Man and Culture: Complex Beyond Comprehension

"Never judge a culture by one man and never judge a man by popular culture."

-Anonymous-

I am strongly in favor of the above statement. I believe that culture is superabundantly rich and it is never confined in one person. To define it according to what we observe in only one individual is absurdity. It is vain. We are falling flat. Do you think if I am not good in cooking, the rest of my fellow countrymen are also not good in cooking? If I hate rabbits, does it mean that all Filipinos also hate rabbits? If I sleep a lot during day time and always procrastinate my studies, does it mean that they also do the same thing? If I am not friendly to anybody, does it mean that they are also not? If I speak English with a lax and slow accent, do you think they also speak the same way? Do you also think that if I talk back to my teachers, they also do likewise? Come to think of these.

On the other hand, a man can never be judged according to his popular culture. He is unpredictable, complicated and mysterious in nature. To define him completely is next to impossible. Even a man himself is sometimes confused about who really he is. So, who are we to judge and define him? Human person is indeed complex beyond comprehension.If his culture is wholesome and conservative, it does not necessarily mean that he likes and appreciates it or conforms to it. If it is okay in his culture to marry more than one wife at the same time, it does not mean that he will follow that same-old tradition. If his culture dictates him to adhere to the dogma of business-mindedness, it does not always mean that he will heed it and act accordingly. If most of the people in his country love sports, it does not mean that he belongs to that majority.

Indeed, culture can never be defined through the behavior of only one person, nor can a person be defined through the popular culture.Every person has individuality and peculiarity. Nobody has the same personality. Everybody has his/her way of lifestyle and way of thinking. We all have different likes and dislikes, personal dreams and ambitions.

As an exchange student, I may be a cultural ambassador for my country, but it does not mean that whatever I do and say is always related to my culture. I also have behaviors that characterize my personality as a unique individual. And this is what I want to emphasize to the Americans and to all other people that I am interacting with. I am a human...limited...liable to commit mistakes...imperfect. It is possible that I may misrepresent or exaggerate my culture. It is also possible that I may not practice my culture. I want them to be aware of that. But I guess, as long as I maintain my communication and socialization with them, they will be able to deepen their understanding of my background, be it personal or cultural, as I also deepen my understanding of their personal and cultural background. As we learn more about each other, stereotypes and misconceptions that we have lessen. For example, before, I used to perceive all American people as arrogant, superior, liberal, obese, wealthy, so on and so forth, but now, I have realized that I was being judgmental and stereotypical. As I integrate myself to this society that I am currently in, I have found out that American life also has a wide-range of diversity. I have now come into my senses that not all Americans are arrogant, superior, liberal, obese , wealthy and all that. Americans that I met before are not the Americans that I am meeting now. Americans that I saw on television are not the Americans that I am seeing now. They don't act the same way. They may be all Americans, but they also have distinct and unique human qualities and personalities. I should never judge their culture according to my first individual encounter. It is absurdity to do so. As an exchange student, I am broad and open-minded. I am aware and I understand what's going on around me. I know when and how to be sensitive.

Verily, to integrate one's self in the host community and institution is the best way to understand , not define nor judge the culture. Culture is indescribable and unexplainable. It is dynamic and inexhaustible. It changes over time. Like man, it is complex beyond comprehension.







Assalamu alaykum! (Peace be upon you!)