lL ls exLremely lmporLanL Lo know abouL oLher culLures and grows more lmporLanL every day LhaL passes

MosL of Lhe problems beLween naLlons grow from deep mlsundersLandlngs beLween people and many of Lhose
mlsundersLandlngs are rooLed ln culLural dlfferences PlsLory has shown LhaL when human belngs undersLand a
culLure Lhey are less llkely Lo respond ln a knee[erk fearbased way Lo behavlor LhaL ls noL llke Lhelr own lL ls
Lhe same as lL ls wlLh lndlvldual people When we undersLand someones reasons for Lhelr behavlor we are less
llkely Lo Lake offense 1oday when Lhe naLlons of Lhe world are so Lense LhaL halrLrlgger responses are
becomlng Lhe norm and when more and more naLlons have more and more power of desLrucLlon we really
need Lo ln[ecL human undersLandlng lnLo Lhe mlx! Lhe 8LS1 way Lo do LhaL ls Lo Lry Lo undersLand Lhe oLher
culLures of Lhe world 8uL now LhaL ls [usL Lhe lmperaLlve reason we should Lry Lo undersLand Lhem 1he
deeper reason ls how rlch LhaL undersLandlng can make our llves !usL Lhls mornlng l saw a news reporL on 88C
abouL Lhe klng of 1halland who ls 80 years old Pe has been ln frall healLh and Lhe people of Lhe naLlon who
love hlm dearly and respecL hls wlsdom have been wearlng yellow shlrLs Lo supporL hlm ln hls sLruggle wlLh hls
healLh Lhe reason Lhey chose yellow ls because LhaL ls Lhe color assoclaLed wlLh Lhe klngs blrLhday Powever
lL was noLed by Lhe people of Lhe naLlon LhaL he came ouL of a hosplLal sLay wearlng a plnk shlrL hlmself
recenLly so now Lhe people are beglnnlng Lo wear plnk shlrLs Lo supporL hlm l really found LhaL sLory
fasclnaLlng lL was so unlque Lo me LhaL Lhey would choose Lo wear a color of shlrL Lo supporL someone Lhey
respecLed and cared abouL so much And l love Lhe ldea of Lhe people of a naLlon so lovlng Lhelr ruler Lhey
would flnd such ways Lo supporL hlm lL opened my mlnd Lo posslblllLles beyond whaL l am llvlng aL Lhls Llme ln
Lhls counLry 1haL ls Lhe rlchness l am Lalklng abouL
AbsoluLely
When we only know our own way we conslder oLhers Lo be wrong lf Lhey are Lhe same Lhey conslder us Lo be
wrong Why flghL when a llLLle educaLlon can go a long way? knowlng why people Lhlnk and behave as Lhey do
fosLers compasslon and frlendshlp lL doesnL sLop Lhe ma[or problems buL lL sure can ellmlnaLe Lhe llLLle
lrrlLaLlng ones
AbsofreaklnluLely!!
We Lend Lo fear whaL we donL undersLand and we Lend noL Lo undersLand cusLoms of oLher culLures LhaL well
so we fear Lhem 1hls spreads haLe and dlsLrusL
l was acLually ralsed all over SL Asla as a chlld and have been back ln Lhe uSA slnce 1989 uue Lo my chlldhood l
flnd myself much more openmlnded Lhan Lhe average Amerlcan Lowards oLher cusLoms and pracLlces noL Lo
menLlon LhaL l also flnd lL much easler Lo undersLand people wlLh accenLs Lhan Lhe average Amerlcan does
?es parLlcularly lf you wlll be deallng wlLh people from LhaL culLure
l Lhlnk LhaL lL ls very lmporLanL Lo learn abouL oLher culLures so LhaL you can undersLand Lhe people who belong
Lo Lhose culLures My only caveaL ls LhaL you shouldnL learn a llLLle abouL a culLure and Lhen declde LhaL you are
an experL on lL and sLarL lecLurlng Lhe members of LhaL culLure l belong Lo a uS subculLure and have had
people explaln my culLure Lo me more ofLen Lhan l care for serlously Lhe people who do Lhls Lyplcally donL
have a clue
1haL belng sald l Lhlnk LhaL learnlng abouL oLher peoples culLures and belng wllllng Lo accepL where your
knowledge ends ls a good Lhlng and generally leads Lo more good Lhlngs