My blogger friend Tikno from Indonesia has suggested this week’s LBC topic.
Let me first define ‘culture’ as I think Tikno means for this post – “The ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.”
Having travelled both in the East and the West and having read quite a bit about both, I can vouch for one thing. And that is that people everywhere are the same and the cultures also the same except that in details descriptions have to be changed.
Almost all the differences have been because of usage of wrong terminology. Western for Modern and Eastern for Ancient.
Once this terminology is corrected nothing is hidden. In both the Western and Eastern cultures, modern communication aids have broken down mysteries and have spread knowledge while assisting in improving living standards everywhere. Technology has also brought people together like never before.
Eastern ancient culture based on an agrarian economy supported by handicrafts has been moving towards, Western industrial culture for quite some time and in fact, today, there is hardly any Eastern nation where this change has not had its impact. Some like Japan and South Korea can be compared to any Western nation while other nations like India and Indonesia are well on the way to becoming so.
On the other hand, movement from the West towards the East for spiritual knowledge, yoga, martial arts etc besides its ancient medical wisdom has also seen increase in the recent years.
This process has its advantages and disadvantages and again the use of modern communication methods can be used to minimise the effects that the latter have on people everywhere. Perceptions of each other in terms of lifestyles and values will change through information.
The potential is also not hidden as suggested by Tikno. It is ignored by most but is available for anyone interested to exploit the synergy that is available for the asking.
We are not human beings but human becomings. There is hope yet.
You can see what the other writers of the LBC have to say in their respective blogs. Maria, Pravin, Ashok and Shackman.
I agree – the potential is not hidden – it is there for all to see. As we have discovered over the years, there is much that is similar between us – what you call synchronicity. The world is ever shrinking and virtually anything in any culture is available for study. Nothing hidden – simply pick and choose as you will those things that appeal to you and can add something positive to your life.
shackman recently posted..Eastern And Western Culture, The Reflections Of Hidden Potential In Between
Thank you for the very encouraging words. They just flowed without my consciously thinking about them.
I agree with your point about modern communication (information technology) which will further facilitate the interaction between the two, towards a new civilization.
One thing that I noted is that the newly elected South Korean President took a non-confrontational ways to dampen tensions on the Korean peninsula. Luckily the Korean people choose a president who has this hidden potential.
Tikno recently posted..Mr. Money is not guilty
Quite how individuals turn out in democracies is always a gamble. Subsequent developments have not been very encouraging.
That may have changed, Tikno, now that North Korea has threatened retaliation for the sanctions. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/08/world/asia/north-korea-japan-missile-south.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Cheerful Monk recently posted..Then and Now
A “bad potential” inside the leader on both sides was existed.
Right now I am grateful to have President Joko Widodo.
Tikno recently posted..Mr. Money is not guilty
Even though I didn’t have the internet when I was in high school, I did read about Eastern philosophy and incorporated a lot of it into my own view of life. It was available even then, and it resonated with me. No missed potential there.
That is exactly the point that I was making in the post.
“We are not human beings but human becomings”
that’s a fabulous thought, right there
That is a statement that I learnt during one of my Vedanta classes many years ago and it has stayed with me. Yes, it is a powerful thought.
Interesting reading Ramana.
Not human beings – Human becomings – evolving all the time!
Cathy recently posted..You learn something new every day…..
That is a statement that I learnt during one of my Vedanta classes many years ago and it has stayed with me. Yes, it is a powerful thought.
So much learning about different cultures since the advent of the internet We now have no excuses to be ignorant of each other. Great post, Ramana!
Thank you STLF.
I found you analysis of the inter-cultural situation interesting and logical. Being able to communicate easily cannot help but bring all humans together in the long run.
Gabbygeezer recently posted..Way Too Much Pay For Play
Thank you Gabbygeezer. I do hope that your prediction comes true.
this is a wonderful post sean.
and every comment right on the mark too.
like the others i like what you say about human becomings.
i have read about and embraced much in the eastern philosophies and culture.
not in the depth of a true scholar of course but enough that it has played an important role in my life.
loving everything about it from ancient haiku and wabi sabi and the wisdom and beauty of rumi’s words to zen and the art of just being while the grass grows by itself!
part of me hopes that the proverbial competitive shallow and glossy ways of the west will never overtake those beautiful cultural differences!
tammy j recently posted..moving on old bean
Thank you Tammy. I would rather not generalise on the shallow and glossy ways of the West and instead concentrate on all the nice people out there. The process of changing is slow but it is there visible and increasingly getting to be attractive.