to all get here, with the dad leaving first, and when they finally all got here, they realized there is no such thing as an “American dream”. It was so hard for them to adjust to the cultural here.

Anytime we go somewhere new, it can take some time to get use to the cultural and adjust to your new way of life, but just because you move, doesn’t mean you can’t bring some of your culture with you. What are some things about your own culture that you love, and things you want to change.